Rock Smash Lifting Log

training week 7 day 1 2.13.2012

2012-02-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Ready for Valentines Day tomorrow? Supporting the Hallmark Holiday? You better, or your name is 'mud'. Better yet, go spend a $2 bill at Starbucks tomorrow.

Tired today. Haven't been sleeping well, been having shaking chills at night until I sweat the bed sheets through, and been worrying about a few things. Such is life.

Warmed up with a little dynamic work and some bar work and got to it.

Squat, sets of 2 reps to RPE=9 plus a 95% set: ran out of gas 22 pounds short of my max two weeks ago. Feel very good about that. Had a little instability in my torso if I didn't manage my breathing very carefully, but not sure I need to do anything more than slow down a little.

Comp bench raw, sets of 2 reps to RPE=9 plus AMRAP @ 77%: I always estimate what I'll get before I begin, and I beat that by 11 pounds. I still feel like I'm leaving something undone, though, because despite my gains my bench still feels a little weak.

DL from a 2" deficit, sets of 4 to 9 plus 95%: got it done, fell 22 pounds short of estimate, but don't care. My squats were more than solid, and I feel good about the total session.

120 seconds rest between all sets today, as per usual. I always forget to mention that.

Last week at my current gig before moving on. First week in the new gig will be in Vegas, so training next week will be sparse. We'll see what happens.

Have a good evening.

training 2.11.2012 week 6 end

2012-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

More of a maintenance day today than heavy effort. Reason is that I will be on the road next week and likely unable to train. As much as that sucks, it means that I will have to work my ass off this week and use next week as a recovery handful of days.

Big Mike asked for results and my numbers were gaudy -- so much that it was a bit embarrassing, as it would suggest that I have been a grade-A pussboy for a while. Though I know this not to be the case, it does suggest that I respond better to what Mike has me doing than I do to 5/3/1. One could easily argue that I wasn't doing 5/3/1 correctly, and I can't really argue against it. I think 5/3/1 just gave me the opportunity to do less volume and less work and still make incremental gains. Mike has given me volume and near-max effort, and I seem to respond better to it.

Anyway, it's been a tough week and this next one will be no different.

DL, sets of 3 to RPE=9 plus a 95% set: Down a few pounds

Half-board press, sets of 1 to RPE=9 plus a set of 95%: down a bunch

Pin squat, same scenario as the half-bd: down a few

Tough week and I barely ate at all yesterday. Yeah, excuses. Tomorrow will be a balls-out session, so I will eat several largish farm animals tonight and do better tomorrow.

Sorry, folks.

training week 6 day 2 2.8.2012

2012-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys. Gorgeous day today, but was spent worrying over a dog that got out two days ago, got in a fight with a neighbor's froo-froo dogs, was quarantined (and is under house arrest for the next ten days), and is finally home after the gubmint decided that my house was in fact a safe enough place for me to be allowed (cough) to have a pet.

I will refrain from further comment, no matter how much it pains me. I might still get sued over it. No comment about that either.

I'd love to say I've been doing what needed to be done, but I haven't, thanks to the great volksrepublik of Kalifornia.

I warmed up with bands and weight. I wanted this session badly.

Bench, touch and go, sets of 3 to RPE=9 + 95%: managed to press up 20kg more than last time I did T&Gs, so not bad.

DB Rows between each set, heavy with skinny handles

Lunges, sets of 4 to RPE=9 + 95%: Did I really get a set of RPE=9? Probably not, but depends on how you look at it. My glutes were in serious spasm, but my quads and hips had plenty more. Good to have knowledge of weakness.

Incline, pinky on the ring (POTR henceforth), sets of 5 to RPE=9 + 95%: These went up fine and I added ten kilos per side to my final, but my right shoulder barked after I was done. No pain during, though, so I won't whine any more than that.

Did a lot of sucking wind today, for some reason. Still, I did okay and it felt good.

Have a solid night, all.

Week 6 day 1 2.5.2012

2012-02-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Didn't log the last two sessions simply because there has been a lot going on. Given the SB this afternoon and the inevitable (tiresome) party, a late work meeting tomorrow, and baseball practice Tuesday evening, it was train this morning or not at all. So I got to it. At least I'm logging it.

Suffice it to say that this past week was exhausting. I ground out a dupe of my early week maxes, but did not achieve any new PRs after day 1 of week 5. Nevertheless, I feel noticeably stronger for the work.

Warmed up with dynamic work and bar work. Wore knee sleeves and elbow sleeves. Used the TrueNu pair beforehand -- still loving those two (with the ridiculous names).

Squat, 3 sets of 3 reps to RPE=8.5, one set at 95%: Huge jumps (relatively speaking) in squat strength and comfort over the course of the last 5 weeks. Only reached 80% of last week's max before calling it RPE=9 (raced by 8.5), but feel quite good about it. The 95% effort was fine.

Comp bench raw, 3 sets of 3 reps to RPE=8.5, one set at 77% AMRAP: Also big jumps here. I need to calc just how much and report to Big Mike, actually, since he asked. In the meantime, I felt this one a bit more than usual, and I'd say this one was RPE=9 too. Achieved 82% of max before crumping. Got 10 reps at 77% and was clearly done.

2" deficit DL, 3 sets of 1 rep to RPE=9, one set at 95%: Same story here -- reached 82% of max. This one was weird, though, because I expected 75% because of the deficit. More than that, I reached what felt like RPE=9 and decided to add another 10kg to the bar -- the next set was easier than the previous, but I decided to end it there. I'm just a lot more cautious of my low-back the older I get. I will say, though, that my DL feels much, much more solid right now. I don't approach the bar with any sense of intimidation, where DL has typically been a concern. I historically stick at the floor, but the weight is coming up now. Is it possible not to have a sticking point? If I can move it, it goes, and I haven't failed recently (this week's max was a grind, so I didn't try any higher.) I would argue that today I had more, even with a true 2" deficit. Love that.

For the record, I DL sumo always. I squat wide and my comp bench hold is middle finger on the ring.

Still feeling great. Body recomposition is slow but steady, and weight is holding. Strength is climbing, so I'm good with everything we're doing right now. Need a comp this summer, no doubt.

Thanks for sticking with me.

update

2012-01-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

Haven't eaten nearly enough tonight, but my stomach feels too funky to get into it. I'll probably down a bunch of protein in the morning to compensate, because I will surely be ravenous by my scheduled 10:00 feed. Shoot, I'm hungry now as I type, but also a little nauseated.

Also, my low back is incredibly tired. I may take an extra day and do Wednesday's on Thursday and Friday's on Saturday. That won't leave much time before Monday's, particularly not knowing what torture Mike has in mind for next week (two max days this week makes me a little nervous.) Besides, I'm getting older and it takes longer to bounce back from what amounts to a comp this afternoon.

Anyway, sleep well.

1.30.2012 week 5 day 1

2012-01-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

Max day today. I can't remember the last time I got true maxes of the big 3 lifts. A little daunting.

Stimmed up and prepped with the usual two from True Nutrition. Still loving both, as well as the carb backloading. More on that later if I'm still conscious.

Did the three in comp order, as dictated by Mike T. Hit three PRs, no BS. I'm going to dig back several years to verify all three, but my current log runs back a couple of years, and I at the very least lifted more than I have in the last three years.

I logged during that I had more in the squat, but I was right there (within ten pounds) I think and I didn't want to kill my DL.

Bench and DL were true maxes -- I could not have added anything to either.

I ate a ton last night, even eating when I didn't want anything. I ate everything I could, and I am absolutely certain it made a difference today. Particularly because I went into the session having only eaten lunch (half a pound of bison with cheese and was still quite hungry afterward).

Once I verify the PRs, I'll post numbers. All three were at least ten pounds over previous recent sessions.

The thought of doing it again at the end of the week makes me feel a little sick, though I will go straight up to the max weights swiftly after thorough warm ups. I will post video of Friday's session.

Stay tuned.

1.27.2012 training wk 4, day 3

2012-01-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, warm day today. Had to be in the mid-70s all day, with a warm, dry breeze like a Santa Ana.

Holy cow, this session was hard. That might have something to do with all the Rockitfuel I've downed over the last two days, including right before the session (along with some dope Ndure.) I've got to find something else to call those things, despite the fact that I really, really like them both. Neither has any carbs, which is perfect given that they both work for me.

Did a very little bit of dynamic shoulder warm-up. Used elbow sleeves, knee sleeves, and light wrist wraps.

Deadlift, sets of 2 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95%: hefted up 20kg more than last time (10kg per side, which pleased me. I'm still a way away from a PR, but at least I'm not losing anything. I still view this as my weakest lift comparatively. Got two smooth reps up and might have had another, but didn't want to push it.

I was feeling a little fried coming into the training session and wasn't sure how I was going to finish. I did not feel differently at this point.

2-count bench, sets of 4 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95%: brutally hard, only got within 5kg per side of my comp bench of a few days ago. Not sure why these were so hard, but I felt like I was constantly fighting to keep the bar in the groove. Maybe I was not keeping my elbows in or something, but whatever it was wasn't working well. The funny thing is, I was only 10kg total below the comp bench doing twice as many reps. Thinking too much.

Squat, sets of 4 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95%: these flew up. Not sure why, but I was all over this. My squat is supremely confident now, and I am reasonably sure a PR isn't too far off. Go figure. I finished 20kg below my best recent squat doing 4 reps per set and felt that I had another jump up in me -- the weight was coming up quickly. Pretty happy about it. I stopped where I did because of a twinge in my neck that I caused by thinking too much again, driving my head back beyond where I needed to. Just lift.

So, a good day. Now to eat. Have a safe weekend.

wk 4, day 2 1.25.2011

2012-01-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Warm day today. Gorgeous.

Started with bar work -- totally spaced on dynamic work for no good reason. I used True Nutrition's two new products, Ndure and Rockitfuel (yeah, I didn't name them, okay?) prior to training along with two Axcel tabs. The upshot was that by the time I reached the rumpus room, I had a sense of euphoria that is tough to describe. Think I'll continue this. I was well-amped by the time the sweat started to roll, but didn't feel as totally smoked as I do when I down a whole Spike. Love my Spike, but have to titer it carefully or feel totally funky later, because onset is logarithmic -- don't feel much, feel okay, BAM.

Anyway, love the stims and hope they don't kill me. Reading that last paragraph, apparently I'm still under the influence.

Wore elbow sleeves and neoprene on the wrists.

Bench, touch/go, 3 sets of 2 reps to RPE=9 + 1X95%: Ended up about 10kg short of usual, which surprised me, particularly because it was only 2 reps per set. Kind of pissed me off, actually. I went down to 95% of the final work set and cranked out two sets of 5 reps of 95%. Felt great. Right shoulder ached all day like my meniscus was barking (likely have a small tear, and likely have since pitching days), but didn't feel it at all during work. Setup was solid, lats tight, excellent final two sets. Grip was super-wide.

Good mornings, 3 sets of 5 + 1X95%: Nothing special here. Just got it done. Low back is sore from squats + DL two days ago, which is understandable. Let it go and just got it done.

Military press, 3 sets of 7 + 1X95%: Love military press. Pushed 150kg with a wide grip (index finger on ring) and cranked them out. Left work weight on for the one extra set. Seat was at 85 degrees. Focused on minimal back arch. Felt great.

Another great day. Big day in two days, so time to eat up and recover.

Albeit a total non sequitur, if you have no, go buy and read Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. If it doesn't reach you, nothing will.

Night, all.

training wk 4 day 1 1.23.2012

2012-01-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Rained hard here today -- San Diegans aren't used to that. Makes for messy days, particularly on the roads.

Did a fair amount of dynamic work to start. Spiked and dropped two Axcel, as I knew this one would be hard.

Did a lot of bar work to warm up and got to it. Used elbow and knee sleeves, and that's it.

Squat, sets of 2 reps to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95% of the last set. Weight came up pretty easily despite my trepidation. My setup in early sets was off somehow, and they consequently felt pretty heavy. I added 10kg to the total from the last full squat day, so progress continues. Frankly, I think I could have kept going up, but didn't want to grind one out with bench and deadlift still to come.

Competition raw bench, sets of 2 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 77% AMRAP: added 10kg to this one too, which makes me very happy. Lost the bar from the groove on my RPE=9 set and spent a huge amount of energy trying to save it, so my 77% sets was all of about 4 reps. I can live with it.

Deadlift + chains, sets of 4 to RPE=9 plus one of 95%: added every chain I have and gutted these out. By now I was sucking wind and sweating like a pig, so it was more about finishing than anything else. Interestingly enough, the weight flew up, but I was pretty much cooked by this point and didn't do anything heroic to try for a new PR.

All in all, still very positive. Structurally I'm good, loving the volume, and making progress. Hope you are too.

week 3 days 2 and 3 1.22.2012

2012-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

Posting a couple of days -- been busy, but got the training in. Sorry this one is unorthodox and not very informative.

Day 2 was bench x3, Good Mornings x6, and Push Press x12.

Day 3 was DL x3, Pin Press from chest x4, and 2-count squat x4.

Both had work sets followed by a single 95% set.

I've been tired and not eating enough. I had a few glasses of champagne and wine spread across several days due to birthday parties and a visiting relative -- honestly, while I love a big, fruity cab, I feel a lot better if I don't. Had a flight of Darioush cab last night, which was delicious, but doesn't do me any favors. Didn't get even remotely tipsy, but any at all has an effect on the training. Think I'll try some bourbon tonight to see if the effect continues. Kidding, kind of.

My GMs last time were very good and my push press continues to improve. My benching today off the pins resulted in another gain as well. The volume in this routine is working to my favor, I believe, though I do notice getting tired occasionally.

Hoping this week I will have more time to devote to training and logging it. Thanks for sticking with me -- I will make this more interesting soon. Stay tuned, as I expect big things from squatting this week in particular.

Out.

Training 1.16.2012 week 3, day 1

2012-01-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

Pretty wired at the moment -- just finished the session and am still jacked up with Axcel and half a Spike. Around 8:00, I'll probably crash hard.

The sessions are getting more serious, with fatigue sets at 95% now. Started with a bunch of water, a fair amount of dynamic work, and a fair amount of bar work. I'm going to have to get more serious about foam rolling either before or after, as soreness is starting to follow me around like a puppy. I'm already spacing sessions out so that I have a day between each, and I have no more room to give. Time to start soft tissue work, I guess.

Used elbow sleeves for the bench and knee sleeves with the squats and DL.

Squat, sets of 3 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95%: Increased the weight by 6% this time, which made me very happy. The 95% set was no problem.

Competition raw bench, sets of 3 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 77% AMRAP: hit a solid 265kg, which is very close to a PR if not one. Got 7 reps of 410#.

2-count paused Deadlift, sets of 4 to RPE=9 plus 1 set of 95%: This was just brutal after the squat effort. I actually lifted 15% less than last time I did this # of reps of this exercise (5 sessions ago). I don't feel bad about it, given the effort everywhere else.

The funny thing is, in the individual lifts I have lifted more weight than I do now but I've never felt stronger. I guess I'm a Tuchscherer convert, and I'll definitely stick with him. Even with the unimpressive DL, using the RPE=9 set weights, I lifted a raw total of over 1800# today. Now, yeah, they were gym lifts and not comp, but with multiple sets and at my age that's downright incredible. If I can bring up that DL with the other two efforts (and I have several weeks), I can score a legit elite as a masters competitor.

I can live with that.

Great night, all.

training wk2 #4 1/14

2012-01-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Logging this two days post workout, so it'll be brief.

Started with a bit of dynamic work and the usual bar work. Wore elbow sleeves and neoprene wrist support.

Floor Press, 3 sets of 3 reps to RPE=9 plus two sets at 93%: increased my RPE=9 set weight by 10kg and did AMRAP on the last of the 93% sets. It wasn't a lot (6 reps, I think) by that point.

Snatch-grip SLDL, 3 sets of 6 reps to RPE=9 plus 2 sets at 93%: raised the weight a good bit on this one and managed form -- glad to see progress here. Stuck to numbers to avoid destroying my low back.

Floor press, pinky on the ring, 3 sets of 6 to RPE=9 plus 2 sets at 93%: made it to about 90% of the weight above, which was surprising to me as toasty as my triceps were feeling. Got extra reps on the last set.

While I was working through the final floor press sets, I would sit on the floor and do push press (or military or whatever you want to call it) with my chains and a few plates on handles. Essentially, push press so that the last three or four inches bore all the weight, but lighter at the bottom for my old shoulders. I really liked these and will likely keep working them in. It was easy to initiate since I was already sitting on the floor.

Everything is still progressing -- very pleased. Little victories, guys, creeping toward big ones.

Have a great week. Next session is tonight.

training PM wk 2 day 3 1/12

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Long day, long week. Dark by the time I got to the room, and I ran the heater hard. Didn't need it, really, but wanted to get the sweat on. I did, pig-like.

Skipped day 2, a 4th-priority session, on purpose. I've felt beaten up and old all week, and I needed the rest. Hated to do it because I skipped push press, but I needed it. A man's got to know his limitations.

Started with a little dynamic work (should have done more) and a bit of bar work.

Deadlift: sets of 4, to RPE=9, plus two sets of 93% of RPE=9: gutted these out, no progress. Same weight, really, as my 2-count paused DLs, which kind of sucks.

Got the work in, and I took two Axcel after the first couple of sets. Shame they didn't kick in until later, because I could have used them. Also took 4 Advil, as my low-back has been sore since the last session, and I still had squats ahead of me.

Pin press: sets of 3 to RPE=9 plus two sets of 93%: Got 200kg, which is decent progress over last time. Felt okay about these despite the fact that I seriously gutted up the third rep off the pins.

For what it's worth, I rest the bar on the pins between reps and relax slightly, never letting go or relaxing my traps. I just release my triceps and pecs.

These felt good today, whereas my pecs felt a little spastic on the left side last time. Getting old.

2-count paused squats, to RPE=9, plus two sets of 93%: I went up by about 20kg this time. That's pretty frickin' huge, and I'm more than pleased. Felt great, got great depth, paused for a full two counts. The two 93% sets were brutal, but I wanted them. Hope I'm sore tomorrow.

I was a little concerned about jumping into volume, but it simply feels like another Sheiko routine. I have to say, I'm really liking this, and I feel very confident of PRs in the near future. Guess I'm another Tuchscherer convert.

Still hitting the carb backloading, still loving that. Everything is going pretty well on this front right now. Now to get the other fronts to be equally smooth, and I should be pretty content. Should.

Have a great night.

Training PM day 1 week 2 1.9.2012

2012-01-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Alright, this one was hard. I don't have a lot of time to document this, so forgive the brevity.

Warmed up with some dynamic work and a lot of bar work. Used knee sleeves and elbow sleeves and not much else.

Water during, Dark Matter after. Was a little intimidated coming in, because I knew it would be hard and I did not stim up because I need the sleep tonight. Don't think that'll be a problem, and I shouldn't have worried.

Squat: sets of four to RPE=9, followed by 2 sets of 4 reps at 93% of my RPE=9 total. Hit 310kg on my RPE=9 sets. Pounded out the rest.

Comp Bench: sets of four to RPE=9, followed by 1 set of 4 reps at 95% and a second of AMRAP at 77%. Got what I had projected, though my left pec barked through most of it. 220kg.

2-count DL: sets of 3 to RPE=9 followed by 2 sets of 4 at 93% of the RPE=9 total. This sucked, though I got exactly what I had projected, which was around 660#.

As I said, this one was hard. Late in the day, mild stims seem like a good idea all of a sudden. Off to eat.

training PM day 4 1.7.2012

2012-01-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

The carb backloading is still going pretty well, and my workouts are going through the roof. Great stuff.

I didn't do much dynamic work today -- mostly bar work to warm up. Been a nice Saturday.

Wore elbow sleeves and a Spud DL belt for the SLDLs.

Floor press, sets of 4 @7,8,9 RPE: Worked up to 220kg. Felt fantastic -- starting to love FP again.

Snatch grip SLDL, sets of 12 @7,8,9 RPE: Worked up to a decent weight, kept strict form, and felt these. I didn't push them as hard as I might otherwise, as I almost always leave them with low back pain. Not today.

Floor press, pinky on the ring, sets of 12 @7,8,9 RPE: hit 160kg and called it. With high-rep sets, the difference between RPE ratings can be 10kg or even how the previous set went. I didn't push all the way, but I'm sure I hit 8 for RPE and probably 9.

Got next week's workouts and have already hit up Bob for some smarts. I'm looking forward to it.

Have a great day, and thanks for checking in.

PM day 3 1.5.2012

2012-01-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous day today. Very warm.

Warmed up the usual way, with a bunch of dynamic work and what ended up being a fair amount of bar work. Used knee and elbow sleeves and some loose briefs for hip support.

Deadlift, 2-count pause, 3 reps at 7, 8, and 9 RPE: reached 305kg and got 3 legit, paused reps. No one was more surprised than I was. Tried another 10kg and failed miserably -- got maybe an inch off the floor with the first rep and was done.

Pin press, 4 rep sets at 7,8,9 RPE: 190kg and was done.

Squat, 2-count pause, 4 rep sets at 7,8, and 9 RPE: Improved nearly 10% over last time. No idea where it came from. Depth was good, pauses were strict, and I felt great out of the hole.

Honestly, today was a fantastic effort. I felt like I could have approached a 1RM on squats, and my DL felt better than it has felt in recent memory. Everything felt good today. I was pretty well stimmed up (AtLarge Axcel, but I didn't take them until right before I hit the rumpus room, so it can't account for much.

Very pleased with the way this is going. I was starting to feel that maybe the volume was too low, but I went in today feeling a little tired. We'll see what I feel like tomorrow. I'm supposed to have another session tomorrow that I may move to Saturday.

Loving this. Off to eat.

PM day 2

2012-01-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Feel great -- no soreness from yesterday at all. In fact, I need extra work, so no heartburn at all about having a session today.

Warmed up the usual way. Wore elbow sleeves today and neoprene wrists.

Still figuring out matching weights to RPE, so in some cases I had lots of sets and in others got very close very quickly.

To it:

Bench + doubled monster minis, sets of 3 to RPE=9: 180kg plus the bands for the last set, which was pretty close to a 9, I'd say. Might go with Pro Light bands (one tougher) next time based on how the bands work with my rack. Good start today, though.

Front squat, sets of 6 to RPE=9: 160kg, got nowhere near a 9. I hate front squats (which likely means I should work on them) because I spend more energy on form than on the weight. Honestly, I struggled with cramping in my serratus anterior far more than quads. By the end, I was struggling to hold the bar up and not even feeling it in my quads. I may see if I can use the SSB instead, though I'll stick with whatever Mike wants. I'd rather do overhead squats than front squats. Hate 'em.

Incline, pinky on the ring, sets of 12 to RPE=9: Love these. 155kg legit to a true RPE of 9 (if not 9.5). I struggled with the last set, feeling them in my triceps after the benching.

Whining about front squats aside, a very good session. Over in a hurry, really, but that works out very well with today's schedule. Still very excited about this, and looking forward to session 3.

Great day, all.

Project Momentum day 1

2012-01-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

Started the latest Mike Tuchscherer project today. I suspect it will take a few swings before I make contact, as it were, though it isn't a complicated program. The trick is translating perceived effort to weights, knowing that RPE changes from day to day based upon any number of factors, such as stress, work, sleep, how much I ate, ...anything. So 90% RPE today might be 70% tomorrow, or vice versa. So it goes.

Still backloading, and it's going well. After the carb debauchery last weekend, I craved carbs for several days. Badly. It's abated a good bit, and I've substituted massive amounts of grassfed bison and sauteed vegetables, which I happen to absolutely love. And almonds. Anything to get to training time.

Started with a fair amount of dynamic work and way, way too many bar sets before figuring out where my RPE of 7 started.

Squats, 3-rep 2-count paused: got up to about 300kg and called it. Honestly, I think I had a couple of reps left (RPE=8), but pitched forward at the top and called it. Besides, I knew I had to DL later.

Depth was solid, pauses were strict. The weight came up super-fast. Next time.

Bench, 3-rep 2-count paused: climbed weight fast to avoid tiring, got over 200kg and was done. This was a legit RPE of 9, if I had another.

Deadlift, 4-rep 2-count paused: Got to 245kg and thought I was done -- RPE was high 8. Figured anything more would fail, so I took off 5kg and slapped on another 10 each side to go to 260kg. These came up more easily than the 245, but I wasn't going to do it again. I logged 500-something paused as RPE 9 and called the session.

These made me nervous, particularly after the squats. DL is the one discipline I expect to gain most on during this 8 weeks, frankly. The way I react to different lifts puzzles me, as I really thought I'd pull one and done, but the whole lot came up pretty well. I know I had one left in the tank, but don't know that I had two. I feel okay about it.

A good start. Next session is tomorrow, and I am very much looking forward to completing the course and seeing where it takes me. The upshot, of course, is that now I will have to start planning another comp.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and I wish you all a great 2012.

training 12.31.2011

2011-12-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

It sure is nice to have a long weekend. Hope everyone's is going well.

Got a lot done today, both in and out of the gym. I think I'm going to expand the gym a little and buy some more equipment. I think I have enough weight, but I still need a GHR and a Swiss bar. I wouldn't mind another El Gordo, either.

Today was overhead press day. Started with band work to warm up, including dislocates and hurricanes. Love that stuff. Did a number of warm-up sets under the bar too.

Drank water. Used elbow sleeves and neoprene wrist supports.

Military: Worked up to a high of 185kg and pressed 12 reps, which blows me away. It just felt good and kept going up. Lots of strength progress lately, so I'm not complaining. I think I had another rep in the tank. This might be a rep record, though I'll have to dig way back to check. No shoulder pain at all. The seat was at 80 degrees.

Supersets:
DB rows
Floor press, narrow grip

When I started to get tired in the last set, my right shoulder started barking under the floor press, so I stopped at 8 reps on the last set. No sense in hurt heroics.

Did 5 sets of at least 12 reps otherwise.

Pretty quick session today. If my soreness abates, I may deadlift tomorrow. I'd like to get an extra training session in before the workweek starts up again, as the next several weeks are likely to be rather tough.

Hope everyone has a safe evening. Crab legs and champagne for this cowboy -- drop by if you're game.

Take care.

update

2011-12-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

Very sore, even at 36 hours post training. It's a pressing day, so my hip/quad/adductor soreness shouldn't matter. Will likely do some soft tissue work and light front squatting to warm up my pathetic muscles.

Have a safe NYEve.

training 12.29

2011-12-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

Haven't eaten much today -- was a little concerned about what that would mean in the rumpus room. Didn't seem to mean a thing.

Started with some dynamic work and bar work to warm up.

Squat:
Worked up to my target weight for today and stood up with it 10 times. I had another couple in me easily; even ten meant a significant increase over the last time, which was ten fewer kilos and for only 7 reps. Feel good about this. I would have finished the last two reps, but I was sucking wind badly by this point and didn't want to just stand in my rack wheezing until I could finish. Dropped and went on.

Supersets:
Heavy lunges
Hip thrusts
Monster walks with a medium band off a leg of the rack

Got a headache now. Time to go eat. Stay safe, all of you.

training 12.26.2011

2011-12-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous weekend. I had to do a lot of cooking and entertaining, so I lost a day of training.

Also, I obliterated carb discipline pretty much all of yesterday. Yes, I do feel softer today.

Back to it. I did some band work and a lot of bar work to warm up. Drank water during.

Still week 1.

Bench:
Worked up to 220kg and pressed 9 reps. This is nowhere near a record, but the last rep I was starting to tire significantly and lost the bar out of the groove low. Yeah, I was raw, but I let the bar drift low. At that point, rather than hurt myself trying to recover it, and let go and stopped the set. I'm ok with that.

Superset
Low row/incline bench/elbows-out triceps press with the 150# stone. Did sets of at least 20, sometimes 30.

Pretty cooked. Time to shower and eat. Hope to hear from Big Mike T next week and get started on some serious work. Time to pick another comp to do, too.

Have a safe short week, all.

training 12/21/2011

2011-12-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

Cool day today, but very warm in the room once the work started.

Knee sleeves, water, chalk, Spud belt, loose briefs.

Some dynamic work and a lot of bar work to warm up. I need to start rolling my hips and flexors as well prior to training.

Deadlift
Worked up to 270kg and pulled ten reps. I think that is a personal best for reps at this weight -- maybe by a lot. Not sure how I pulled that much that many. Just felt good today.

Did a bunch of RDLs and Lunges after DL to get the work in.

Signed up with Mike Tuchscherer for an 8-week program at the first of the year. Looking forward to seeing how much I progress under his tutelage.

In the meantime, I will keep working hard at what I am doing.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

training 12.18.2011

2011-12-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

I've been off-air because it's been a deload week, and nothing worth reporting happens in deload.

Kiefer finally published the carb backloading bible, and I have identified a couple of things I've been doing wrong. I don't believe any of them hurt me, really, but may have diminished or limited progress. One thing I've done wrong is to drink carbs during training, so today it was nothing but water.

I started with band warmups, hurricanes, and some minor dynamic stretching to deal with a pec that wanted to spasm. Then I got to the weight.

Military:
Worked up to 170 kilos and pushed up 11 reps, which may well be a personal record of some sort. I'll have to check my old journals to see, but I think so. It's funny, because 150kg felt really heavy to me when I reached it in early work sets, so I wasn't sure I'd rep out so well. I dropped the bar with maybe one more rep in the tank.

Also, I adjusted the seat attitude a little, moving it closer to vertical. I'd guess it was about 85 degrees, and my shoulders were fine with it. Very pleased. Set up was super-tight today, which I'm sure contributed to the total.

Supersets x 5 sets
Seated DB rows -- did sets of 12 with heavy skinny DBs (need to move to fat DBs for this)
Inverted rows -- used my long Spud handles; these were a little too much like the seated DB rows, and they suffered as a result
Shrugs -- used my DL bar with some weight
Push-ups with chains -- strapped on several lengths of chain bandoleer style and did pushups off the floor until my triceps died.

Everything is gassed now, and I'm a little jittery. Love that feeling.

How about the Chiefs beating the Packers? And go Denver.

Have lots to do this week at work and have some interesting things going on outside work. More on that later once I decide what I'm going to do. Bob, I'll call you or write something substantive soon.

Hope everyone has a great week. DL is next. More videos soon -- my foster dog (who I'm going to adopt because he makes me happy -- deal with it) ate my tripod, so I need to figure something out.

Later.

training 12.7.2011

2011-12-07T17:31:00.001-08:00

Dark outside by training time, but the rumpus room has bitchin' florescent construction lights. Very bright.

Wore knee sleeves and briefs with a belt. Started with dynamic work and MGPM. When I start these days, it feels like I'm all stimmed up. Perfect.

Squat
Worked up through the warm-up sets and cranked the training weight. Worked up to 315kg and repped 5 easy reps. I had at least one more in the tank. Not a record by any stretch, but I was very pleased by how light everything felt and how easily it all came up. With the lights on, I can see my depth in the shadow I cast on the wall -- it was plenty good, below parallel.

Supersets of assistance work
Did some. Not really worth mentioning, though I probably should be more serious about it (or at least reporting it).

I don't feel particularly militant about the assistance work because my lifts are still coming up gradually. If I start to stall, I will get very serious about it. Wish I had a GHR.

Next session starts another deload.

Off to eat obscenely. Hope you have a great night.

training 12.5.2011

2011-12-05T16:42:00.001-08:00

Awesome evening -- very calm, cool, windless. Good night for a walk on the beach.

Was very excited about training tonight. I love that, particularly since I'm still in max effort week.

Did some band dislocates and shoulder tornadoes before hitting the bar to warm up. Very effective for me and they tend to keep me from pain, but I have to remember to do them. You'd think it would be easy, but I'm getting old.

Wore elbow sleeves and shorty wrist wraps just tight enough for some support. More as a safety blanket than anything else.

Started with MGPM and am hitting the Dark Matter now as I type.

Bench: worked up to 230kg, where I got 7 reps

Incline: 3 sets of 30 reps with some weight
Elbow-out triceps: 3 x 30 with the 120# stone

Still loving the carb backloading. Kiefer is releasing the book this Friday and it will have everything in it, even down to meal plans and swaps for foods you hate. Looking forward to getting into it and looking for things I've gotten wrong. In the meantime, I feel fantastic -- better than in a long time -- have plenty of energy even with intermittent fasting and no carbs before 5:00, and my workouts are as good as ever, if not better.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great evening. Thanks for checking in.

training 12.3

2011-12-03T16:07:00.001-08:00

Still in my week of maxes. Love that. Cool day today after a very warm week, and training at dusk.

Started with MGPM and will graduate to Dark Matter here in a few minutes. Ordered a big order from True Protein today, about which I am very excited. Several new things I'm looking forward to.

Did some dynamic work and a fair amount of bar work to warm up. Wore knee sleeves, briefs, and chalk.

DL: worked up to 305kg and pulled three reps. This time I dropped the bar from the top and went down to get it, and the third was a grind. Not sure I could have pulled a fourth.

Supersetted RDLs and cleans with some weight on the bar. Did some -- not quite a lot.

Still backloading carbs and loving it. Love it. Got a date night tonight with my wife and can eat what I want. Love that too.

One of the dogs had ten teeth pulled yesterday. Both of us left lighter. She's fine, but any of you considering a greyhound should know that the breed congenitally has terrible teeth. Today she's right as rain. Wish I were that resilient.

Have a great day, all. Thanks for checking in.

training 11.30

2011-11-30T17:06:00.001-08:00

Tough week for training, but got in my time today. Necessary for sanity.

Started with MGPM, sipping Dark Matter afterward.

Totally forgot dynamic work to start -- too eager. Did a fair amount of bar work.

Used elbow sleeves and wrist wraps. Didn't eat enough today, but was nothing more than hungry at training time. I'm still amazed how good my training has been even without any carbs before. Many days I'm borderline fasted prior to training. I make up for it afterward.

Military: Seat at 80 degrees, worked up to 190kg and pushed out 5 reps. While not a record, everything felt so good and so light that I'm still very happy with it. No pain anywhere.

Supersets of light, ultra-wide-grip military, pushups, and reverse rows hanging from a Spud long ab handle.

Great work today -- very pleased. Hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for checking in. More interesting posts are forthcoming.

update

2011-11-29T06:51:00.001-08:00

I was quite sore yesterday. I love that, but that's not why I'm checking in early.

I entirely forgot to mention that the analysis of my kidney stone was unrevealing -- calcium oxalate. When considering what I've changed in my diet that could have accelerated stone development so drastically, the first thing that set off alarms was vitamin C supplementation. In fact the only thing. Seems crazy, but apparently it is a real risk factor.

So I quit Vit-C and Vit-D supps. I will likely return to D, but only after I feel less paranoid.

Military day today -- will check in later.

training 11.27.2011

2011-11-27T17:07:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous day today, and downright hot.

Started with MGPM before and through and finished with Dark Matter. Used knee sleeves, belt, and the looser of my two pairs of Ace briefs. Used a belt.

Did some dynamic work and bar work to warm up and got to it.

Squats: worked up to 285kg and pushed out seven reps. Felt great, even though it was dark in the rumpus room by this time. Had the big fluorescent work light on and got it done. Really felt good, depth was good, no knee pain, nothing bad. Pushing up toward a new PR, apparently. When I get over 300kg, I may put on my loose Ace suit as a safety net -- it starts to seem heavy in my head at that point, and that's a good way to get hurt. Maybe straps down just for security. We'll see. At least I don't have to walk it out anymore. 700+ pound walkouts scare me, I admit.

Did a bunch of assistance work -- mostly light, high-rep squats ATG and hip thrusters. I need a manpon for the thrusters, as the weight is getting high enough to rough up my hips pretty well. Look like I've been in a fight, but only in my lap. Do what you will with that.

Hope everyone had a great T'giving. Still loving the carb backloading, feeling great and missing breakfast a little less. Loving my afternoons and evenings, though, and sleeping like the dead.

Big shouts out to our Aussie buddie Alli and her monster success in her first strongman comp. Awesome stuff, particularly given how nervous she was. She rocks. If you don't follow her on Twitter, start: G00DYGIRL77

Later, all.

training 11.25.2011

2011-11-25T15:19:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous day today.

Started with creatine and MGPM. Did some band hurricanes and bar work to warm up.

Used elbow sleeves and 18" wrist wraps.

Bench: worked up to my work sets, closing with 220kg; pushed out 10 reps and had some left. Not sure why, but the diet is making a big difference in my lifting. More about that later.

Supersets:
Incline bench and elbow out triceps extensions, 5x20 These were brutal by the end.

Still knee-deep in carb backloading and loving it. In fact, it's had a significant effect on my training. I know Kiefer wrote about the Hulk Effect or some such nonsense, and I make no claims of feeling green or super-heroic. But I do feel as if I've had a huge caffeine boost when I've had none. My training session intensity has risen when I didn't think it could, and I can only attribute it to the backloading. I'm still figuring a lot of it out on my own until he publishes his book (and I find out I'm doing it all wrong), but it's not particularly complicated. And while I have an emotional struggle with no breakfast, it's been easy to adapt to. I haven't seen any huge body comp changes in all of a week, but there are noticeable differences elsewhere. And I think I am losing some fat. What I'm sure of is that I feel huge, tighter in my skin, and my weight is staying very stable even though I'm having carb orgies every night. And I don't eat any differently on training days and non -- always the same. My cooking has gotten more inventive (don't want Oreos all the time), and Thanksgiving yesterday was an absolute blast after 5:00.

Anyway, I encourage you to try it, any of you interested in body comp change that involves losing some fat. Let me know if you need info sources.

Hope you have a great weekend.

training 11.22.2011

2011-11-25T15:16:00.001-08:00

Didn't write this the day I did the work, so some detail is missing.

Warmed up with a lot of dynamic and bar work. Used MGPM and creatine before and during. Used Dark Matter afterward. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs.

DL: worked up to 290kg and pulled 5 reps off the floor for my last set. That was pretty much all I had.

Did RDLs with shrugs and light DLs for assistance work. My back was obliterated by the end.

Sorry this is short, but too much time has passed to bore you with minutiae.

training 11.19.2011

2011-11-19T15:31:00.001-08:00

Great weekend day today -- I have gotten a lot done, got training in, and am continuing to learn about this carb backloading idea. It's funny how once you start to pay attention to something, it shows up everywhere, huh? This month's Power magazine has an article from Kiefer on carb backloading.

Started with creatine in green tea. I will likely return to Results, but change the timing. More on that later. Used MGPM during.

Week 2 of the cycle. Warmed up with the weight.

Military: worked up to 180kg with sets of 3 and repped out 9 reps with 180. Had one or two more in the tank but lost my groove and about dumped the bar in my lap. Decided to stop before I hurt myself.

My shoulders felt great and the intensity was outrageous. You'd think being seriously carb deprived would kill your training, but the opposite is true. I felt like I was massively caffeinated, as if I'd Spiked. Just the anticipation of the food orgy that's about to begin.

I did a bunch of assistance work -- felt very motivated for that, even. Did a bunch of rowing and snatch work. Felt great.

Anyway, I'd write more but I've got a few thousand calories to pack in and only four hours to get them down.

Later.

Training 11.16.2011

2011-11-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

Back at it. Welcome back.

Started carb backloading today. I'll check in from time to time to let you know how it's going. Short version for today, day one, is that I didn't eat anything but almonds and coffee until 3:00 when I started prepping for training. I will let you know what happens after the carb-fest later. More importantly, what happens after a month of this.

Interestingly, I was no more worthless this afternoon than usual. I felt lightheaded, but that could just be the lead-in to the punchline of a joke.

Used Results to prep and MGPM during, as usual. Once done typing, I'll hit some protein and leucine and get to cooking. I've got some American chop suey, pumpkin spice bread, and ice cream in my immediate future.

Used knee sleeves and loose briefs during. Did a fair amount of dynamic work to warm up before starting the warm-up on the bar.

Squat: Worked up my work sets in fives; did 7 reps with 265kg; finished with a drop set of 20.

Did some glute/hip thrusts for assistance work and called it.

I'm too hungry to chat much. I hope everyone has a great evening.

training 11.12

2011-11-13T10:01:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning, raining hard. The boy is supposed to have a baseball tourney all weekend, but there's no way; it's been raining for hours already, and fields around here soak quickly. They were never made to percolate well anyway, so it's no surprise.

Started with the usual MGPM, Results, and Axcel. Really liking the AtLarge Axcel -- great effect, manageable energetics without feeling funky, no nausea, no runny nose. The stuff rocks. Titer up appropriately, though -- first time I took it did not feel like it does now, having gotten used to it. I will cycle off occasionally, as it wouldn't do to be inured to stims.

Warmed up with the bar. I need to do more dynamic and band work on days that are shoulder intensive, but I frequently forget in the excitement of days I like. Need to fix that. I felt my right shoulder a couple of times this day, so...

Bench:

Worked up to 200kg and pressed ten reps. I think that's a rep record. I racked the bar, weighted ten deep breaths, and did three more. The last was pathetic and ugly, which was desired.

Supersets, 5x20:
Incline bench
Elbow-out extensions

The incline bench I did what were in essence three-quarter reps on the low end, never fully locking out until the last five reps. I used the elbow-outs for triceps and the incline for chest and shoulders. I love this combination, frankly, and annihilated my arms and chest (it's next day as I type, and I am quite sore). This is what I want my training sessions to be -- intense, thorough, exhaustive. Love it. If I have to use my arms in anger today (11.13), I'm screwed -- there's nothing in the tank today.

Great session, and today is a beautiful day.

training 11.10

2011-11-13T09:57:00.001-08:00

Writing this several days later, so some details are lost.

Trained at 6:30 a.m., which is too early for me to warm up properly. Plus I feel pressure to get out and go to work, and I must resist that pressure. That surely effects my training.

Started the usual way, added Biofreeze on hips and low-back, and did a lot of dynamic work to avoid damage.

DL: Worked up to the same week 1 weight as last time and pulled six reps with the final weight (due five). Not bad, but not great either. No real gain from the last time, which I attribute to the hour.

Supersets:
RDL
Side bends

Got some done, though likely cheated myself of a few.

On weekdays, I really don't have any other options with work right now, so this is how it will have to be. I will have to work on my early morning attitude in particular, which may involve a lot of stims and ammonia. No angst about that except the let-down after lunch when the stims wear thin. Don't want to be stimming all day, and don't want a pot of coffee at 4:00 either. I will have to figure this out.

Thanks for checking in.

Editorializing about music

2011-11-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

This may not be the place for this, but it doesn't seem to fit my other blogs.

When I train, I listen to music I might not listen to any other time that I'm conscious -- hard, driving, intense stuff that goes well with stimming up and Torking for big effort.

Understand that I grew up with an opera singer for a grandmother. I grew up in Nashville and cut my teeth on jazz, blues, and bluegrass. I saw Bill Monroe several times before I was ten. I saw Bob Marley before he died, the Sex Pistols in London, even Led Zeppelin jamming for fun in a public park. I knew the lyrics to several arias before I was a junior in high school. I was steeped in music.

To the point, I am incredibly impressed with Meshuggah. Most people my age would run screaming from a band like this, but I don't hesitate to say that these guys are inspired musically. They are categorized as 'extreme metal' or something generalized like that, but they aren't just another growler band of metal heads. Frankly, if you ignore the growling, I would sooner lump these guys into the category of rhythmic experimentation.

For instance, check this video out; it's just the drums for the song Bleed. Ignoring the song itself, pay attention to the polyrhythms Haake is playing. Incredible stuff just to keep track of in your head, much less trying to sort it out with your hands. And he changes the polyrhythms several times during the song, returning to the original rhythms late. To gain a little more appreciation of how complicated this is, listen to the beat he's playing with his feet. Simply amazing.

Anyway, I try to listen to music that makes me want to move without feeling, well, weird. A lot of the bands in this category produce pseudoreligious noise that is catering to the audience they attract. I stay away from them, because I don't appreciate what they are trying to represent and don't think they appreciate what they are messing around with. Maybe more than that, most of what they produce is just crap. But the guys in Meshuggah are impressive to me.

Remember, half the world is above average. Make sure you stay in the right category.

Addendum

2011-11-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

By the way, if you have trouble sleeping through the night, you may want to try Somatomax. You can buy it through Amazon.

Honestly, the directions suggest a heaping scoop (included), but even a scant scoop leaves me practically hung over the next morning. Half to 3/4 scoop puts me to sleep so deeply I don't move -- one ear aches in the morning because I spent the whole night on it.

Anyway, it's worth a try for anyone who struggles with insomnia. Just take it easy until you figure out how much works for you.

training 11.5.2011

2011-11-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day here today after a rare full day of rain yesterday. Cool, crisp, and still pretty wet.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did some bar work to warm up and used elbow sleeves for the pressing.

Can't tell you how glad I am that deload is over.

Military press: Worked up to a 5-rep set of 170kg, pushed out ten reps. Very happy with that.

Superset:
DB Snatch and
Krocs

Used more weight than usual for the assistance work and did sets of 5-8 reps. Did a bunch. Felt good. I have done Krocs in a long time, and my left hand was very strangely weaker than my right. Never had such a disparity before. Wonder what I did.

My wife rocked at the Border States last week, taking a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Very proud of her, as it was a huge comp and each of her classes was packed. Right now she's in DC working, so I'm alone with the dogs. Good time for reading.

Hope everyone has a great, safe weekend.

training 10.26.2011

2011-10-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Still deloading.

Gorgeous, warm day here. Started with rain, now bluebird, if a little hazy.

Hips are a little beaten up from DLs two days ago.

Started with Results and MGPM. Will likely down some Dark Matter in a little bit.

Got some old school LL Cool J in my ear while typing -- Momma said knock you out. I listen to very little rap, but Cool James was way ahead of his time, and this one tune remains solid over a decade later. Inspired, and great for lifting, though a little odd with the rest of what runs on my workout playlist.

Used elbow sleeves and mild wrist wraps. Kept a sweatshirt and the heater on until I had a good sweat on.

No dynamic work and a little bar work to warm up.

Bench: worked up to a couple of sets of 5 at 145kg

Supersets:
Incline Bench: 5x20 with some weight
Elbow-out extensions: 5x20 with a 100# stone; these ended up a little more like a spoon press

The first couple of sets of assistance work were ridiculously easy, but the last few reps of the last set were as brutal as they could be. Nevertheless, I immediately ordered a larger stone form from Slater. Always getting more serious.

Work hard, folks.

training 10.24

2011-10-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Dark and rainy here. No problem there.

Results, MG's Powdered Muscle, maybe some Dark Matter later. At a PB/honey/bacon sandwich about an hour before, too. Sue me.

Deload week still. Wore nothing supportive today; no briefs, no sleeves, nothing but chalk. Not even any stims. A bit of dynamic work to warm up, and several warm-up sets with the bar.

DL: two sets each of 140kg, 170kg, 200kg at 5 reps each, all to the floor. Concentrated on keeping glutes activated, hams taut, and back arched. Sumo, in case you haven't picked it up or seen me lift. My hip flexors were noticing the lack of briefs and will likely be barking tomorrow. Pretty easy, all told, as it's supposed to be.

Supersets:
RDL + shrug at the top: 5x12 (shrugged 20)
Side Bends: 5x10 with the same bar loaded for the RDL

Got a job, start next week. It will be good to get back to it. I will report in from time to time.

I find I get tired of eating (I know, I know), so I seek out recipes for 100cals/ounce of food. The bacon/honey/PB sammy is an example -- two of those go down easy and total 1000cals. That's the way. Took a recipe off of EliteFTS and have been making burgers between two grilled cheese sandwiches -- pickles, tomato, lettuce, and all -- and find them incredible. That's got to be about the same re:calories, though I'll have to run the numbers to find out. Anyway, I'm open to suggestions -- please keep them as unprocessed as possible, as an ice cream sandwich made with Pop Tarts might do it, but I won't want to eat it.

I don't like deloading, I'm afraid.

Have a great week, all. Thanks for checking in.

training 10.19.2011

2011-10-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Rainy day for the second in a row, which is very unusual. I don't mind it, but I do have some stuff to do that it gets in the way of a little. So be it. Plenty else to do.

Big day today, being a max effort squat day. I gave myself an extra day to loosen my back before hitting this one, which is one way of saying that I am both exhilarated and intimidated by heavy squat days.

Started the usual way with the usual things, and added some Axcel for added oomph. (I admit to loving stimming-up, even though it has side effects. I just love the intensity of everything.) Did a bunch of dynamic work and worked up quickly under the bar to training weights. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs for the whole thing, though was so pumped by the effort that my briefs were not very loose by the end.

Squat: numerous sets working up to 335kg. Got 3 reps at 335, which makes me deliriously happy -- that's a lot of flippin' weight. My reps at 325 were very good for depth, but I have no idea about the last set; I was paying attention to not dying. The first rep came up easily enough that I suspect depth was short, but I waited for the familiar feeling of depth on the second and third. I might have had a fourth, but didn't feel like finding out. Very pleased. No pain anywhere.

Did some RDLs and deep narrow-stance squats to a "box" (a 15# med ball, so about 13 inches high) as assistance work, but wasn't interested in much. Frankly, the main event sapped most of what I had, so I called it.

Good movement, good weight (nuttin' but a peanut), no pain. That's a good day.

On the TMI tip, my kidney stone finally came out today, ten days after passing. Yeah, it's more than you wanted to know, but you might as well know what you're in for if you ever pass one. Anyone wants real details, I've kept journals and pain management charts for the last two events. This is the first time (I've passed four stones) that I recovered the stone, so I will be able to get it analyzed and find out what to change. The whole reason I'm telling you all this is because that makes me very happy -- no guesswork makes me happy. Knowledge is power.

And while spewing rainbows and unicorns, I got a job offer today. I am very likely to buck the trend and no longer be a statistic, soon re-entering the world of the employed.

So rain or not, it's a good day for this cowboy. Have a great day yourself.

training 10.16.2011

2011-10-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Gray morning this morning. The air is very still and a little humid, which is odd. Ran the heater in the rumpus room until I had a good pig sweat on.

Started with Results and took Dark Matter during. Also took two Axcel before the workout; they didn't leave me nearly as juiced as last time, which likely had to do with how sleepy I am this morning. Dragging for some reason, likely between my ears.

Wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps during.

Fair amount of bar work to warm up; no appreciable dynamic work today for some reason. I need to change that.

Bench Press: Worked up to 235kg for a max effort. Used the Slingshot and got 4 reps -- had at least one more in the tank. The 210kg work set prior to the last jump was raw and felt very heavy for some reason, but the 235s didn't. I'm always fascinated by that -- the adaptation. It's probably mental, knowing I have the slingshot and whatever else. It just didn't feel as heavy.

Supersets:
Incline bench with some weight, 5x20, emphasis at the bottom
Incline row with some DBs, emphasis at the top
Elbow-out extensions with the same DBs

My triceps are blasted. Only unexpected pain was a slight tightness in my left shoulder during the incline benches. Very odd. My right shoulder was fine the whole way. Really concentrating on form and a tight setup, which has made a big difference not only in how these shoulder-intensive workouts feel, but the results as well.

Not a bad day, all told. I think I'm still progressing here.

Have a great day, folks.

training 10.14.2011

2011-10-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

There is a Santa Ana blowing through, so the past two days have been hot. As in 85 at 8 p.m. hot. So the rumpus room was pretty warm today, and I had a good sweat on early.

Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. Tried the new blue raspberry Results flavor, which was stunningly sweet. Smelled awesome, hardly tasted it. Doesn't matter, as fast as I down it. The DM is somewhat tart, actually, which I like a lot. Had to down some protein before training due to hunger. Took two AtLarge Axcel, which is a thermogenic, with the Results. The result was that I was already jazzed like I'd Spiked before lifting, and I was hungry enough to eat a full meal. Great feeling, though. I will let you know how I like it over time.

Warmed up with a fair amount of dynamic work and a lot of bar work. Wore knee sleeves and briefs, and used a Spud DL belt for everything.

Deadlift: Worked up the usual way to 270kg and pulled three reps cleanly, full from the floor, no pause between. That represents at least a personal record match, which thrills me no end.

I have to say, I love seeing that many wheels on the bar. Unmounting the 50kg plates is a bitch, but it's nice to feel the bar flex under load.

Supersets:
RDL: 5x10 with some weight and added a shrug at the end. Concentrated on hams for this one -- took it slow, despite desperately wanting to be done.
Step-ups: nothing special. Feeling protective of my left knee, which has started giving me sharp grief going up stairs (but none going down them.)

Added a bunch of standing bent-over rows at the end just for some extra yoke work. Not much weight, high-rep, scaps pinched hard.

Great day. Off to eat that big meal.

training 10.12.2011

2011-10-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous, warm day here today. Fabulous.

Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Did some bar work and some dynamic work to warm up, though forgot to start with the dynamic and did it in the middle of the pure shoulder work. Worked fine.

Military press: built up the usual way to rep out at 145kg; got 5 clean reps at 145. Not sure I had any more left. Seat was at 80 degrees. Weight felt heavy, but moved smoothly. Shoulders felt fine.

Supersets:
DB Snatch: 5x10 with a fairly heavy fat DB
Inverted rows: 5x10 with chains

Once again, the assistance work was tough, at least from a motivation standpoint. Just wanted to sit down somewhere and be quiet. Cutting back on caffeine and it shows in lots of ways.

By the way, this is the dynamic shoulder work I've started doing, and it's brilliant. Kudos to Charles and EliteFTS for publishing something so simple and effective.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Training 10.9.2011

2011-10-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day today, though a little chilly when I started.

Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Wore loose briefs and knee sleeves for the squatting.

Lots of dynamic work and some bar work to warm up.

Did the accessory work first.

Superset:
DB Side bends: 5x20 reps
1-leg RDL: 5x20

Not much weight for the RDLs, as I was trying to get used to the motion and form without falling over. Proved tougher than I expected.

Squat: same weight as last time all the way. Got 5 reps on the final set and had maybe one more in the tank.

I feel really good about this whole workout, actually. I passed a kidney stone Friday, so I'm all of 28 hours since heavy narcotics. Still taking a little Flomax to make sure everything wanders through. Didn't need the ER this time -- last time was only three years ago, so I still had the meds and protocol. Going to have to visit my Uro to get a 24hr urinalysis to figure out what it's made of. Suspect either creatine (hate to say that) or Vitamin D supps, given the incredibly short time since lithotripsy annihilated everything in that kidney. From dead clear to passing a stone in three years does not make me happy -- something is up. Time to find out what.

Anyway, I felt great today and moved weight for more reps than last time I squatted. Very pleased. No residual narc hangover, either, which is also great.

Have a great day.

training 10.5.2011

2011-10-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Cloudy day today. Supposed to rain, but I don't think it will. It was a little cool in the rumpus room, so I put on a sweatshirt and turned on the heater. It got hot quickly enough.

Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. No Spike, though I could use it. Back on AtLarge ETS because of my SI annoyance (and other basic aches/pains). ETS is one of those supps that I notice not when I take it, but when I stop (if that makes sense), so I return to it when needed.

Fair amount of bar work to warm up.

Bench: 10 kg up from last time for each of the three work sets, 3 reps each set. Got 7 reps on the final heavy set. Happy with that. No shoulder pain. Ring finger on the ring.

Supersets:
Incline bench: bench about 40 degrees 5 sets of 20 with some weight on the bar. Middle finger on the ring.
Incline chest supported row: 5 of 20 with heavy DBs
Triceps: 5 of 20

The assistance work was good. Feel pretty good afterward.

Still without a job; everything has fallen through for odd reasons. So it goes.

Have a great day, all. Work hard.

training 10.3

2011-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day here. The ocean water temp is dropping precipitously, as you would expect, but it's still beautiful.

Started with Results and used MHP Dark Matter during. More on that later.

Did a bit of dynamic warm-up work and a lot of bar work. Used a Spud DL belt for the heavy sets, but was otherwise gear-less.

Deadlift:
185kg x 3 Not bad after the first rep
220kg x 3 Same
255kg x 3+ Got 4 reps. Had a fifth, but pitched forward onto my toes and ditched rather than try to save it.

DL strength is a lot more solid than I expected after a long lay off. Pretty happy with this. My neck aches after each set, though, from grimacing. Haven't looked to see if I popped anything in my eyes or face.

Heavy step-ups: 5 x 10
DB Side Bends:5 x 10

I have to start doing the assistance work first and the primary work set last. By the time I get through squatting or deadlifting, I don't want to do anything else but die. I should use the assistance as an advanced warm-up or something and accept that the weight will likely drop a little bit. The assistance work is miserable, and I'm sure I could do better.

No unexpected pain today, which is great.

Started the Dark Matter today. Using blue raspberry flavor, which is fine if a little sweet. Used about 24oz water. It has a thickener in it, whether protein or cornstarch or who knows what, so it ends up as a bit of a slurry. Pushes all my ice into my teeth, making it hard to drink any faster than a sip. I like using post-workout drinks peri-workout, so the slow drinking is a bit of an issue. I like my drinks cold.

Anyway, I will try this for a few weeks and let you know. I will still get some MG's Powdered Muscle from True Protein, so we'll see what happens if I do both. Needed a Spike today, but decided to only try one thing at a time to see if the DM upset my stomach. No problems so far. Still tingling from the B-Alanine in the Results, so I can't tell you if I can feel the DM at all.

Anyway, more to come. Have a great day.

Training 9.29

2011-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

After all of my whining last time, I was pretty sore. Hips in particular, which strikes me as surprising. Nice to be back pushing some relatively serious weight.

Started today the usual way -- Results and flavored malto. Have some MHP Dark Matter for peri on the way. If you haven't noticed, I like tinkering with peri- and post-workout nutrition. I notice a difference with some things, none with others. What I really miss is MG's Powdered Muscle from True Protein; they back-ordered it a while ago and I haven't heard if it's back in. It's spendy, but I love it.

Anyway, no real dynamic work to start, but a lot of bar work. To it:

Military Press: Worked up to 135kg with sets of 3, jumps of roughly 10%, and got 5 reps with 135kg

No pain, very happy.

Supersets, 5x20:
DB Snatch: skinny DBs, 60#
Inverted rows: same as last time, chains, scapular pinch, back arch
Triceps pushdowns: same as last time

All stations to failure last set. My arms and shoulders are blitzed again. Love that.

No joy yet on the job front. Find something to love about your job and work your ass off at it, just like you do in your training. Give it your best.

Training 9.27

2011-09-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hazy this morning. Cool, no breeze, a little humid. Feels like Fall coming to the land of weather sameness.

Started with the usual Results and malto. Did a lot of dynamic work and a fair amount of bar work to warm up. Wore loose briefs for the squats and knee sleeves for everything (because they are a bitch to peel off, honestly).

Squats:
bunch of warm-up sets
235kg x 5
280kg x 5
325kg x 5

These all felt way too heavy. Interesting. More interesting was that once out of the hole, I was fine. I think most of the trouble today was form. I've been fighting SI pain since the deficit SLDLs and think it was a splinter in my mind while squatting. Fought through them, but it should have been 70% on the exertion scale and was more like 90%. Speed coming up the top half was good.

Band hams: just getting the hams some work, 5x20
Hack squats: 5x20 with some weight
DB side bends: 5x20 with some DBs

Not too inspired (obviously) on the assistance work when still thinking about the squats. Honestly, I'll probably go back in tomorrow and do some additional assistance work.

Have a great day, folks.

Training 9.25

2011-09-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Gray, cloudy day here. Not much air moving at all, and a little cool. No sweat; yesterday started that way, too, and I cooked in the sun for several hours volunteering at a dog adoption event. Got a bit dehydrated and sunburned on the top of my head, but that was my poor planning.

Started with Results and used simple maltodextrose for peri.

Warmed up with the bar. Wore elbow sleeves through all the pressing.

Bench: after a bunch of warm-up sets, 5reps with 155kg, 5x185kg, 9x210kg

Used my Slingshot on the final set -- 400-something felt like a lot of weight today. Kept it reasonably slow to avoid ballistic assistance. No pain to speak of. Happy with this.

Incline bench: 5 sets of 20 reps with 50kg. Kept it light to take it easy on my right shoulder, which hurts at this angle if I'm not constantly tight with my lats. If I start to slack a little, I feel a sharp pain in the anterior process of my shoulder. Good reminder to keep good form.

Kept the hands out wide with my index finger outside the ring, which may exacerbate the shoulder problem. Oh well.

Supersets: 5 sets of 20 reps of each, serially
Inverted rows: per the usual
Face pulls: don't remember the weight on the pin

Upper back and shoulders are clobbered, which was the desired effect. Triceps were barking on the later incline sets, which also was desired. I like this workout.

The foster dog ate my gorillapod tripod, so no video from this week. I'll mount on the big tri and post vids this week.

Hope everyone has a great day. Stay out of the sun.

For everyone that follows my meanderings, thanks.

training 9.21

2011-09-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Pretty day today. Fairly warm, too, which is nice. I'm ready for the crispness of autumn, but it's hard to find fault with a warm, sunny day.

Started with Results and Spike and some dynamic warm-up work. Did a fair amount of bar work to warm up as well.

Deadlift: after several warm-up sets,
180kg x 5
205kg x 5
235kg x 5

Not bad, though the last set felt heavy. Prior to that, each set felt easier than the previous. Pretty happy given how long I've been away from the DL.

500# for five solid reps is close to a personal best for me, I'm pretty sure. I'll have to go back and check.

Supersets:
SLDL from a deficit: 5x20 with 110kg

Just wanted to feel my hams, though ended up feeling more hips. Go figure.

Step-ups: 5x20 Not much weight on the shoulders. Just got them done.

Abs: 5x20 again, just got it done.

All in all, pretty content with this. No pain to speak of, nothing ruptured, no broken blood vessels anywhere. Pretty good.

Hope you all have a great day.

training 9.19

2011-09-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Downing a super-shake while I type -- I'm incredibly hungry after this session. Love these things -- 100 grams protein, couple of bananas, coffee, milk, even a little chocolate sauce. Ends up about 1000 calories and I can drink them in one gulp, though I take a little time to avoid bloat. Gotta eat again in about an hour. Body weight is up about 9 pounds, which makes me happier than I can convey. Back on the gaining train.

Going back to military press today. Shoulders need more work.

Started with AtLarge Results and used Hawaiian punch-flavored maltodextrin in water during, spiked with an orange Spike. Awesome. I think the SWF makes me feel a bit too funky later, but I could be wrong. Shoot, it might be why my weight is up, but I doubt it. Might try MHP Dark Matter for giggles next.

Used APT solid wrist wraps and EliteFTS elbow sleeves for the overhead work. Dropped both for the assistance work.

Lots of bar work for warm up.

Military:
130kg x 5
150kg x 5
170kg x 5 -- got 7 reps

Nowhere near a record, but solid enough for the first time back in a while. Happy enough. No pain anywhere. Seat at 80 degrees.

Supersets:
DB Snatch: 5 sets x 20 reps with a fairly light DB (I think it was 45#)
Inverted rows: 5 x 20 with chains bandoliered, using a Spud long ab strap to pull myself up; concentrate on back arch, scap retraction, and pulling the elbows down -- love these
Triceps pushdowns: 5 x 20 with a bunch on the pin

My upper back, arms, and shoulders are simply blasted. Love that feeling.

Check out Shawn Bellon's blog for his latest comp at the Mr. Olympia Invitational:

http://www.body2buildstrengthtrainingsystems.com/

Some great work there from a guy worth following.

Hope everyone's doing okay. Hold fast.

training 9.17

2011-09-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Gray day today. That's fine so long as it doesn't rain -- got the Blazer outside with the top off.

Knew it would be a tough day today, so I got to it. Started with the usual Results (love that stuff) and Surge Workout Fuel (not sure if I love it or not). Spiked and Torked through the heavy sets. Love both of those, though ammonia does crazy things to me.

Wore loose briefs and knee sleeves. Did a lot of dynamic work and a whole lot of bar work to warm up.

Squat: close stance, low box, 5-rep max. These were really good. Paused on the box and released my hip flexors -- made sure form was solid. Low back felt one or two reps, but I tightened up and solved it. Hit 265 kilos, which makes me rather happy for this -- might be a PR for solid form 5-rep close low box (say that ten times fast).

GHR: This would be a lot easier if I had one. Used my kludged setup and hit 40 reps in one set with 75#

DB Lunges: 4 sets of 10 with only 40# DBs, because my left knee still twinges pretty badly with these. Might have to switch to step-ups on a bench with a barbell, because no twinges there.

Hip thrusters: heavy stone in lap, sets of 12, bunches

Stiff-leg DL from a 2" deficit: Only had 20kg each side, just to get a feel for hams. Kept feet close, strict form, reached until felt ham stretch. Kept low back very tight.

Sit-ups: whatever

All in all, good. Went pretty quickly because I was so gassed from the squats. I will get more videos up this week, so stay tuned.

Lots to get done today. Have a great day.

training 9.14

2011-09-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Overcast, gray day here. I don't mind. Cooler, but not a breeze to be had.

Started with the usual cocktail and used SWF throughout. Wore elbow sleeves and APT solid wrist wraps. The velcro is wearing out on my wrap set and it's starting to annoy me. APT is out of stock, so I'm waiting.

Did a little dynamic work to warm up and got to it.

Dynamic bench: 8 sets of 3 @60% max, 3 different grips; 1 set of 2 reps @ 70% max; 1 set of 1 rep @80%

These were pretty easy today -- no shoulder pain at all. That's a beautiful thing. I repped out 5 reps of the 80% final set. Very happy about progress.

4-board: 3 sets of 3, starting at 90% full ROM 1-rep max and moving up to about 105%. Good stuff, but need more tricep work

DB Bench: 5 sets of 10, increasing weight throughout (gradually); just getting them done, trying not to wake up the balky right shoulder. Probably didn't get as much ROM as I should have, but not taking chances.

DB bent-over row: 5 sets of 10, supersetted with bodyweight rows from a suspended Spud triceps strap (love these... love, love, love) pulling strap to upper abs until totally gassed.

Triceps pushdowns: 4 sets of 12 with fair weight; gassed out last set, so happy. Used my short(er) Spud triceps strap and cranked them out. Love the way these make my arms feel. I typically bend over a little and angle them toward my knees, pulling toward me a little bit. My 'cable' doohickey is so incredibly kludged, I desperately need to invest in a plate-loaded cable pulldown/row machine.

I'm pretty much blasted. Love that. Now to get to work...

Have a great day.

Training 9.12.2011

2011-09-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day today, sunny from the start. A little warm, but not much, and very little humidity. Good day to start with training.

My wife had her first figure comp this weekend -- placed first in 35+ and second in 45+ (a political mess). I'll post links to her pics later. The point is that I spent the weekend in LA supporting her. Last night was funny, because she ate brownies and drank wine and acted like a kid after weeks of tilapia and asparagus. So we drank a bottle of Turley Old Vines Zin, which might have affected my training today (cough).

Started with Results and SWF and a lot of dynamic work. Wore knee sleeves and a belt for the work sets.

Box squat: 10 sets of 2 with 245kg, parallel box, wide stance, 2 seconds on the box, 60s rest between.

These felt heavy for some unimaginable reason, particularly out of the hole (off the box). Top half was pretty smooth.

Deadlift:10 sets of 1 with 200kg off the deck. Sumo, 60s between. These were oddly easy, actually.

Reverse hypers: 4 sets of 10

Side bends with DBs: 3 sets of 10 per side

Hanging leg raises: skipped 'em. Sue me. Did DB snatches instead, which I love.

Accessory work on a squat AND DL day sucks, period. Tough to be up for it, particularly when I'm dragging a little.

My wife: http://gallery.musclecontest.com/index.php?layout=window&page=image&entry_id=5431&start=11

Just stunning.

The politics of bodybuilding shows seriously sucks. I saw several examples of this, not the least was my wife taking second when she was clearly superior to the winner. Yeah, I'm biased, but the winner did things that are outside the rules -- things the judges tell you not to do -- and won because it was my wife's first and she is a veteran of these shows. I saw a super heavy bodybuilder clearly superior take second to a guy who had been out for five years and this was his triumphant return -- they threw him a bone. He wasn't bad, but 2nd was clearly superior. I prefer powerlifting and sports where the winner is indisputable; lift more, cross the line first, you win. No question, no semantics, no favoritism. Not to say powerlifting doesn't have its judging issues, but they are (in my humble opinion) fewer -- depth is a fine line, whereas choosing one physique over another is (I believe) even more subjective and a much broader grey area. Anyway,...

By the way, Bob, got some deer antlers from a local store -- the foster pup is loving them. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Training 9.6.2011

2011-09-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Muggy, warm, cloudy day here. I like it, though it made the sweat come on quick this morning.

Started with the usual Results and SWF during. Wore elbow sleeves and wrist wrap bands for the pressing.

2-board Bench Press: worked up to a new 5-rep max, adding 10kg over last time. They were still pretty easy, so I suspect I'll get another substantial max next time. Right shoulder barked a little, deep in the anterior process; more achy this time than sharp. Still, it did fine and I finished happy.

Pull-ups: same weight, 6 sets of 50% of my max reps

3-way shoulder raises: as before, each set is 60 reps -- 20 in each direction. Weight was pathetically light while I get back into it. These sets are embarrassingly brutal.

DB Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 10 reps with 45kg. Last few reps were tough and took some time to collect.

All in all, going well. Feel pretty good about things in general, though I need for the right shoulder to get right.

The new foster dog is proving to be a great little boy. I'd forgotten what puppies are like -- it's like having a little kid around, in that you can't take your eyes off for long or risk disaster. Also, he's a bundle of energy, but fitting in well around here. Nothing destroyed yet, thankfully, except so-called "indestructible" toys. He laughs at such pronouncements.

For any interested, the boys were crushed in their tournament this past weekend. They didn't even bother showing up. It was pathetic, and now they know what they have to do (as if we coaches haven't been telling them constantly).

My wife has her first figure comp this weekend, so it's back on the road. Not sure what I'll do about the dogs, but we'll figure it out. If she doesn't appose it, I'll post a picture of her spray-tanned physique. Don't hold your breath.

Have a great day.

Training 9.1

2011-09-01T09:36:00.001-07:00

Dragging this morning. It's a gray, still day, so it has been tough to get moving.

Started with Results and SWF, as usual. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs (which are pretty much worthless for narrow stance box squats, but I go anyway). Did a fair amount of dynamic work and some bar work to warm up.

Narrow box squats: got a new 5-rep max with 5 extra kilos per side. Nothing fancy. Knees were fine.

Glute ham raise: two sets to 40 reps, tougher than expected

DB Lunges: 4 sets of 10 reps. Left knee barked more when it was the back leg than the leg under tension. Interesting -- almost certainly positional.

45 degree back: 4 sets of 12

Weighted sit-ups: 4 sets of 10

Just ground this one out. We have a new foster dog and he's eating time -- can't leave him alone for very long. So I'm working to find the balance between entertaining a very energetic puppy and getting stuff done, which often means the difference between in the crate and leashed to my hip. Anyway, he's a fantastic dog and very cute, but very much the puppy. Yesterday he destroyed a toy made of fire hose in about 5 minutes and he can bite a new tennis ball in half. He's a sweetie, but a stud.

Have a great day, folks.

Training 8.30

2011-08-30T10:32:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous, bright day here. No breeze to speak of, so the fan was on in the rumpus room shortly after working a sweat up.

Started with Results and SWF. Wore elbow sleeves and my solid wrist wraps. Did bar work to warm up.

Dynamic bench: 8 sets of 3, alternating grip between 17", 26", and 32" at the same weight as last time. Then bumped the weight by 10% and did one set of 2 reps. These were all good, nothing too hard, no pain. Pretty happy with it.

4 board: 3 sets of 3 reps, increasing the weight each time. The last set was roughly my 1-rep max full ROM, and it was pretty doggone hard.

DB BP: Kept the weight light, did 4 sets of 10. Right shoulder pain re-emerged, right up front in the anterior aspect of the joint capsule. Hurt sharply still. I reduced ROM and really concentrated on contracting my posterior deltoid and lats to stabilize the joint. Helped, but still hurt. No residual effect during the remaining work or after, so I continue to think there's a small tear in there somewhere.

DB Bent-over row: 80# skinny DB, 4 sets of 10 reps, no advancement of the weight.

Supersetted with:

Triceps pushdowns: Used my kludgy cable/pulley setup with a couple of plates on the pin and did 4 sets of 12 reps. Felt them, so I was/am content.

All in all a good day. Today's the kid's first day of school, so it's nice to get the work in early.

Have a great day, all.

update

2011-08-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

For all the "this is easy" business yesterday, I'm one sore bastard today. I feel a long walk on the beach coming on this afternoon, but I have baseball practice before then. I may not be walk-worthy later.

We'll see. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

Training 8.27

2011-08-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous morning on the left coast. Warm, a little humid, and very nice.

In case it wasn't obvious, I've returned to a rudimentary Westside program to get used to weight again, after which (a few weeks?) I will likely return to a 5/3/1 program. Just want to get used to reps and heavy weight again, particularly now that joints and limbs are on the whole returning to healthy. The right shoulder still aches at odd times, but I'm babying it. The left knee has a twinge every once in a while, but it's ok. It wouldn't surprise me to find out I had minor tears in both, particularly that knee. I suspect I have a meniscus flap that sticks up every once in a while.

Started with Results and SWF, the latter of which I spilled halfway through all over my patio table outside the rumpus room. Not happy about that. At least it was outside and I could hose it down, but felt like a 4-year-old.

Lots of dynamic lower body work and the commensurate bar work.

Box squat: 10 sets of 2 with 220kg on the bar. Used knee sleeves and a belt for the work sets. Came up quick.

Deadlift: 10 sets of 1 rep with only 165kg on the bar. These were way too easy (which was nice) but it's been way too long since I DL'd to start off cranking. So I concentrated on form and any sticking points. Historically if I can get it off the floor, it's done, so I don't expect any sticking points. Just cranked them out.

Reverse hypers: I don't have one, so I have to make do. I used an elevated bench and wrapped chains around my ankles. Did 3 sets of 10 and felt them.

Side bends with DBs: 3x10 Used skinny DBs that were already loaded and just did the sets.

Hanging leg raises: My left hip flexor still hates me ever since legging out a single several months ago. Not sure what the deal is, but it hurts to raise my leg to put on pants. Probably just needs time, because I don't appear to have avulsed or torn anything. Whatever. Did 3 painful sets of 10. Ab strength has never been my problem.

I'm still sweating profusely, but I feel good. Interviewing is going ok -- rocked a couple hard, was so-so on the next. Got another with the same company on Monday, so we'll see.

Have a great day and get something useful done, even if it's only useful for you.

mojo

Training 8.24

2011-08-24T12:32:00.001-07:00

Beautiful, warm day here. The rumpus room was hot.

Started with Results and SWF. Wore elbow sleeves and neoprene wrist supports. Warmed up a lot with the bar.

2 Board Bench: worked up to a 5-rep max, though stopped with another small jump in the tank. Between this being the first 2-board 5-rep max of this cycle and the fact that my right shoulder is very unhappy with me, I felt it prudent. I pressed a lot of weight but will pay for it later.

Pull-ups: shoulder width, prone grip, weighted. Been a long time, so I ripped off a set to exhaustion (without warm-up, unfortunately) of 20 and did four more sets of 10. Don't remember how much weight was on the belt.

3-way shoulder raises: 20 reps front, 20 reps side, 20 reps posterior= 1 set. Did 3 sets. These were brutal.

Dumbell triceps extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps with a 50kg plate. Didn't finish the last set -- was pretty gassed after the 2-board.

My glutes are terribly sore from two days ago, and several things will be sore from today. I like it. I need for the right shoulder to heal, though.

I've gotten to the second stage of interviewing for a job back in the corporate world (vs. non-profit). We'll see.

Hope all have a great day.

Training 8.22

2011-08-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Slightly overcast this morning, which serves to keep it a little cooler. Nice day.

Started with Results and SWF, as well as a slathering of Biofreeze gel on my hips and lower back. Had a rough time getting up this morning for some reason, and I'm all about low-back prophylaxis when possible.

Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs.

Did a lot of dynamic work on the hips and back. My recent aches and pains have awakened a need to try to hold the old bod together before I really screw something up.

Close stance box squats: worked to a 5-rep max just for a starting point. Used a box that was about 2" below parallel, stayed strict and slow, and kept the knees close. Included a pause at the box to deload the hips entirely before coming up. I love these.

Left knee expressed sharp displeasure on the way down, but not up. Rather sharp, internal pain on the outer medial aspect. Not good, but I'm not going to worry about it now.

Hip thrusters: used an obscene amount of weight in the lap and did one set to exhaustion. Yeah, probably shouldn't have, but did. Think I got 30 reps before my butt decided that was enough. Getting into position is not easy with that much weight, but I got it done.

DB Lunges: 3/10 each leg. Only used 40# skinny DBs due to my knee chirping, and it didn't like these either, regardless of which leg was forward. My hips are strong enough that this wasn't nearly enough, though my glutes were barking.

45 degree back raises: 3x15 with some weight. Just got them done.

Weighted sit ups: I've always had very strong abs, so I don't worry a lot about the weight or numbers. I had a plate behind my head and cranked them out with anchored feet, no jerking.

All in all, pretty smooth. I may wrap that left knee next time. We'll see.

Have a great day.

Training 8.19

2011-08-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Started with Results, Surge Workout Fuel, and a headache.

Did some bar work to warm up, used elbow sleeves and my APT neoprene wrist wraps.

Dynamic bench:
8 sets of 3 reps, varying the grip between 16", 26", and 32" (all the way to the stops) with 60% of my two-rep max. For reference, that's index at the inside smooth, pinky on the ring, pinky at the collar, for width. I did wide first and moved to narrow, strictly because it's easier to adjust when the bar is getting higher each rep than lower. If that doesn't make sense, ask (assuming you care).

4-board Bench Press:
Started at 60% and went up to 90% in 3 sets of 3 reps. Last jump was 20%, roughly.

DB Bench Press:
Started light and stopped after the second set with 80# fat DBs. My right shoulder was rather unhappy with full ROM, so I decided to can it.

Kroc rows:
Used the 80# fat DBs and pulled 3 sets of 10

Triceps extensions: used a slight lighter DB and pressed from prone.

All in all, a good session. Nice to be pumped afterward, but my head is killing me. Sorry I'm not even remotely charming.

Got an interview Tuesday, which is good.

Maybe more later.

Training 8.16

2011-08-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous, though hazy day here.

Started with Result, some maltodextrin and protein, and way too little dynamic work.

Wore loose briefs, neoprene wrist wraps, and elbow sleeves for the upper work.

Bench Press:

Worked up to training weight, hit one of five intended sets, put on my loose OverKill shirt, put on another bunch of weight (200kg on the bar, so about 220), and did a fairly easy triple. My right shoulder wasn't happy afterward, but wasn't bitching out loud either. Dropped back down to training weight and did four more sets of triples. The heavy triple was tough, but okay; the rest were fine and not too hard. I just felt like I wanted to feel some weight, and the OK is a shirt I can take on and off by myself. Felt weird, it's been so long.

Bat wings: 5 x 10s

1-arm press: 2/3/5 x 3 sets, starting with the left hand. Heavy DB, was too easy. I'll go up next time.

Complex: row, high row, military press, front squat, curl; 3 sets of 2 reps each movement without putting the bar down. Right shoulder was bitching out loud by the time I was done -- didn't like something in my military form. Otherwise, these were a lot easier than I expected.

Squats:
Built up to 200kg in 10% leaps in sets of 10 reps; did a set of 20 once I got to 205kg. Again, easy.

I'm going to look ahead in the plan. After so many weeks of this being horribly difficult, the last two sessions have been downright easy. I don't like feeling as though I might be getting soft. So I will either adjust the plan to get tougher, add assistance work on an off day, or will switch back to 5/3/1 or Westside. We'll see.

I still desperately want a GHR, but I can't spend a dime right now. No movement on the job front yet, in case anyone wondered. But I practice nightly saying, "would you like fries with that?"

Have a great day.

Training 8.10.2011

2011-08-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day here. Very warm, but no humidity to speak of. Sun is super-bright despite slight haze. Good day for the beach even though the water is its usual cold temp.

Started with Results and a bowl of Cheerios. Yeah, I know. Did some dynamic work and some bar work.

Bench: 5 sets of 2 reps with 175kg

Finished off with one set of two reps with 200kg using my Slingshot. Wasn't too bad. Still a long way from even my raw record, but I feel ok about it.

Bat wings: love these despite the stupid name. 5 sets of 10 second holds with the same heavy DBs I used last time.

1-arm press: Two 2/3/5 rep sets with a 35kg skinny db

Complex:
Row x 2
High row x 2
Military press x 2
Front squat x 2
Curl x 2

Yeah, I know, but I want those curls. Did five sets of 2 reps, adding 5kg per side per set. These were oddly easy, I'm sure because of the 2 rep sets. Felt okay after.

Squat
10 reps with 200kg (way too easy)
30 reps with 225kg
20 reps with 225kg

Just had to get 50 reps in any combo with the 225kg (495#), so I did it in two sets.

I'd love to chat on but I'm too nauseated. Have a great day.

Training 8.6.2011

2011-08-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to your AA+ credit rating, America. By the time you wake up, it will be too late. Shoot, it's probably too late already.

Anyone that actually cares about my political thoughts, I blog them too elsewhere. Happy to share.

Gorgeous morning in Sandy Eggo today. Back from a week of closing up shop at the office after a week in Baltimore. Took the boy to Cal Ripken's baseball academy for a week -- what an incredible, awesome experience that was for him. Happy to share details of that too. Just amazing.

I played golf every day with my cousin's wife in 100 degree heat and loved it. It was seriously awesome. Had a great time.

Anyone heads to Baltimore or Towson, check out Dumbarton Barbell. Great, great guys, lots of chalk, cranking metal, and sweaty rust in the basement of a middle school. Wish they were in my neighborhood here. Can't endorse them enough.

Now finally back to work.

Started with Results, protein, Spike, and a lot of bar work. Left knee had a sharp twinge but I worked through it. No shoulder pain. Just irritation with myself -- getting soft. Now that work is done for a while, I can finally get serious about carving a new me out of wood. Frankly, I wish I could get a doc that would help me manage my hormones more aggressively, but they are hard to find. I'm getting old, or at least feeling it.

Started by pushing to a 2-rep max in Bench Press. Talk about weak, I ran out of gas at 200kg. Not anywhere close to my record for 5 reps, much less two. I'm ashamed.

Did my bat wings, holding five reps for ten seconds with 100 pound DBs. Brutal. I think I got a decent scapular pinch.

1-arm press, 2/3/5 reps with a 30kg DB, rested the DB on my shoulder between for a 10-count, switched hands after each set and did three 2/3/5 sets each side

Complex
Rowx5
Cleanx5
Front squatx5
Military pressx5
Curlsx5 (wasn't in the squat rack, so it counts)
High rowx5

Did them with 50kg on the 45# bar, which I know seems wimpy but is brutally hard. Try it. Don't put the bar down between each exercise. Horrible.

Squats

Started with 100kg for a set of 10 and went up 20kg each set (x10 reps) until I reached 200kg; did three sets of 5 reps

Not too hard, honestly. Felt good.

Shelby Starnes once told me to always do the hardest exercise last or you'll never do anything after it. Frankly, the complexes are hardest, harder by far than even the high-rep squats. I want to die after them, and end up sitting for ten minutes until I can muster the nut to do the squats. I may have to start doing them last.

Work is over -- now my job is finding a job. Finding a C-level (or even VP-level) job in this economy should be quite a challenge. Honestly, I'm excited. Ask me again in a few weeks and see if I still am so excited.

Have a great day, all.

Training 7.23

2011-07-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Rather warm for SD, which means 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country. I won't whine. But it was tough, and I feel for all the rest of you. A good Southern boy remembers what it was like, and I am that.

Just finished, so I'll keep it quick.

Started with Results, wore elbow sleeves and knee sleeves. Did a little dynamic work and a little bar work and tried to get it over with.

Bench
Same weight as last time, three sets. First set was 2/3/5/10 reps, second and third 2/3/5. All had the same weight. Right shoulder still isn't happy, but I got it done.

Bat wings:
Went up on the weight, 5 reps x 5s each with 5s rest between. I like these a lot.

1-arm press:
Dropped a little weight to take it easy on the right shoulder. Still felt them, which is fine.

Complex:
- row x 5
- clean x 5
- front squat x 5
- military x 5
- squat x 5
- good morning x 5

5 sets, all without putting the bar down. Brutal today.

Squat:
100kg x 10 reps
120kg x 10 reps
130kg x 50 reps

I'll be in Baltimore this week taking the kid to Ripken Baseball Camp. Got a powerlifting gym to train in up in Towson. I'll try to report.

I'm gonna go vomit now.

Training 7.16

2011-07-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

Drank tequila last night instead of training. Worked first thing today instead.

Started with Results. Drank some Surge Workout Fuel during and Spiked again. Warm day this morning, bluebird skies, and no real breeze to speak of. Wore a knee brace for the hi-rep squats because my right knee was a bit crunchy.

Bench:
2/3/5 rep scheme with same weight as last time. Three sets, 10s between the rep sets with 180s between sets. Right shoulder was not happy on the last couple of reps of the last set. These were all tough today for some reason.

Bat wings: 5 sets of 5s holds with 5s rest between holds. Heavy DBs, 5# heavier than last time (35kg now). These were easier for some reason. I have to say, I love this, and would love to do a couple of heavy Kroc row sets afterward. I'd increase my poundage on the rows for the complex except that they kill me sucking wind.

1-arm press: 2/3/5 rep scheme for 2 sets with a DB down 5kg to take it easy on my balky right shoulder. Strangely enough, it was too easy, and my right shoulder said nothing to me. Go figure. Back up next time.

Bird dogs Still not sure of the point.

Complex:
- Rowx5
- Cleanx5
- Front squatx5
- Militaryx5
- Squatx5
- Good morningx5

Three sets of complexes with the same weight as last time. 180s between complexes, generally spent sucking wind. Still, these were easier this time.

Squat: 95 kg x 30 reps + 115kg x 30 reps + 135kg x 30 reps, 180s between each set

These were downright easy too. The last set left me about to faint when I was done for a second or two, but I braced and recovered quickly enough to walk out of the rack. As mentioned, wore a knee brace on my right knee for these. Not sure why these were so much easier today, even on the lungs, but I like it.

Still sweating profusely. Might have to Spike again before the afternoon just to avoid napping mid-afternoon. Going to the Padres game (we have awesome seats) around 4:30, and don't want to be yawning the whole time.

Have a great Saturday. If you know anyone who needs an operations guy, let me know. And yeah, I'll move out of SoCal. Gladly.

Training 7.12

2011-07-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Started late today, in the afternoon. As COO, I have to forecast company health and mine has a serious cash flow problem in its unrestricted fund pool. As a result, I'm going to have to lay myself off -- it's the only sensible business decision, and it will save a couple of other people's jobs. Sounds noble, huh? Not as noble as it sounds, I suspect. But it means I'm looking for a job soon. No one in my company knows but the CEO, so don't tell.

Whatever the case, I needed to sweat. Hard.

Started with Results. Did a little dynamic work and some bar work. Drank some Surge Workout Fuel during and Spiked. It's very warm and a bit muggy this afternoon, and the sun is beating. Still, it was much cooler outside the rumpus room, so the fan inside was bangin'. Got a good sweat on in a hurry.

Bench:
2/3/5 rep scheme with 10kg added total to last time's weight (5 per side). Two sets, 10s between the rep sets with 180s between sets.

After the two sets, I dropped the 5 kilos per side and repped out.

Bat wings: 5 sets of 10s holds with 10s rest between holds. Heavy DBs. This was hard this time.

1-arm press: 2/3/5 rep scheme for 2 sets with a heavier DB (up 5kg). Pretty tough.

Bird dogs

Complex:
- Rowx5
- Cleanx5
- Front squatx5
- Militaryx5
- Squatx5
- Good morningx5

Three sets of complexes with the same weight as last time. 180s between complexes, generally spent sucking wind. I need to start taking evening beach walks, which will delight the wife.

Squat: 115kg x 25 reps X 3 sets, pretty quick

Still sweating profusely and still feel like I'm going to vomit. Just what I needed.

Have a great day.

Training 7.9

2011-07-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

Tired, sleepy, but not sore. Been sleeping pretty well lately, though, which is good.

Started with Results and a little protein. Did a little dynamic work and very little bar work. Drank a mix of mostly water with a little maltodextrose in it during. It's a very warm, muggy morning for San Diego, and there is a heavy overcast where I am.

Bench:
2/3/5 rep scheme with 10kg added each side to last time's weight. Three sets, 10s between the rep sets with 180s between sets. Right shoulder was not happy down deep.

Bat wings: 10 sets of 5s holds with 5s rest between holds. Heavy DBs.

1-arm press: 2/3/5 rep scheme for 3 sets with a heavy DB. Very tough, though not sure why.

Bird dogs

Complex:
- Rowx5
- Cleanx5
- Front squatx5
- Militaryx5
- Squatx5
- Good morningx5

Two sets of complexes, all with 10kg added to the bar this time, all without putting the bar down until the full complex is finished. 180s between complexes, generally spent sucking wind. My GPP sucks.

Squat: 100kg x 30 reps, 180s rest, 110kg x 30 reps

Second set depth was not particularly consistent or good. Had low back spasms after the first set that abated quickly. Second set suffered from lactic acid. Got it done.

I'm tired. Gotta go eat. Have a great day.

Update 7.8

2011-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Trying to update frequently as much to maintain my own discipline as anything. Sorry if it's cumbersome, but not that sorry -- it serves its purpose for me.

Not sore at all today. None. Even my glute soreness from cramping badly two days ago is gone.

Weight is up very slightly, and I feel quite good today (which is a change).

I liking the direction this is taking.

For what it's worth, a big shout out to Shelby Starnes for winning Jr. Nationals. Looked incredible. Seriously impressive work. I'm sure he doesn't read my blog anymore, but I have to honor such a comprehensive effort, years in the making.

Have a great day, folks.

Update 7.7.2011

2011-07-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm really tired, but I don't have that feeling that I am going to be overwhelmed with DOMS that I had a few days ago.

In fact, I seem to be responding very well to this, as I hoped. Leg definition is terrific, my body weight is climbing steadily, and body recomp is starting to show.

I have to say I'm pleased so far. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow -- one feature of aging is that DOMS seems to delay longer and last longer.

I have to say that ATG squats with no briefs (which prevent ATG squatting anyway) makes a huge difference, even when weights are fairly light. My quads, hips, glutes, hams, everything feels it differently, both during and after.

Anyway, slept like the dead last night and am still groggy at 10:00 the next day. My adductors are still a little sore from several days ago, but I don't get the sense they will be screaming tomorrow like they did two days ago.

There's hope for the old man (me) yet.

Training 7.6.2011

2011-07-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Used Results, chalk, and that's it. Lifted raw again, including no belt on the squats.

Some dynamic work. It was 6 in the morning and I didn't have enough caffeine in me to feel awake enough for a lot more than that. Did some bar work and foam rolling to get blood moving.

Bench: Started with 145kg for 2 reps/30s rest/3 reps/30s rest/5 reps
Bat-wings: 10x5s hold of scapular pinch with heavy dumbbells
1-arm press: 2 reps/30s rest/3 reps/30s rest/5 reps
Bird-dogs
Complex:
Rowx3
Cleanx3
Front squatx3
Militaryx3
Back squatx3
Good morningx3

I did five sets of complexes, each without putting the bar down, each with a fair amount of weight on a regular bar. As before, the squats were narrow stance, ass to ankles (legit).

Finally,
Squat: two sets of 30 reps with 100kg on the bar, 3m rest between sets

Wide stance, took them smoothly and slowly. My legs and lungs were screaming. Went as deep as my hammies and glutes would allow, until I felt a significant stretch, well below parallel.

I was so sore after last time that I left an extra day in between. I'm sure I will be sore after this one, but not abusively so. Still, this time my quads were much more taxed, so more than just my adductors will be sore this time. I'll quit waddling someday.

Hope everyone had a great 4th.

Training 7.2

2011-07-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been a long time since I posted. The boy made his Little League All-Star team and there have been daily practices, every day, for weeks. First game is today, and they are in the toughest pool in the district, bar none. One of the teams is Rancho Santa Fe, with five sons of former major leaguers on the squad. Five.

Yeah, great genetics doesn't guarantee victory, but it doesn't hurt either.

I've been coaching the pitchers, and they've made great strides (just a few weeks, mind you -- not long to mold a champion). But they're likely to get creamed. We'll see.

I've been training around audit (my company) and LL; just haven't been posting. We've been monkeying with my hormones, which has left me feeling weak, fat, tired, and generally wrong. Things are stabilizing and there is light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm not 100% yet. I pity women having to go through this every 28 days, truly.

And while my Commodores fell just short, how about the SEC? We rule.

Due to all of the other changes, I made a change in my workouts for a breath of fresh air. While I wait to sync with Mike T on a plan, I'm going to run a multi-week program from Dan John. Love his stuff -- very no-nonsense.

Used Results, chalk, and that's it. Went raw the whole way.

Lots of dynamic work and got to it.

Bench: 5x5 raising the weight by about 10% each set, ending at 145kg
Bat-wings: 10 second hold of scapular pinch with heavy dumbbells
1-arm press: ran the dumbbells from 55# up with sets of 5
Bird-dogs: not sure what the point is, but I held a ten second pose each side for ten reps for three sets
Complex:
Rowx3
Cleanx3
Front squatx3
Militaryx3
Back squatx3
Good morningx3

I did three sets of complexes, each without putting the bar down, each with a fair amount of weight on a regular bar. The squats were narrow stance, ass to ankles (legit). Weight will come up on these once I decide which is my weakest form. Right now, might be GM, oddly enough, when I'm totally raw (a belt helps my GM a lot).

Finally,
Squat: one set of 30 reps with 100kg on the bar

Wide stance, took them smoothly and slowly. My legs were fine, but my lungs were screaming. Went as deep as my hammies and glutes would allow, until I felt a significant stretch, well below parallel.

I'm going to be seriously sore tomorrow. I love it. Back in a day.

Have a great, safe weekend, all.

Training 6.18

2011-06-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to posting again. Sorry to have been absent, but life got in the way of communicating with the rest of the world.

Started with some dynamic work, Results, and some bar work. Wore wrist wraps and belt for the squats.

Plan was to feel it. That's about it. I wanted to combine some push and pull, get my squats in, and hurt a bit. My doc and I have been monkeying with my hormones (welcome to old(er) age, pukes) and I promptly lost ten pounds. Back to eating and training twice as hard.

But before that, I need to get comfortable with where I am, as I can't afford injury. So my plan is to stick with the plan, get a feel for where my body is, and then get after it.

To it.

Military press: 130 kg DC style; got 18 reps and then 6

Feel pretty good about that. No pain even though I've been throwing BP constantly for the kid's LL All-Star team. They won't go all the way, but I still have to wing it hard.

High pulls: Just a couple of 45s on a bar, just to get a feel for them. Did a lot of sets of 8. My traps are screaming now, as were the tops of my forearms (oddly).

Squat: regular back squats, wide stance, low bar; lots of sets of 5 with 265kg.

Feeling it out. We'll see how it goes. Got annual audit starting soon, so morning workouts are a requirement.

Have a great day.

Training 5.21

2011-05-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Still need to get my head on straight before I re-enter the program, so I went at it in a mode similar to last time.

Started with Results, a fair amount of dynamic work, and a lot of bar work. I wore knee sleeves and neoprene on the wrists. Used my leather EliteFTS belt for squats.

Bench
Again, went at it DC style. Loaded the bar with 200kg and did 10 reps for my first set and 4 for my second. Felt it all in my pecs, which is unusual -- usually it's triceps. Not sure I left anything in the tank.

Suitcase lifts
I did these in between sets of everything else. Used the fat DBs with what was on one -- looked like about 120#. I lowered to my knee on the drop side and lifted as far as possible. Did sets of 10. These were more difficult than anticipated, particularly for grip. Lost count of sets after about 5 -- did a lot.

Squat
Dropped the weight 10 kg each side and used the same approach as last time, hitting bigger rep numbers each set. Sucked serious wind.

All in all, a really good time. I'll probably get back in tomorrow, so we'll see how sore I am after this.

Have a great day.

Back at it

2011-05-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

After so long off, I was a little leery about how to get back after it. Last thing I want is to hop right back in as if nothing happened or as if I hadn't had three weeks of atrophy to deal with.

Started with a bunch of dynamic work, a fair amount of bar work, Results. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs for the squats and elbow sleeves and neoprene wrist support for the pressing.

Military press, Doggcrapp style, 130kg

15 reps first set, ten breath pause, 8 reps second set

Honestly, I like DC. I'd do it all the time if I didn't feel like I was compromising absolute strength. It probably wouldn't kill me to go back to it for a little while while I work out some of my other physical and hormonal issues.

Squat

Rather than continue with the Smolov cycle just yet, I loaded the bar with 265kg and did sets of increasing reps. First set was 5 reps, increased each set until the last set was 20 reps. At that point I'd had enough -- it was more an emotional/mental barrier than anything, I believe.

Depth was doubtless suspect on a few reps, but I was concentrating more on staying tight and in control than in making sure I sat down all the way. Most were more than fine.

Not sure whether I'll mix it up again next time or not. Might just go back to what I was doing.

I really need a plate-loaded pulldown. Been saying that forever.

Be interesting to see if I'm sore after this. My left thumb hurts, but isn't too bad. Just sore. Loading plates and holding the bar was no trouble, so apparently I'm well on the way to ok.

Bodyweight is holding steady again. Time to step up the eating.

Have a great week, all.

Update

2011-05-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. Apparently that tweak in my left hand was more serious than previously thought. Basic tests suggest something wrong with my scaphoid or scapholunate ligament. Going to see a hand surgeon next Tuesday, and not sure I can get my thumb around a bar until then.

Either injury is seriously bad and could mean weeks without using my left hand.

Gotta love aging.

Stay tuned. Sorry, guys.

Military press, 5/3/1 day, smolov day 2

2011-04-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day today. I'm home with my sick stepson and generally feeling sorry for myself for several reasons. Maybe this training and a rousing game of Little Big Planet will bring me out of my funk.

Not in the mood to prattle today, much to everyone's relief, I'm sure.

Started with Results, no dynamic work, and a bit of bar work. Not much of that, honestly.

Wore wrist wraps, knee sleeves, loose briefs, and a belt when it got heavy.

Military press
150kg x 5 easy
160kg x 3 easy
175kg x 3 not bad
210kg x 1 stayed with one rep

Squat
went up 20 kilos over last time
5 sets of 7 reps

Not bad. Expected to feel weak, but didn't. Everything was solid, got a good sweat on.

Hope everyone's week is better than mine has started out. Sorry to be so self-indulgent.

Update

2011-04-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sore today. Chest, glutes, hams, but not quads. That fascinates me. Maybe I should mix some narrow stance squats in and see what happens.

Also, I'm almost never sore in my triceps. Very, very rarely, and usually only when I do push-downs or something very specific. Guess I better get a plate-loaded cable station (or weld one up -- wife will love that).

Cloudy this morning -- hope it clears. Got to take the boy and his band of ruffians to the USD baseball game and to dinner later. Should be fun, if a little gang-like. Mayhem is certain.

Have a great day.

Bench day, 3 rep + smolov day 2

2011-04-16T08:47:00.001-07:00

Been way, way too long. Too much drama in my life, and most of it of my own making. I hate that. Time to tighten it up, coach.

Bench day. I love bench day. Historically, I have hated it because of so little progress over the last few years. But I do make progress, albeit in tiny increments -- we have to celebrate even the smallest victories or we'll go crazy with despair over lack of change. That in itself is an interesting irony -- we resist change constantly, but we crave it. Guess it's a matter of perspective, in that we tend to change what we want to and resist what would rob us of comfort. How soft.

Anyway, utterly gorgeous, warm day today. Summer is coming, which just means there will be less fog in the morning. Sandy Eggo is like that.

Rubbed up with liniment to fire up a sweat, did a little dynamic work (very little, sadly), and hit the bar. Wore knee sleeves and wrist wraps and that's it.

Bench
150kg x 3 too easy
180kg x 3 still easier than I thought it would be
200kg x 3 not bad

My right shoulder is weak right now and it showed. No pain, but I think I tweaked an old injury throwing baseballs; I've thrown a lot lately and noticed some shoulder pain. Probably have a small meniscus tear. Nothing for it. These were good.

I tried to put on my old Metal denim shirt for a couple of heavier reps but couldn't get it over my forearms. I'll try to stretch it out, but I'm not optimistic -- it wasn't even close to getting to my elbows, which is where things start to get big.

So I grabbed my Overkill and put it on. Barely got it over my upper arms and couldn't seat it in my pits. I'm going to have to soak it and work it on with some help from someone. Nothing else was tough but that, but I couldn't come close to touching with the plate not even on my chest. Needs work.

Squat
310kg x 5 x 7

Everything was great, though I was sucking wind hard. I expected easier wind and tougher muscles, but the opposite was true -- lifting the weight was easy, but not passing out was hard. I rested 3 minutes between on average; earlier sets were closer to 2 minutes and the last was 3 and a half. Sucked wind. Weight came up very easily, though, which felt great.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for the comments, Bob, and I hope the angst eases. Hold fast.

Deadlift day + smolov day 1

2011-04-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

Warm day today -- gorgeous. Got a baseball game this afternoon and lots to do, so this will be short.

Started the usual way but with dynamic work and very little bar work. Wore loose briefs for the whole kiboodle, knee sleeves, leather belt. Wore my Ace squatter with the straps down for the squats, just because I wanted to.

DL
200kg x 5
210kg x 5
220kg x 5

Heavy, but manageable.

Seated SSB Good Mornings
Bunch of weight x sets of 20, bunches. Love these.

Squats
4 sets of 9 reps with 310kg.

Weight came up quickly and smoothly. Felt great, actually.

Have a great day, folks.

Military press, 3 rep, smolov day 4

2011-03-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Can't remember which smolov week I'm in except that it's a deload week. Part of making it deload is mental, because I'm not training often enough to be in need of deload -- it's more about managing my own expectations of self.

Been raining -- as I type it's gorgeous again. Video today was all in low-light mode and worthless, so I didn't post it. Didn't check while videoing.

Started with Results and MGPM, which is back-ordered and I'm now out. I'll go back to the TeamSkip mix with malto added until the MGPM comes in. No biggie. Just like the convenience of the MGPM.

Wore wrist wraps for the military and knee sleeves and relatively tight Ace briefs for squatting. Used my Elite leather belt for the squats.

Military Press
180kg x 3 reps not bad
190kg x 3 reps felt a little heavy
200kg x 3 reps felt heavier -- go figure

No where near max and didn't rep out, but felt heavy. No shoulder or elbow pain, and no threat of not making the lifts. But felt heavy. We'll see.

Squats
330kg x 10 sets of 3 reps

Love the tighter briefs. Metal Ace briefs are the business as far as I'm concerned. I haven't tried the Titan super-duper briefs, but I also don't feel a need to. Love my Aces. Tightened the belt a lot this time -- one hole tighter than usual. For whatever reason, I usually like more room to press my belly against the belt, but didn't today. The extra back support was welcome, and my setup felt better.

My right knee was a little unhappy with warm ups, but was fine for the lifts. The weight felt heavy in the torso and low-back, but sat firmly on my back and felt stable all the way through. Kept hips back and chin up, pointed toes out a little more than usual, and sat back. Felt great. Honestly, felt more effort in torso stability than in quads or hips, which makes me very happy. I feel rubbery in the quads now, but felt plenty strong then. Very happy with the way this went and with the extra weight today.

Yes, I know that without video it didn't happen. I'm going to go up on my weight this next Smolov cycle and will get the video up. I am debating going geared the whole cycle for bench and squat, so I might keep the weights up and stroke my inner gear whore. Jo would be proud.

Great day. Off to throw baseballs later and hoping VCU finishes off Kansas. We'll see.

Have a great afternoon, all.

Bench day, 5 rep + smolov day 3

2011-03-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

Training was yesterday, actually. Just getting around to posting.

Working before work has merits and costs. I may be more likely to get it done, but I tend to get in the minimum due to time worries. I just feel like I need to get on to the office, so I do less accessory work. I also wait less time between sets, so there are ancillary benefits as well.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did a fair amount of dynamic work for the squatting, but none for the benching. Foam rolled, did some bar work to warm up and had the heater blasting. Started in a sweatshirt, too, so I had a good sweat on before long.

Used loose briefs and knee sleeves squatting. Nothing for benching.

Bench
145kg x 5
155kg x 5
160kg x 5

All easy, honestly. No strain, full ROM. Felt fine. Stayed with 5 reps rather than repping out.

Squat
Same weight as last time, 7 sets of 5 reps

Setup was fine. Only fixated on the feet one set when my soles were wet from venturing outside the rumpus room. Chalked them and moved on. Back stayed good. All in all, treating this week like a deload week, I guess.

I thought my customary long lay-off would cost me, but it didn't. Felt strong and solid. Left quad hurt during the early lifts, which is unusual, but went away later. No lasting effect.

It was a good day, and better to be calmed before heading to the office. Long day yesterday, between meetings with the County HHSA and a Board Meeting and all the drama surrounding both. Hoping for a quiet day today. Baseball game for the boy tonight, which I look forward to.

Ever hopeful. Thoughts are with you, Bob and Milda both.

Deadlift day, 5 rep + smolov day 2 week 1

2011-03-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

Actually trained a couple of days ago, but haven't had the chance to post.

After a packed weekend, full of lots of baseball (2 practices, 2 games, LL opening day stuff, etc.) and a balloon ride, I needed some sweat time.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did a bit of dynamic work and a fair amount of bar work to warm up. Wore loose briefs, knee sleeves, and a belt for the heavies.

DL
200kg x 5 no problem
220kg x 5
240kg x 5

Big jumps, but it was ok.

Seated SSB Good mornings
Wenning's SYTYCS video on Elite gave me ideas. Did a bunch of these with 22kg plates for sets of 20. Five sets.

Squat
265kg x 5 sets of 7 reps

Not bad. Worked on foot placement and solid stance. No pain, no trouble, weight came up easily. Still, my setup needs work.

Taking the train to LA today to make a presentation. I should view it as a day off, but all I think of is the things I am not getting done. Hope it's useful to someone.

Have a great day, folks. Thanks for the encouragement of late.

Military press, 5 rep + smolov day 1 week 1

2011-02-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous day after several days of rain. A little cool, but nothing like my in-laws in WA State, where the low last night was -10. Here it's low 60s.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did a little dynamic work and less bar work. Wore elbow sleeves and knee sleeves.

Military

155kg x 5 easy
175kg x 5 still pretty easy
185kg x 5 still pretty easy, though it was probably enough for a deload week

Squat

250kg x 4 sets of 9 reps

Easy. Still working on foot position and staying planted without bringing my knees in. Actually moved my feet in about a half an inch on each side, which helped a lot. Felt much more solid.

I supersetted chins between squat sets, usual method.

My head is going to split. Not sure why, but it is. Got a baseball practice later -- teach the unteachable what they don't want to hear. At 12, they've got it all figured out.

Tough day at the office tomorrow. Already know it. Gotta do something I don't like doing. Hope everyone else's week is good.

Squat day, smolov day 4 week 3

2011-02-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Not much time to write this morning -- got to get to work.

Warmed up with a lot of dynamic work, some hard rolling on my scar, and a good bit of bar work.

Started with Results and MGPM. Wore knee sleeves, loose briefs, and a sweatshirt. Chilly day for SD.

Squat

295kg x 10 sets of 3 reps

180s rest between, felt ok. Some were tough, some not. Setup matters. Left knee had a few sharp twinges and my mid-back struggled with the first couple of sets. Felt like I was leaning too far forward, though I couldn't stick my butt out any farther or get my head up any higher. Think it's just the morning thing.

Concentrated on keeping my whole foot down -- had a tendency to roll on the outer edge. Tougher than I thought.

Curled between sets. Sue me.

Put on my loosest suit for the last set with the straps up but fairly loose. Once I got a feel for seating the bar, I was surprised at how good it felt. Got to get ready if I'm gonna make good on Bob's suggestion to compete this year. I'll have to start shirt work before long too.

Have a great day, folks.

Bench, 5/3/1 rep, smolov day 3 week 3

2011-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

This work was done yesterday. Got a house full of sick folks, so I'm just getting around to posting. Will likely train later and post again.

Started with Results and MGPM. Just about out of the powdered muscle, but True Protein is back-ordered. Put in a huge order of stuff with them anyway this morning and will likely go ahead an B-O the MGPM. I like it.

Did almost no dynamic work. Been a week off and was a little unsure what to expect today. I've got to solve the scheduling dilemma. Did a fair amount of bar work on each exercise to warm up.

Wore loose briefs, knee sleeves, neoprene wrist wraps, and elbow sleeves.

Bench

200kg x 5 reps easy
210kg x 3 reps fine
235kgx 1 rep got 4 reps, thought the top of my head my come off

DB snatch
30kg DB, sets of 10 reps, did 5 or 6 sets between sets of other things

Squat
285kg x 7 sets of 5 reps

Felt fine. Nothing exciting, which is how I like it. My scar has been hurting when I jiggle it (scientific term), but I don't feel a thing when I use it. Waiting seven days between squats, I noticed it a lot more than recently.

Have a great day. This afternoon should be nothing but squats with some assistance stuff thrown in. Been loving the instructional Wenning squat videos on EliteFTS -- great stuff that's reminded me of some things I miss because I'm working alone.

Deadlift day, 5/3/1 rep, smolov week 3 day 2

2011-02-12T15:52:00.001-08:00

Finally returned to the rumpus room. Gorgeous, very warm day.

Not gonna type much today after this workout. Sorry.

Started with Results and MGPM. Wore knee sleeves for the squats, loose briefs for all, leather belt for squatting and Spud DL belt for DLs.

Did some dynamic work and some bar work. Not enough of either, really, but I wanted to get on with it.

Deadlift

240kg x 5 felt heavy
280kg x 3 really tough
310kg x 1 got 2 reps

The weight on the 682# reps felt ok. Setup must have been better, and I was a lot more conscious of a bellyful of air. Really pushed the heels away and it came up pretty easily. Held it down for the second rep and decided that was it -- the second was a bitch. Think I'll stay here for the next cycle.

Squat

285kg x 5 sets of 7 reps

Felt ok. Easing down is much harder than coming up with the weight, honestly. No crashing down.

Think my head will split open. Just didn't feel much like being out there today, which likely has to do with the layoff between. I should have been pumped, but I was struggling. Glad it's done and I didn't get hurt.

Everybody send thoughts and prayers to Bob. Glad to hear the decomp is working, brother.

Military press, 5/3/1 day, smolov week 3 day 1

2011-02-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Got home early today to lift. Seriously needed it -- this has been a tough week at work. So it goes.

Gorgeous cool day here, though downright balmy compared to what most of you are fighting. Cool here is high 60s and breezy.

Started with Results and MGPM. Need to order more of the Powdered Muscle and some malto from True Protein. Love those guys. They'll have it to me tomorrow. Helps when they're just up the road in San Marcos, but hey, it's a poor dealer can't deal himself the best hand.

Did a fair amount of dynamic work to warm up and a fair amount of bar work. And then I set to it.

Had the heater on in the rumpus room and the fluorescent work light.

Military Press
140kg 5 reps, super easy
155 kg 3 reps, too easy still
165kg got 14 reps.

Seat is still 85 degrees.

I thought it'd be enough of a jump after last week, but I had several things going for me. For one thing, this was the first time for military under the Free Spotter, so I didn't have any adjustments to make for liftoff. No extra arching, no worrying about banging my hand on j-hooks, nothing but lifting. Makes a huge difference. Huge. Also, it meant I could use any path I wanted and leave my hands extra wide if I needed to. Love that thing. Pics posted below.

Chins

the usual way -- all my chains, three sets until failure. Don't care how I get them, honestly.

Squat
265kg 4 sets of 9 reps. Honestly, pretty easy. Need to run the weight up, but that's what this week is all about, so I need to stay patient. Weight came up smoothly and easily. At the end, I was feeling my hips in a big way.

Alright, let's see how you post pics. (As the image to the left clearly demonstrates, guys are dangerous with a camera.)

So the next image shows the cams that clamp the rope. Other pics will show how the rope hangs from the rack, the back of the plate, a shot taken while I was warming up for military press (140kg at that point, if I remember correctly).

Make sense?

Squat day, smolov day 1 week 3

2011-01-31T17:12:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous day today after a little rain yesterday. Got out of work a little early and hit the iron.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did a little dynamic work and a little bar work and got to it.

Wore loose briefs and knee sleeves. Also wore elbow sleeves throughout for the accessory work.

Squat
265kg 4 sets of 9 reps

Setup makes such a huge difference. Tight, firm back, arch low back, head up, big breath...bang. Took the weight down slowly, tried not to get ballistic on the reps, and worked them out. Frankly, it was pretty easy. I felt them, no doubt, but overall strength is improving.

I still feel the scar when I walk -- jostling lights it up for brief moments, almost like an electric shock. But it does seem smaller when I palpate the area. And vigorous massage doesn't hurt nearly as much as before.

Super'd curls with Bradford presses. Yeah, well.

It was a great day, and I was very happy to be back in the rumpus room.

Hope all have a great night. Off to eat and batting practice.

Bench day, 3 rep + smolov day 4

2011-01-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

Long, hard week. Work's been tough and is going to get tougher until May, honestly. I need to find a better way to make time for training, because this three times a week way far apart is limiting progress. Has to be.

Started with Results and MGPM. Did some dynamic work and some bar work -- honestly, I just wanted to get to it.

I wore loose briefs for squats and elbow sleeves for bench.

I blew a good 30 minutes setting up and getting used to the Free Spotter at the beginning.

Bench

200kg x 3 felt heavy
210kg x 3 felt much easier
230kg x 3 not bad at all

I didn't rep out -- saved it for next time. But I felt like I had several in the tank.

Did a bunch of sets of DB snatch with some weight. Who cares?

Squat
310kg 10 sets of 3 reps

These were not bad at all. Honestly, without having to walk the thing out, they were fairly easy. I could tell a huge difference in effort between reps that were set up carefully and well and those that weren't -- real eye opener. Maybe I've always adjusted while walking out. Getting used to squeezing the lever before lifting wasn't hard at all. I love this gadget.

After my sets I put on my Ace Squatter over my briefs and tried a rep with the straps down and one with straps up. Straps down felt great, but straps up felt like it was trying to pull me backward. I'll have to get used to it again if I'm gonna compete this year, so I may start throwing it on more. Sucker's tight, so getting it off after pumping a little was tough.

Quiet night with the wife after she's been gone for a week. Of course, it's almost 7 and she's still not home -- gotta love a workaholic wife.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Deadlift day, 3 rep + smolov day 3

2011-01-23T18:12:00.001-08:00

Finally got under the bar. Been a busy weekend, and this week will be tough. In the meantime, I knew a DL day with a second-half smolov day in it was sure to be brutal.

Started with Results and wore loose briefs, knee sleeves, and belts. I wore my Spud DL belt for the DLs and my EliteFTS leather belt for squats.

Did some dynamic work and some bar work -- not a lot of either. I had the heater on to start to get a pig sweat going. It worked.

DL
260kg x 3 went up fine
280kg x 3 felt very heavy
300kg x 3 went up pretty easily -- go figure

No idea why, but my setup for the last must have been better. It was much easier than the second set.

Squat
7 sets of 5 reps at last week + 10%

Felt really good. Sucked wind badly, but the weight went up fine. I had a couple of wobbly reps that I had to slow down and settle before I started shooting vertebrae across the room, but it was fine.

I did sets of one-arm dumbbell snatches with 30kg between squat sets. Not hard, but more wind sucking.

It's Sunday night, the Steelers are up, and I'll likely have to fire an employee this week. All in a day's work.

Have a great week, all. Take of yourselves.

Idle thoughts

2011-01-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'll train today if I can make time -- my wife invited people over for dinner, which means I'm cooking. As a former chef, everyone expects big things, so even comfort food has to be special. Nothing is simple. But watch if you remain interested, because today will be a DL and Smolov day.

I ordered a Free Spotter from Shermworks mostly because it cost me a tenth of a set of beam power hooks from Crepinsek. We'll see if it works as well as advertised and solves my walkout whining -- it should act a lot like a monolift. We'll see. The assembly sure is inexpensive.

If it works as well as I hope, I'll spring for the olympic dumbbell type as well and get back to heavy arm-isolated chest work. I hope.

Bob's got me thinking about competing soon, so I contacted Rudy at Overkill Strength and he's making a shirt for me. I've got a good Metal Ace squatter I occasionally use, so I will start dusting it all off and practicing in it. Guess it's time to put my money where my mouth is again.

Work has been an unruly beast lately -- recent changes have given me much, much more detail work to do, which just sucks time like crazy. Getting tough to catch up where I used to have time to cruise. I do like being busy, though, just not fond of details.

Not sure if I can cram two training days in this weekend, since it's a third and fourth Smolov day. May be too tough to do without a recovery day. We'll see.

Anyway, lots to do today. Gorgeous, hot day here. Hope you all have a great day.

Military press, 3 rep, smolov week 2 day 2

2011-01-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, hot day here. Yeah, I know, but I pay a huge sunshine tax to be hear. And honestly, I wouldn't mind leaving anymore; I used to think I'd be here forever, but things have changed.

I went into today expecting death slathered on a pain biscuit. Didn't quite turn out that way.

I started with the usual elixirs, a lot of dynamic work, and some bar work. I wore elbow sleeves for the military press with neoprene wrist supports. I wore loose briefs and knee sleeves for the squatting. For the chins I wore sweat.

Military Press
130kg x 3 too easy
140kg x 3 still too easy
150kg x 3 still way too easy

Gotta go up, apparently. Military press intimidates the crap out of me with my balky right shoulder, but we had none of that today. Depth was below the chin, kept everything smooth and relatively slow. No pain anywhere.

Chins The usual with chains, four sets with everything. Did the last two hanging from a 2" rope for grip, which was good.

Squat 275kg , 5 sets of 7 reps

The last set I wandered a little -- think my setup was lacking and I stupidly muscled it out. Thankfully, no problems. Had a few twinges in the left quad, but nothing bad. Left knee now hurts a little, but some ice will likely fix it. Nothing bad. The weight went up pretty easily and smoothly today.

Great day. Gonna go make a huge lasagna and eat brownies while it cooks. Gotta love it.

Stay strong, all.

Squat day, smolov day 1 week 2

2011-01-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

This lifting took place yesterday. It was a gorgeous day, downright hot, and the rumpus room was about 85. I sweat like a pig and loved it.

I started with Results and Shelby mix, drank MGPM (1/3) per instructions just prior to lifting and drank the rest during. I don't know whether the stuff helps anything, but it's carbs and protein to which I add a bunch of maltodextrose. I have to say I like it. The taste is fine (reminiscent of a blender shake -- oats) and I feel good when I use it. Not as hungry while training.

Used my loosest briefs, knee sleeves, EFS leather belt. I wore Nike Frees today because they were more available.

I warmed up with a lot of dynamic work for quads, hips, and glutes, did a bunch of step-ups to start activating everything, and warmed up quickly with the bar -- my jumps were well over 10%...more like 20% or 25%. Usually it's the last 10% that get me going anyway, so I'll do a bunch of reps with next to nothing (200# or less) to get everything greased and get up to weight quickly.

Squat
4 sets of 9 reps with day 2 weight from last week.

Weight goes up around 10-20# each week in Smolov. 10 pounds seems silly with kg plates, so I usually go with 10kg or 20kg increases. This one was a 20kg hop. I had thought I might have to back that down to avoid ugliness, but today convinced me not to worry about it. It's just those walkouts that I love so much.

Honestly, the weight on the shoulders isn't bad. If I have a good belly full of air and keep my chest up, I'm fine. If not, my low back and obliques complain a little, and that makes me start thinking. Thinking is bad. I usually re-rack and reset at that point. None of that this time.

I drop down into the hole slowly until at least one side hits a pin and then come up immediately, as smoothly as possible. Everything worked like a champ. No video today because I was recharging the camera battery, but I'll get it up next time (now tomorrow).

Anyway, these were pretty easy, all told. Color me surprised. Sets were 180s apart.

While squatting, I did sets of assistance work:
Step-ups three sets with chains over the shoulders
Bradford presses I had something like 40 kg on a regular 1500# bar. Check out elitefts.com exercise index and see Julia Ladewski show how it's done.
Curls yeah, I know. I did really heavy one-arm curls just because. Because Wendler told me to in his 5 Ways article last week. Because I was looking for an excuse? Because I was never a frat boy and want to know the experience? Whatever.

My body weight is still pretty much the same -- within a 5 pound variance -- but I can tell my legs are bigger since starting this. The briefs fit differently. Not sure what to do with that. I'm all for leg size increases, despite the clothing/wardrobe issues that presents. But body weight staying put is odd. Something else is being eaten. Gotta increase the calories again.

It was a gorgeous day. I didn't post yesterday because I had to hustle out for a date night with my wife, which was deliriously awesome. Anyone in the area ought to try out Blue Fin Sushi in Encinitas. Great experience. Chef wouldn't take any of my sake, though -- something about booze and sharp knives. Wimp.

Have a great day. Today is full of baseball for me; next session is tomorrow.

Bench day, 5 rep + smolov day 4

2011-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

It's rather cool here, which means it's in the 60s. My parents in the Southeast are in the middle of an ice storm, so I have nothing to complain about. The skies are bluebird. Gorgeous.

Big day today. Knocked off a little early so I could get the training in. I was a little intimidated, as Smolov day 4 is heavy and a lot of sets.

Started with Results, Shelby mix, MGPM, a fair amount of dynamic work, and some bar work.

I wore neoprene wrist supports for bench and loose briefs and knee sleeves for the squatting. I also added the EFS leather belt for the primary work sets.

Bench
185kg x 5 reps easy
210kg x 5 reps not bad
220kg x 5 reps felt pretty heavy for some reason

I'll never understand how week to week the perceived effort changes for me. These felt heavy, though they went up ok. Didn't break any blood vessels, no shoulder pain, nothing odd. Just heavy.

Squat
295kg x 10 sets of 3 reps

Walkouts at this weight just suck. Sorry to whine, but they suck. I make them about four inches to clear the hooks at this point and I still hate them. Went to the hole very slowly every rep and came up fast. The weight moved fine -- could have lifted a bit more. Quad felt good, though my left knee isn't always happy. I think in all this quad business I tweaked something in that knee that I'll have to deal with someday.

While I'm whining, ten sets is kinda boring. I alternated some oblique work using suitcase lifts with a light, high-rep fly just to do something else while I caught my breath.

This is the end of week one for Smolov -- week three is gonna kill me. Either that quad will tear or I'll venture into PR land. I'm feeling good about the latter at this point.

Hope everyone has a great evening, and War Eagle!

Deadlift day, 5 rep + smolov day 3

2011-01-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Warm, overcast day today. The boy had his last Little League tryout, which is a bit of a formality but it meant I stood around for several hours. On top of that, it's a day to DL and squat, and I have to admit I entered into it with trepidation.

I started with MGPM, Shelby mix, and Results (not in that order). I wore loose briefs and knee sleeves for the whole session.

I pulled a fair amount for warm up and got to it:

Deadlift
200kg x 5 pretty easy
220kg x 5 still easy
240kg x 5 still easy

I realized later that I had read my log incorrectly and used lighter weight than intended. That's fine with me because of what followed.

Squat
7 sets of 5 reps with 265kg

Honestly, not bad. All were to below parallel. Used a leather EFS belt after warm up. Felt good.

DL and a tough squat day in one session made me nervous. I'm gonna eat a horse and massage my scar for the afternoon watching Seattle beat NO. Wouldn't that be fun?

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Overall update

2011-01-03T14:35:00.001-08:00

My low-back is a little sore today, and overall I feel a little achy. My quads feel tight, but not sore. Obliques are a little sore.

There are several weather fronts rolling through, so some of my tiredness and overall feeling may be due to barometric changes.

Any way you slice it, I'm tired and glad I'm off until tomorrow. Wife's back today, so it'll be a good night for a glass of wine and some snuggling on the couch. Yeah, I'm whipped, and proud of it.

Hope everyone else's day is going well.