Sunday, February 28, 2010

Day 3 week 3

Didn't get in until the afternoon after getting a lot of work done. I felt kind of beaten up before going in, but suspected the weight would wake me up. Day three has no squatting, so I figure it's likely to be ok.

Started with the usual nutrition, wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps, and went in hungry. As in really pretty hungry, even though it's a high-carb day and I'd just eaten under an hour earlier. Add to that all the liquid I drink for my pre and peri-workout nutrition and it was a little surprising.

No briefs, no other accessory gear. Just weight. Warmed up with the bar.

Rows: 5 x 10 reps with 160 kilos. Worked with a straight bar today, all else the same. These really hit me in my upper back and traps, though my lats got a wicked pump today. Had a regular Frank Zane kind of vee feeling going, though I suspect I looked more like I had some kind of cramp. My last two sets were eight reps each, and all were to positive failure.

Fat DB flat fly: 5 x 10 reps with 60 kg. The last few reps of each were tough, but I need to go up. May use fractional plates for a 1kg add on each end next time. Worked on keeping elbows out and working my chest over triceps. These felt good.

Biceps curls with EZ-curl bar: 5 x 10 reps with 60 kg. These were too easy -- I'm actually getting stronger here as I go and need to adjust. I went up a few kilos toward the end and the last set was quite hard, so I'll likely start next time where I ended today.

Seated calf: 5 x 10 reps with a bunch of 25kg plates in my lap. I think I had four, so 220 pounds, maybe. It's tough getting them into position from the floor with a lap full of weight, so I just sit there between sets. Turns out it's even harder to take them out of my lap without dropping them when I'm done after all the other work. I'm sure I look ridiculous trying to get them in and out of my lap. There must be an easier way. I need to go up with the weight, so I'll likely have to move to the rack with a six-inch box for my feet. Something.

90 seconds rest between sets.

I'm tired and hungry, but I'm huge in Japan.

Later.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Day 2 week 3

Beautiful day -- alternating between hard rain showers and hot sun. Already like Spring.

Been watching the waves hit Hawaii -- nothing bad yet, but my memories of being in Thailand after the 2004 tsunami are inescapable. No one should have to pick up so many bodies, and I didn't by any stretch have the worst of it. I still look at the pictures every once in a while to remember. The power of the tides is incredibly fascinating, regardless of the harm they do.

So I had another day in my five set week. I didn't expect today to hurt too much, but I was laughably wrong. I made some adjustments to deal with what I perceived to be cheating and they seem to have proved effective. I love this stuff, even though I haven't deadlifted in a month. Just working toward something tangible is delicious to me.

I started with Shelby's pre/peri (and later post) workout nutritional regimen. I wore loose briefs, my Spud, Inc. DL belt to hold my briefs up, and APT Convict elbow sleeves and Metal wrist wraps for the first two exercises. I warmed up with both dynamic and bar work.

All exercises were five sets each, 90 seconds rest between sets, all to positive failure (last rep of each set on the edge of cheating), and 10-12 reps per set.

Straight-arm anterior/medial/posterior fly: 60 reps per set, 20 each direction, five sets with 10 pounds.

I had been doing 90-degree laterals but felt I was muscling them up too much. I considered doing overhead DB presses with the fat DBs, but instead went back to my Westside/EliteFTS roots and did an exercise from the Elite Beginners Index. Each set is 20 reps each direction in order seated on the end of a bench without swinging the weight. I bend over and rest my chest on my knees for the posterior twenty. These were awful, painful, and incredibly humbling. I was definitely in pink dumbbell territory and my shoulders were on fire for fifteen minutes after I was done. The extreme stretching at the end was a cruelty joke, but I feel virtuous for doing these. 300 reps of shoulders is ballsy, even with pansy weight.

Skullcrushers: 5 sets of 10 reps, 90kg on the bar plus a black shorty band plus a lot of chains.

I decided I ought to take it easy on my elbows and make sure form was good. I started with my low weight and added a little band with one twist and three chains (I think). I anchored the bands to the pins that were set right at my nose bridge (don't die, don't die...) and set the chains to that one link was still on the ground at full extension. Each set I relaxed the chain hanger so that a couple of links stayed down. Turns out this was perfect -- each set was brutally hard from about one-third to the top. My elbows stayed happy, my form was good, and my triceps screamed. Excellent. Grip stayed at about 12 inches -- half of each hand on the smooth.

Front squat: 5 sets of 10 reps, 150kg on the bar.

I backed the weight down a little more from last time and narrowed my stance. I concentrated on keeping knees aligned and fixing my recent depth problems. True ATG today, which was satisfying. These were harder than anticipated, but I never had to cheat. I'll go back to 175 next time and try to keep the same discipline.

Abs: 3 sets of 50 with the super-duper band, crunch style.

I was a little surprised by how long my shoulders burned from the fly work. I was seriously pleased with the tricep work and felt good about the squats. I had a little back pump going, but nothing terrible. I never felt like the briefs took the weight, so they had the desired effect. But I didn't pitch forward and everything stayed tight -- just what I was looking for.

So I'm still progressing in my opinion. I'm also seriously hungry most of the time, so I'm eating as often as I can in accordance with Shelby's instructions. I've decided seven or more ounces of any one thing any one way is too much -- I get tired of it and want to gag. But two four-ounce portions of different things or different preparations is fine. And balsamic vinegar is my current best friend.

I am loving this.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Day 1 week 3

Gorgeous day. Wife's snowboarding at Big Bear Mountain with her company, so I'm here with the dogs by myself. I suspect she'll show once I cook dinner. It usually seems to work that way.

Today was the first day of my five set week -- every exercise to positive failure for five sets. Can't say I've looked forward to this without flinching. I know it'll be hard. First day is pretty easy, though.

I started with the usual pre/peri nutrition bit. I've even gotten used to that, what with about 60 ounces of liquids to down before I'm done. Started today hungry, too, so I have a lot to eat before I go to sleep tonight.

Did some dynamic work and lots of bar work before each exercise. Wore my Convict sleeves and wrist wraps for support. Grunted a lot, breathed some chalk, said a few unsavory things...

Pullups: 5 x 10 with a wide, fat grip, and no assistance. No weight either. Next cycle.

Floor Press: 5 x 10 with 200 kilos. I dropped 5% on the last set and still struggled. I also used my Fat Gripz on the last set so I wouldn't think so much about crushing my hands, which I'd already done a couple of times. These were hard today, but I think I'm making progress. I'll up the weight next cycle a little bit. I tried to keep my feet down and legs straight, but still arched on some reps between butt and shoulders.

Hammer Curl: 5 x 10 with 30 kilos on the skinny DBs. Got all reps, but my biceps were just on fire. The extreme stretching after this one just about made me cry. Still, I could tell I'm getting stronger with these, and I'll keep going with them until I stall.

Standing calf: 5 x 10 with 200 kilos. Still not a lot of weight for calves, but I'm starting to get more used to the movement off a step. Struggling to balance and move the weight straight up and down. Good work anyway.

Extreme stretches after each. Working down the last of my BCAAs and wondering where my wife is. Neither is ideal. Still, ended on a high note and feel good.

Good day, all.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day 4 week 2

These are a few of my favorite things -- military press, squats, tricep extensions...

But I knew today would hurt. Four sets of each, all to positive failure, no cheating, 90 seconds rest between.

I went in feeling lethargic -- even loading the plates for warm-ups was a chore between my ears. Not sure what the story is. Today's a high-carb day, but I might be a little behind on calories.

Warmed up with dynamic and bar work. Started with the nutrition regimen, wore wrist wraps and put on the briefs for the squats. Wore elbow sleeves until squats. My warm up was very thorough, maybe to the point of paranoia. I knew this was going to be a lot of weight.

Seated fat bar military press: 4 x 10 with 145 kilos on the bar. These were pretty smooth -- not bad until the last rep of the fourth set, which was butt ugly. It was either that or eat it, as I didn't set the safety pins. Motivation.

Tricep extension roll-outs: 4 x 10 with 30 kilos on the skinny DBs. My left wrist didn't like these, but everything else was smooth. Powered them up too easily -- I need to go up next time. Warm-up was weak, but I'd just come off military.

Squat: 4 x 8 with 300 kilos total. Very, very hard and my depth was crap. Not sure what the problem was today, but it can probably be localized to the space between the bar and the floor. I just didn't have the mental approach to rock this today, but I nutted them up.

All in all an ok day -- nothing special, but still making progress. It'll be better next time.

Now to go eat a horse or cow or something.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Day 3 week 2

Back from snow -- had a great time, though it wasn't long enough. Quads got a nice workout, but not much else. I have to run off to pick up my boy from school, so this will have to be quick.

Started with the usual pre/peri/post workout nutrition regimen detailed by Shelby. If you want to know the proportions, let me know. Long warm-up with the bar -- I was sore after this day last week and paranoid about my biceps tendons, so I took it slow with the warmup.

All exercises were 4 sets of 10-12 reps, positive failure each time, 90 seconds rest between each.

Barbell rows @ 45 degrees: 4 x 10 with 160 kilos on the bar. Tough, but clean.

Fat DB fly: 4 x 10 with 60 kilos on the fat DB handles. The first two sets felt a bit easy, the last two tough. The last couple of reps were a struggle for form.

EZ-curl bicep curls: 4 x 12 reps with 40 kilos on the bar. Still taking it fairly easy with the weight on the first couple of sets. Last set was a slow march to pain.

Seated calf: Stuck 25 kilo plates in my lap until I had four. Set feet on a barbell that had 45s on it for clearance. Did 4 sets of 12 with a big stretch at the end.

Extreme stretching for 60 seconds after each exercise. These still kill me.

Sorry to be brief. Tough workout, feel great afterward, but am stuck wondering whether to go up next week when I have five-set exercises. Might be wiser to be a stickler for good form.

Later.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Day 2 Week 2

Tons to do today but had to get a training session in. Heading off to join my family in Utah tomorrow to do some quick snowboarding and I won't get another chance until Sunday to lift. So in I went. Time is on my mind, though, which usually is a recipe for problems.

Started with Shelby's pre and peri workout nutrition routine. I picked up some flavored 100% ion-exchange whey and maltodextrin from True Protein -- Hawaiian punch flavor, too -- which makes it much more bearable. It's pretty good, actually, with a coconut tip.

Started with some dynamic work and warmup under the bar. Used briefs and elbow sleeves and used wrist wraps for the shoulders and triceps.

Everything today was 4 sets of 10-12 with 90 secs rest, just like yesterday. Extreme stretching after each exercise.

Lateral shoulder: 4 x 60 pounds x 10 reps. These were tougher than expected and I noticed I was throwing some of the late reps. I might have to drop the weight and do them seated to really work on perfect form.

Skullcrushers to nose bridge: 4 sets of 10 reps; 110kg, 100kg, 90kg, 90kg. Incredibly hard, true positive failure on every set. Everything felt heavy.

Front squat: 4 sets of 10 reps, 175 kilos -- no up from last time. I really worked on form this time, so depth may have suffered on some reps. I worked specifically to keep my back straight and avoid pitching forward. Very tough. Pretty fried after.

Abs with super-duper band: 3 sets of 50 crunches with back supported by the rack, bent elbows to knees for each. The last few inches are tough.

Everything was difficult today. Guess I have a lot on my mind, inasmuch as my mind can have a lot on it. Still, a good day -- got my reps and sets, was true to form for the most part, and now ache. Off to work.

Have a great day.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Day 1 Week 2

Second week. There's something really sweet about that. Past total newb, moving on to south of vag. I was pumped to get past searching for the right weight and get on with adding strength.

Started with the malto/whey/Anatrop routine Shelby requires. It's a little bit of a pain, but I understand it and therefore can come to terms with it. Yeah, I'm lazy enough to like premixes, so I'll have to mix up some pre-w/o, peri-w/o, and post-w/o blends. And yeah, they're all different ratios.

I lost a lot of weight last week. I'm sure it was all water weight, but it's backwards from our goals. My metabolism is seriously cranked up, so I'm very hot all the time. Makes wearing my suits for work interesting, but my wife loves the extra space heater in the house. Shelby has me now on high-carbs for every training day. The way I go, that's at least four per week. Cool with me. I'm not sure why I'm not very carb-sensitive (my wife gains when you mention potato chips), but I'm not. Better for me.

Honestly, I was already pretty close to a paleo diet except that I drank a lot of milk and ate homemade whole wheat breads. Otherwise, pretty close. But after just changing a few things on Shelby's routine, I feel even better. Add to that my recent strength gains and the fact that everything's working, and I'd say Shelby is worth more than every penny. And I can tolerate training like a bodybuilder for a while.

I wore Convict elbow sleeves, no wrist wraps. Warmed up slowly with weight.

All exercises were 4 sets of 10-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest between sets.

Fat bar floor press: 4 x 12 with 175 kilos. They weren't easy, but they weren't hard enough. Need to start a little higher so I'm forced to drop weight each set to keep form. My last rep was butt-ugly, but it was my 36th. Felt seriously strong -- lats and traps tight, elbows turning well, everything on target.

super-set with

Pullups: 4 x 12 pretty easy, though the last set got a little chippy. I suspect it'll be 5 sets of 10 next week.

No supersetting these:

Hammer curl: 4 x 10 with 65 pounds. Incredibly painful. The first set felt a bit easy, so I was worried I didn't have enough weight. I shouldn't have worried.

Standing calf: 4 x 12 with 155 kilos. Like last week, I just worked on form, getting a good stretch at the bottom, and doing these right rather than cranking weight. I need to go up, but feel no guilt here.

Abs twist: 3 x 15 with a heavy DB. These hurt today. Funny how some days they hurt more than others.

Extreme stretching after each. I cut it short (30s) on the biceps because I didn't want to cry or vomit, and because it felt like my biceps tendons were going to rupture. Doggone it hurt. Maybe Bob's right and I have caught teh ghey, pussboy.

All in all a great day under the weight. Now I could eat a horse -- off to find one.

Great day.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Day 4 week 1

Gorgeous day here, but hot. Everyone else's snow wouldn't last the afternoon here.

Got up feeling a little under the weather this morning -- either some sort of sinus thing threatening or a weather front coming through. By the time I'd finished 80 grams of oatmeal-source carbs, I felt pretty good. Downed my prescribed malto/waxy/whey/Anatrop concoction and decided to get to it.

Day four is a lot like the rest, though the rep range is 8-10. Still 120s rest in week 1. But today includes military press and squats -- two of my favorites.

Wore my Convict sleeves for the duration, wore loose briefs as a security blanket, and wore APT neoprene wrist straps. I started with a lot of dynamic work for my hips and glutes in particular. I warmed up with the bar after dynamic for military and later for squat. I did not super-set anything today, but rather painted by numbers.

Seated military press: Seat at 10 degrees from vertical. Wasn't sure of the weight so I did my opening 5-rep weight from 5/3/1 for the first set -- 135 kg x 10. Too easy. Went up to 145 kilos and clobbered the second set of 10. Left it there and did the last set 145 kg x 10. Form started breaking down on the tenth, so I'll start higher next time. Maybe 150 or 155 kilos.

Squat: I'd usually end with squats, but I decided not to do two tricep intensive workouts back to back. Again, wasn't sure what I could do with good form ATG for ten reps, so I started with 220 kilos on the bar and clobbered it. I went up 10 kilos and nailed that for an easy ten reps. I went up another 10 kilos and, while the walkout felt a little heavy, felt great once I started the squat. I hit ten reps easily at 240kg. I'll start higher next time -- maybe 250 -- and try to find the sweet spot where I have to drop about 5% each to just get my reps in my range. Still, I felt great.

Rolling Tricep Extensions: Lying supine, DBs to shoulders and roll to ears, press to extension. Love these. At this point, tris were flagging. I used 30kg DBs (normal handles) -- no idea what the handles/locks weigh, but had 30 kilos weight on each. Each set was tough, so I might go up 2 or 3 kilos each next time and drop by 5% each time (if possible). I've got fractional plates, so I should be able to manage it without feeling like I'm using pink dumbbells or have to make big weight jumps.

Did extreme stretches for everything after the exercises. Also threw in some abs, which seldom warrant discussion. I typically do weighted ab work in sets of between 20 and 50, depending on the exercise. Wasn't it Spud that said strong abs make a strong man?

On the diet front, everything all of a sudden seems to be falling into place. Not sure why, but where I wanted to puke all the time a couple of days ago, everything is getting bigger (not gaining weight, though -- recomp) and I'm hungry all the time today. I love that. Even my loose briefs were tighter in the quads today than a just few days ago. Sweet! For all of you that take the time to read my drivel, Shelby is a wizard; I know I'm just getting started, but my wife is down 13 pounds and looks like a 28 year old (she's in her 40s). I continue to have great faith that I'll be thrilled with the outcome of this experiment.

Anyway, off to eat again. Great day, all.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Day 3 week 1

Gorgeous day here. Got tons to do, but needed a good hard workout. I dragged badly yesterday -- maybe due to too little coffee, but more likely because it was a low carb day. I was a waste.

Today I still have a slight headache but I'm back at it hard. Baseball practice to coach, fence to build, snow stuff to sort before heading to Utah to snowboard... and day 3.

Wore my Convict sleeves and APT neoprene wrist wraps for support. Started with the malto/whey/Anatrop concoction. Starting to really like it, actually, though the mixed tastes are super-funky. Downed the waxy maize/whey/Anatrop mix during -- now that's one funky taste, and the whey doesn't like to dissolve. So I have these waxy BCAA clumps and clay-like whey chunks. To emphasize my oddness, I like it. Need to cut the sweetness, though.

Took a good long time to warm up since this day would be heavy on the biceps -- still paranoid about my biceps tendon and elbows. Even more kudos to Mike Robertson for his help here.

I split the training into two supersets, as I am prone to with these kinds of opposing body part multiset workouts. All stations are 3 sets with 8-10 reps to positive failure -- the next rep would have to be a cheat rep. All sets of like exercises include 120 seconds of rest between, though I'm busy with the other exercise. Heart-rate stays high.

Rows: from a 45-degree bench, EZ-curl bar with 160 kilos on it; knock the weight to chest and slow (2s) down. Elbows out pretty far, head up, all grunt.

super'd with

Flat bench fat DB press: 70 kilos on each fat DB bar; slow, slow, slow down and explode up. I go for full ROM, though I know Shelby doesn't want me to. I do stop just short of lockout to keep tension, but I like the stretch at the bottom, particularly since the big plates hold the whole magilla away from my body. Great stuff with heavy weight, these always make me feel studly. They're a bitch to get up, though. I may need DB hooks for the rack. Wuss.

After all sets of the first two, switch to

Bicep with EZ-Curl bar: I didn't have much on the bar, honestly. Couple of 20s (kg) and 10s, so maybe 60 kilos total. I think the bar is 25#, so another 10 kilos. After the rows, my outer elbows at my biceps attachments were barking, so I thought I would take it somewhat easy. It wasn't. The last rep of each set was stinkin' hard, but I kept them clean.

super'd with

Seated calves:

I just took the loaded EZ-Curl bar and sat down with it over my knees. I stuck my feet on a barbell with 45s on it and took full ROM, with a big stretch at the bottom and full press at the top. This wasn't nearly enough weight. Next time.

I skipped Abs until next time -- too much to get on with. I also did the extreme stretching after each last set. Back's never that extreme, but the chest, calf, and biceps stretches make me want to cry as prescribed. Chest is just unreal.

I'm burping all the time with this new diet. I sound like some kind of frat boy. I need to find creating ways of mixing protein sources so I don't get bored too quickly and need to get used to all the tasty fats. Already, after three pitiful days, I'm having to choke some meals down. What a wuss. Or, as Strongman Bob would say, I caught teh ghey.

Get on that!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Day 2 Week 1

It's a gorgeous day here.

I'm onto the second day of Shelby's new protocol for me, both in diet and weight. This week is as much about getting used to constant (pretty much literally) eating and getting used to movements I haven't used in several years.

I wore Convict elbow sleeves and some rather loose Metal Viking briefs. They had to be loose so I could squat ATG -- had to get butt to heels. So the briefs were more about hip support out of the hole than any pop at all. I used a loose Spud DL belt just to hold the briefs up.

I started with the maltodextrin/whey/Anatrop mix specified and mixed a second for during. I warmed up with the bar, which was stupid. I have to keep up with the dynamic work, but I've been getting caught up in what I was about to do and just forgot.

Anyway, so I warmed up for the three primary movements today, tested weights I thought I could get the rep ranges with and still have perfect form, failing on the last rep. All sets were 10-12 reps, explosive on contraction and stable on eccentric movement (2 sec). And all sets had 120 seconds rest in between.

90-degree lateral shoulder fly: 25 kg DBs 3 sets of 12 reps
These were tough but not tough enough -- I need to go up. I used the 25 kilo DBs I had left from yesterday, and it wasn't enough. The 12th rep of the last set was the first true form failure.

Narrow grip skull-crusher to nose bridge: 100 kilos 3 x 12
Very strict form here. I had the pins set in the rack so that the bar just touched my nose, just so I wouldn't kill myself. I started with 100 kilos and reduced by 5 kilos each set, and still my last set I only got 10 reps. I have to say, I love these.

Front squat: 180 kg 3 x 12
This movement was hard for me to be comfortable, particularly going ATG. I dropped 5 kg each set and I still had to nut up all the reps of each set. This was brutal. I've squatted 800 pounds and 400 thoroughly kicked my butt. This is going to be interesting in two weeks when I'm doing five sets. I noticed a tendency to pitch forward a little at the bottom of the hole, so I clearly have technique issues to work out. I was sucking wind most of the time and even nose-torked once to get on it.

I did band ab pulldowns with the super heavy band x 50 after everything.

After each movement I did one-minute extreme stretching of the body part a la Doggcrapp stylee. Honestly, this is more like extreme wretching -- these stretches make me want to cry every time. If they don't, I'm not trying hard enough to stretch the body part. Just brutal.

I guess the word for the day is 'brutal'. Still, I'm loving the direction this is going.

Great day.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Day 1 Week 1

Ok, so I contracted with Shelby Starnes, nutristud, to help me gain mass. I want to be huge without adding a ton of lard. How huge is huge enough? When I say so. I'd like to compete at a lean 220, so I need to be considerably more than that.

Anyway, so I started a nutritional and exercise regimen today that will change things. If nothing else, the exercise routine is a lot like Doggcrapp, which I did for about 18 months a few years ago. It means the first week is like a deload week -- I itch to do more but know I better enjoy the ease for now. Two weeks from now will hurt a lot.

So I warmed up gradually to find the weight that I thought would match the rep ranges I needed. I didn't do any dynamic work today, foolishly, because I was eager to get into it.

Anyway, I started with Anatrop and a True Protein custom mix of whey and maltodextrin that fits the ratio Shelby stipulated. Gotta love the waxy BCAA film. Actually, I don't mind it; it's kind of like sniffing ammonia -- it tells my brain and body that something's about to happen.

I wore Convict sleeves throughout.

Pullups: wide, fat grip x 3 sets x 12 reps easy
Floor Press: 155 kg x 3 x 12 easy; started weak and will stud up later
Hammer curls: 25 kg x 3 x 12 not so easy, actually -- something to work on
Standing calves: Stuck the 110s on and went with it, so 265 pounds x 3 x 12

It's been forever since I've worked calves, so I took it easy. I have a feeling I'll still be a cripple tomorrow.

Weight for every set was calculated to cause positive failure at between 10 and 12 reps.

Rest between sets was set at 120 seconds, but I got impatient and rested more like 90 seconds. First weeks always make me want to do more, but I understand why I shouldn't. In the meantime, I'll be careful not to hurt myself and will do as I'm told.

Today is a high carb day, too, which is a beautiful thing.

Looking forward to this.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Deadlift

I hate deadlift day. I think it's just because it hurts me so badly and I've made so little progress for such a long time. It's tough to sack-up and go in expecting big things when even on 5-rep day I expect serious pain.

I did not increase the weight in my DL this cycle at all -- the only of the four exercises in 5/3/1 that I didn't. I've got work to do.

Beautiful day. Wore my loose Viking Pro briefs for hip stability and used a Spud, Inc. DL belt once the weight got up. I find I use it more as a security blanket and for keeping my loose briefs up. I suspect I push against it more than I think, but I don't know.

Started with SWF and some dynamic work -- lots of hip mobility work and some quad/flexor/extensor work. I worked up gently with the bar with sets of less than ten.

Deadlift, regular 1500# bar from a 4-inch deficit:

245 kilos x 5 brutal -- popped capillaries in my eyes. What's up with that?
245 kilos x 5 yep, same weight, but a lot easier this time (huh?)
260 kilos x 5 still hard

165 kilos x 5 sets of 8 reps only did 3 sets

super'd with:

Glute bridges with 200 pounds on the bar -- these things are tough
Ab twists with a heavy med ball, legs straight and feet high

I stopped at 3 accessory sets to take it easy on my back pump. I'm still trying to figure out how much weight to use from that big a deficit. I dropped the bar and picked it again for the first two heavy sets; for the last, I let the bar drag me down and fired up as soon as it hit. I tried to keep from bouncing up.

The weighted glute bridges are the most effective glute exercise I think I've ever done. I love those things, though they're seriously hard with that much weight. The abs were easy.

All in all, not bad a bit. Signed up today to work with Shelby on packing on some mass and dealing with food boredom. I have great faith.

Great day, all.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Military press

I've gotten to the point that I rather enjoy military day. It's raining hard here again, before the ground had really dried from the last bunch -- means good snow in Utah when I'm there in two weeks. But it means a messy, lazy day here. Good thing I have my own gym. I love that.

Started with SWF and slow weight warm up. Wore Convict sleeves -- they're double ply if you care. I love the things. Warmed up slow and felt carefully for everything, as I've raised the expected max by about 40 pounds this cycle because the last felt so good.

So off we go:

Military press, seated at 80 degrees with the fat bar:

135 kg x 5 easy
145 kg x 5 still easy
155 kg x 5 not bad at all

100 kilos on the same bar with a lot of chains, one link on floor at lock-out

super'd with

Chins 5 x to failure

I should have done another accessory exercise, but figured it was a week for lighter work and gave myself a break. I love the chains -- even the sound is provocative. They let me feel like I was taking it easy on my shoulders while I simply fried my triceps. My tris are cooked through.

A good day. I managed the leaks in the ceiling, got in a solid session, and did my triceps right. Now to eat enough to scare people.

Have a great Super Bowl weekend.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Squat day

Ahhhh, squat day. I put on my togs with some trepidation, just like DL day -- I knew this one would hurt. Max squat day. Honestly, these days my lifts have gotten high enough that I'm starting to worry about injury more than the pain of lifting. I really need a monolift.

I started with Results and SWF, but I had heated the water for the Results to help dissolution. When I shook the bottle, the top popped and I sprayed about 8oz over my entire kitchen. I had no idea so little liquid could cover so much area. Everything looked watery orange, including me. I just stood there in the orange sea and laughed. What else could I do? So I cleaned it up and just downed the Surge Workout Fuel.

I used to down four scoops per workout; I didn't really feel results until three scoops, but four got expensive in a big hurry. I now do one or one and one-half scoops before and another of the same measure during. I figure the Results make up for it.

I wore my Ace briefs and did a lot of dynamic work before heading to the bar for weighted warm-ups. Then, without hesitating (courage, mojo...) I hit it.

Squat:

315 kg x 5 went up fine. Depth was easy
a lot more x 3 went up even easier. Starting to think this will be a winner day
a lot more than that x 1 hit 6 reps -- another rep PR

220 kg x 5 x 10 reps

super'd with

swiss ball glute/ham rolls x 5 x 10

Actually, the accessory work I did off-plan. First two sets I did 15 reps each of both exercises and the third set I did 20 reps, still hitting 50 reps total. I was a little concerned I'd fry my CNS after the heavy stuff, so I did higher volume to scare up some DOMs. The last set of 20 squats was surprisingly easy, actually.

I had Deftones in the ear during the PR set -- always helps. I hit a PR with the max weight last time and only got one rep; I wrote down that I didn't think I could have nailed a second. Today I hit six and may have had a seventh. With more than 800# on my shoulders and no spot, I didn't want to fail, so I left it in the tank if it was there at all.

Not sure what's going on with all the PRs, but I'm seriously stoked. Something big is about to happen. What a day. But I seriously need a monolift or full-beam safety power hooks from Crepinsek. Something.

Great day, all.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Bench day

I'm dragging a little today, though I know why. Lost a dog I was fostering last night -- something I told myself would never happen on my watch. He impacted his small intestine with some of my wife's lingerie and went from happy to dead in about three hours. Necropsy showed that three feet of intestine had died and he went septic. The rest was quick. My stepson is a wreck, as are we. We loved that dog.

Anyway, so I went into the gym in need of some pain. Had a little anger to work out, since most guys express anger when they don't know how else to express something. That's me.

Started with Results and SWF, both of which I've come to love. I've been feeling lately like my skin is tight -- sort of a constant bloat, though my body fat is down. Just getting bigger, getting bigger pumps in the gym, and progressing nicely. I love it.

Also wore my APT Convict elbow sleeves and APT wrist wraps. Wish I could remember if my Convicts were single or double ply; either way, they rock and my elbows are back to the business.

Warmed up with indian clubs and a fair number of reps of low-weight bar work.

Bench:
185 kilos x 5 a breeze
210 kilos x 3 still pretty easy
235 kilos x 1 got seven reps with one left in the tank -- another rep PR

140 kg + a lot of shorty bands x 5 x 10 varying grips

super'd with

fat DB rows with a lot x 5 x 12

I used the regular bar for the benching today -- honestly, it felt great. Everything felt great. For anyone that's lifted for a few years, I have to say 5/3/1 works for me and probably would for you if you keep the intensity up. I've finally seen progress in my bench after forever and a day. I'm thrilled.

On my last set with 140 kg + bands I did 17 reps. Not sure I had another. Pretty sure I didn't and didn't want to eat the bar, so I called it.

I think I'll raise my expected max by 5 kilos for the next cycle. Five may be too conservative, but it's been so long since I've seen progress that I don't want to get too ambitious. We'll see.

Shoulders and elbows were great. A great day. I'd say 550 as a goal for 2010 is reachable even though seriously ambitious. Gotta aim high.

Have a great day.