Tuesday, June 30, 2009

6-27, 6-29

6-27
Snatch 77/3 88/2 x 2 100/1 x 5
Jerk 92/2 105/2 117/1 x 3 120/1 x 2 100/2 x 2
Sn. Pull. Bel. Kn. 100/2 x 4
Sn. pull 110/2 x 4
B. Sq. 95/4 105/4 152/5 x 3



6-29
Clean and Jerk 92/2+1 105/1 x 2 117/1 125/1 132/1 - miss Almost got it, no caffeine this morning and I wasn't nearly as pumped as I was for doing it the first time. Also, I haven't been feeling that great from all the high intensity lifts. Overall I feel pretty good.

Jerk 95/3 x 3 Really hard.

Clean Pull 132/2 x 3
Deadlift 150/2 x 3 Hook grip

PM
Bench 135/3 155/3 185/3 x 2 210/3 x 5
Squat 115/4 135/5 x 4
Bench 185/4 x 4

6/29/09

OLY:
p. Snatch: 65x5,5,6
P. clean and Jerk: 95x4, 105x4x3

Snatch form needs work, I've been neglecting the warmups. Also need to add at least 10 lbs.

SQUAT:
45x8, 65x5, 85x5, 95x3?, 115x3, 135x1, 145x1, 155x1, 165x1, 175x1, 185x1, 190xFAIL

New (legitimate) 1RM. Hit depth solidly with 185 and ground it out. If I had done 190 instead, I probably would have gotten it, but was too burned out for that attempt.

Concentrated more on keeping weight on the outside of my left foot as well as right, right feels more solid that way, also keeping tight shoulders and arched back and good deep breath before each rep. Still need to teach myself to use the rebound at the bottom of the squat, I can sort of do it on lighter reps.

BENCH:
45x8, 65x5, 85x5, 90x5x5

Got lazy on the last set, but everything else felt way better than wednesday.

SQUAT:
135x5x5

Quick, solid. Some stretching in between sets. Tried to get that explosion going. Definitely feeling wiped by the end.

PUSHUPS ON RINGS:
10x4

Worked my core more than my arms/shoulders (supposed to be bench assist), but that's fine. The buckles to adjust the length of the straps were digging into my triceps on every rep, so now I have nice big bruises on each arm.

LAST THREE DAYS

1. 6/30/09 - Tue - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Weight: 219 (after gym). Time: 0:45. 

  Almost didn't go today. Very tired.

Cardio - bike 20 mins

Flexibility - gastroc, soleus, adductor on leg press, seated groin, IT band

2. 6/29/09 - Mon - SHEIKO #7

Weight: 216. Time: 2:30.

  Had a big meal before the gym. It made the first bench feel a little weird, but I think it helped a lot on the last sets of squats because the belt was snug. Overall, a decent day, but I really wish my squat would feel better.

Bench 155x5 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 230x3x4 (75)

Squat 55x10x2, 145x5x3, lungesx15x3, 235x5 (50), 285x5x2 (60), 325x5x5 

(70), 155x5x2, lungesx15x3

Used PL bar again that weighs 55 lbs. Pretended it was 45 though for my sets, so everything is 10 lbs heavier. In retrospect, this was stupid considering my squat hasn't been feeling great lately. I tried a few things on these sets. No knee sleeve/wrap, by the way ... knees felt solid for some reason.

Set 1: Tried to use 'old form' of faster decent. Didn't feel that great, but not terrible.

Set 2: Tried 'new form.' Sat back further, tried a slightly slower descent, weight on the outside of the foot. This felt slightly worse. I just feel slower without the rebound from the bottom.

Set 3: Back to form from set 1. Felt a little worse because I was tired.

Set 4: Add belt. Felt MUCH better. Used same form as sets 1 & 3.

Set 5: Add belt. Use form kind of like set 2. This also felt good. So, I think the belt is making a bigger difference than my form.

  Conclusion: I'm going to try to slowly incorporate a more controlled descent and change where my weight is placed while keeping rebound. Also, based on experience from my next group of benching, I'm going to try to keep everything much tighter. I really need to isolate what is making my squat feel worse.

Bench 165x5 (55), 195x4x2 (65), 215x4x5 (70)

Like usual lately, my last sets of bench are feeling amazing. I think it is because I get everything super tight and it just feels like a board press. I need to do this on all of my reps. Also, benching hurts my knee more than squatting because of the isometric tension. Go figure.

Dumbell bench 50x10x5

Yoke bar good mornings off pins 135x5x5

More fun. Not sure what the bar weighs -- I'll call it 45 even though its more like 85 probably.

3. 6/28/09 - Sun - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

I don't really remember what happened today -- but it isn't important.

Cardio - bike 25 mins

Stretching - usual?


the results of my TRENING

A.A.U. North American Powerlifting Meet

Squat
1st attempt: 474 (3 whites)
2nd attempt: 501 (3 whites)
3rd attempt: 535 (3 whites, WR)
4th attempt: 540 (3 whites, upped my WR)


Bench
1st attempt: 352 (2 whites, WR)
2nd attempt: 369 (3 whites, upped my WR)
3rd attempt: 385 (3 reds)


Deadlift
1st attempt: 501 (3 whites)
2nd attempt: 534 (3 whites, WR)
3rd attempt: 562 (3 reds)


1443
Total (WR)
4 A.A.U. World Records for 165lb (20-24yr) division

Monday, June 29, 2009

Sheiko Conditioning Week Day 1

Bench (all reps paused from now on)
95 x 5
115 x 4, 4
135 x 3, 3, 3

Squat
125 x 5
150 x 4, 4
175 x 3, 3, 3

Flat dumbbell flies
20s x 10, 10, 10

Good mornings
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5

6/24, 6/25

6/24/09

OLY:
P. Snatch: 65x6x3
P.Clean + Jerk: 95x4x3

No misses!

BENCH:
45x8, 65x5, 75x3?, 85x1, 95x1, 105x1, 115x1, 125xFAILx2

Tried for a 1RM, but I was still stiff and hurting from the other day and was not feeling strong at all. The 115 felt rough, and I did a solid 3RM with that the other day. Harumph. Need to not break myself the workout before 1RM's.

BOX SQUAT:
45x8, 95x5, 135x5x5

Cool. Never did these before. Focused on exploding upwards off the box/out of the hole, and keeping knees out and everything tight.

BENCH:
65x5, 85x5x5

Even this felt non-trivial today. Terrible.

Ran out of time for Bench Assist and DL assist.

CATCH AND THROW:
18lb MB
20? I don't think I was leaning back enough.

SCRUMHALF PASSES:
18lb medicine ball I think.

10x3xeach side


6/25/09

CARDIO:
30 mins on elliptical
Not very fast since I was paying attention to michael jackson coverage instead of fast music.

CORE:
Hanging leg, bicycle crunches, v-ups, with 10lb ball?
Sets of 20, except for v-ups, sets of 15.

Stretch, including backbend for shoulders. Oh god, I need to stretch more.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

SHEIKO #6


Weight: ?? Time: 1:40-ish.

  Came in today feeling tired (Dee was leaving town early) and with extremely sore glutes from lunges (?) on Wed. This was a tough week.

Squats 55x5x2, 145x5x4, bodyweight lunges x15x3, 235x4 (50), 285x3 (60), 

315x3x2 (70), 360x3x5 (80)

Belt and APT knee wraps. Keeping the warm-up/cool-down plan, it seems to be working. 

  The first set at 360 was actually 350. I was using a Texas PL bar and it weighs 55 lbs which kept messing with my mental calculations of the weight. The last set of 360 was quite slow. I feel like my squat has been off the last two weeks (aka, the whole cycle). Maybe this is due to jumping in at week three, maybe due to switching knee sleeves, maybe due to form. I'm not sure.

Bench 155x5 (50), 185x5 (60), 215x5x4 (70)

This felt really good though. Especially my last set of bench has been amazing lately. I think by that dial in the setup and it feels like a 3-board.

Dumbell bench 50x10x5

Dips BWx8x5

Cambered bar good mornings 135x5x5

Supposed to be normal good mornings but I had fun. Not sure of the weight of the bar, but who cares -- it was really light. Using the cambered bar actually felt earlier. Maybe it was just too light to really tell though.


Deadlift

Deadlift
550 x 8

Felt easy, which was nice. This was probably due to the lighter squat day on Monday.

Tried doing good mornings by my shoulder still hurts from Thursday. I woke up Thursday night with a lot of pain. Vitamin-I seems to help and it's starting to feel better, but it's not to the point where I can put a bar on my back pain free.

Finished with hamstring curls, abductors, hyperextensions, pull ups, macine rows and abs

Friday, June 26, 2009

Workouts & Smokeshows


GOOD LUCK TO BRENT..


do work this weekend.

i heard big numbers will be involved.
..i'm sure USPowerlifting Magazine will have photo coverage of this star ucla representative

also: this was kinda interesting... on the clip's new draft pick & workouts/etc

Light Deadlifts

Deadlift
205 x 3
225 x 3, 3, 3

Thursday, June 25, 2009

LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/25/09 - Thu - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Time: 1:30.

Cardio - bike 30 mins

Watched about Michael Jackson's death.  :(

Flexibility - gastroc, adductor on leg press, hamstrings, seated groin, hip flexors, IT band

The IT band stretch *killed* me because of lunges yesterday.

2. 6/24/09 - Wed - SHEIKO #5

Weight: ??. Time: 2:30. 

  Today is my heaviest day of the cycle usually, at least in terms of how it feels. The bench is never too hard, but the deadlift reps usually get me. Today, I got all the reps but they didn't feel super easy. I suppose this is to be expected. I think I need to get my eating and sleeping consistent if I want to make it through this cycle well. Today was the first day all cycle that I really felt I had energy in the gym.

Bench 150x3 (50), 185x3 (60), 215x3 (70), 245x3x2 (80), 260x2x3 (85)

Deadlift 135x5x4, 225x4, 275x3 (50), 335x3 (60), 385x2x2 (70), 440x3x2 (80), 

470x2x2 (85)

Bench 165x5 (55), 195x5 (65), 225x4x3 (75)

Dumbell bench 55x10x5

Lunges 135x5x5

These killed me for some reason and left me with *super* sore glutes the next day.


6-25

Power snatch 77/3 88/1 x 3

Power clean + pu. J. 92/1+2 105/1+2 x 4 these were pretty hard

Clean pull above knee 120/3 x 3

Deadlift 130/3 140/2 150/2 x 2 160/2 x 2 Hook grip. Easy.
Also, I'm using an Eleiko bar, which has a lot of bend to it. Never having used one I have no idea how it compares to an actual deadlift bar, but I can feel myself pull the slack out before the lift begins.

Bench 135/3 155/3 185/3 x 2 210/2 x 3 220/1 x 3

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

ME Bench (or: I can has second Katana too nau?)

Dave from 4-star brought in his used 44" Katana. I tried that on and it fits great. It's amazing what cramming a 220 into a shirt will do for stretching it out.

Bench:
315 x 3 @ 3 board
365 x 1
385 x fail
385 x 1

I feel like I get more pop out of my own shirt right off the chest, but then it dies. Dave's shirt has less pop but lasts higher since the shirt is a little smaller. He's loaning it to me for a bit to train in since he has moved on to bigger and better weight classes.

DB Bench:
100s x 8
105s x 8
110s x 6
115s x 5

Close-grip Bench:
225 x 5, 5, 4 + FAIL
205 x 5

Finished with band tricep extensions. I still really love how these feel. My elbow soreness went away for a few days after I did them, so I'm convinced they're doing some good in that area. My right shoulder still feels a little discomfort, which is undoubtedly due to all the heavy benching. I have next week off and don't plan to go this heavy again for a while, so I'm hoping the rest does it good.

6-24

AM

Snatch 77/2 88/2 x 3

Jerk 105/2 x 4

Sn. pull bel. kn. 100/3 x 3

Jerk 92/3 x 3
This was actually harder than it should've been. I'm sore from yesterday's workout, hard stretching yesterday, and tired from drinking and staying up late last night.

PM
Bench 135/3 155/3 185/3 x 2 210/3 x 2 225/2 x 3
This would've been easy but I paused every rep. The pause really makes it harder...

B. Squat 102/4 115/4 x 3

BTN Press 55/3 x 3

Squat/Bench

I'm getting over the flu or a bad cold or something so today's and Friday's workout won't be that intense. Additionally, I'll be starting Sheiko program #29 on Monday so my training days can be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Bench
125 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Squat
165 x 5, 5, 5, 5

Kneeling abs
80 x 15
87.5 x 12, 12, 12

I think my conditioning is kind of bad since I didn't lift during finals week and I missed this past week, so hopefully I don't die from doing the Sheiko program.

6/22/09

OLY:

P. snatch: 65x6x3
P. clean + jerk: 95x4x2, 95x3+fail

Almost 45kg. Looks like my fears about my jerk limiting me are unfounded.

SQUAT:
45x8, 95x5, 135x3, 155x3, 165x3, 175x1+FAIL

Meh. I've done 165x4x4 in the past, so this hardly feels like a real 3RM. I don't like doing RM first thing, for some reason.

INCLINE BENCH:
45x8, 65x5, 75x5x2, 85x5x5

Good. Non trivial, but still easy enough for sets across. Wee.

DIPS:
BWx8x2, BWx6x2

Definitely need more practice with these. Also considering pushups on rings as bench assist, because they're fun.

SQUAT:
95x5, 135x5x5

The last two sets were non-trivial, but solid. I want my squat strength back, damnit.

GLUT-HAM RAISES:
BWx10x4

More reps need to be done. Trivial.


Stretch, foam roll lower back, it band.


There were some strong ladies doing box squats with 200+lbs, one for a set of 6, the other on a very high box for one rep before fail. Hurr. Must outlift all wimmens.


LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/23/09 - Tue - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Cardio - bike 130 bpm x 25 mins

Flexibility - gastroc on leg press, adductor magnus on leg press, hamstrings, seated groin, 

hip flexors, glutes

2. 6/22/09 - Mon - SHEIKO #4

Weight: 211. Time: 2:30. Not sure what happened with this weight -- I didn't eat much the night before and I was a little dehydrated, I guess. Didn't eat anything all day before this work out either, felt pretty weak because of that even though I was finally well rested.

Squat warm-up: 45x5, 135x5x4, BW lunges x15x4, 225x4 (50), 275x3 (60), 

315x3x2 (70), 365x3 (80), 385x2x2 (85)

Belted essentially everything. Used new APT knee sleeves. They felt great, gave very little support, etc. Exactly what I need.

  I tried to use the same form as last time to keep knees feeling good -- toes only slightly pointing out, weight on heels, pushing feet out. I think this might be a good form to keep in the long run, but it changes my form and makes the squats feel much harder. 385x2x2 was not easy. More on this later.

Bench 45x10, 155x3 (50), 185x3 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 245x3x4 (80)

Feeling kind of beat up lately, so these were slow but not close to failure.

Dumbell bench 50x10x5

Dips BWx8x5

Squat 225x4 (50), 275x3 (60), 315x3 (70), 365x2x4 (80)

Belted last three sets of 365. For last set, I used my 'lazy form' of dropping much more quickly with my weight more forward on my foot. It felt much easier. I'm not sure what I should do with this -- maybe sitting back will feel better if I give it enough time?

A: Good mornings 135x5x5

A: Lunges BWx15x4

For adductor...


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

SE Squat

So I left my belt at 4-star on accident last thursday, so my squat day was a little thrown off. Thing feel fairly comfortable until around 315 when I don't feel like my lower back is fully supported. That's a weakness I definitely need to overcome, but not at the same time I'm rehabbing that body part.

Box Squats:
225 x 8
275 x 8
295 x 8
315 x 8
335 x 8

Cleans:
155 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 3, 5

Lunges:
225 x 12, 3 sets

Finished with hyperextensions and hanging leg raises

Weight

Current weight = 190

What's the best way to drop 25 pounds by July 18?

6-23

This was supposed to be at the beginning of yesterday's workout. I was pretty tired this morning for no paticular reason too, so that made the workout harder.

Power snatch 77/2 88/1 x 3
Power clean + push jerk 92/2+1 x 2
Clean and jerk 105/1+2 117/1 x 2 120 - 1,miss,1

Monday, June 22, 2009

6-22

Couldn't do my morning workout today because of meetings, so it's been moved to tomorrow.

I did this today:

Clean Pull 132/2 x 2 145/1 x 3

Deadlift 145/3 x 3 No chalk, no hook, double overhand

Jerk 95/3 x 3

Back squat 105/4 152/5 x 4 Felt heavier than I would've liked

Bench 135/3 155/3 185/3 x 2 210/3 x 5 Last 3 sets with commands

QE Bench

Quick workout. total time: 55 minutes. The short rest starting taking its toll after the 3rd set of bench. Went over to Wooden instead of 4-star due to evening conflicts. That place is packed and filled with bad spotters all around.

Bench:
275 x 5 @ 2 sec
285 x 5 @ 1.5 sec
275 x 5 @ 1 sec
225 x 10

Military Press:
135 x 8
155 x 4 (ughh.. gassed too soon)
135 x 7, 6

super set
Band tricep extesions
doing these last saturday made my tricep feel much better. The purples are too much, so next time I need two minis.

minis x failure, 6 sets

Wide-grip pull ups:
33, 30, 15, 10

Finished with GHR abs

Training 6/19/09

No more fever, but still sick enough that this was a very hard day.

OLY:

P.snatch: 65x6x3
P. Clean + jerk: 85x4x3

Took more rest, as I was fucking dying doing this. The fast cardiovascular stuff is the hardest when sick.

DEADLIFT:
135x3, 185x3, 225x2+Fail

DB BENCH:
25x6?, 30x6?

BENCH:
65x5, 85x5x5

Even this felt easy enough, but was hardly the day to move up. Next time.

DEADLIFT:
135x3, 185x3x5

Light sets across for strict form work. nathans asked if I was actually pushing my knees out during sumo, which I was not, then did on the last set and boy, the difference. 'i learned something today'.

Stretch, foam rolled hips, back.


The beginning was brutal, but I'm glad I stuck through it.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

LAST THREE DAYS (+ off day)

1. 6/21/09 - Sun - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Time: 1:00. Feeling beat up. Just a light cardio day.

Cardio - bike 30 mins

Flexibility

Soleus on leg press

Adductor magnus on leg press

This is a great squat-specific stretch for the adductor muscle that gets sore. I just use the leg press with no weight and let it sink with no resistance from me. Hurts like a bitch, but it hits the adductor magnus really well.

Hamstrings w/ bar (straight back and 'touching toes')

Seated groin

Hip flexors

2. 6/20/09 - Sat - OFF (FLEXIBILITY)

Feeling really destroyed from jumping into this cycle in week 3. Took a day off to chill with Dee and heal up.

Flexibility - hamstrings, adductor magnus, groin, hip flexors

Dee helped me stretch!

3. 6/19/09 - Fri - SHEIKO #3

Weight: ??. Time 2:30.

  Today was difficult, but manageable. I think I've figured out how to bench without my arch hurting the lower back. And I figured out some good things on my squat.

Bench 155x4 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 240x3x3 (80)

Squat warm up: 135x5x4, bodyweight lunges x 15 x 4, 225x5 (50), 275x5 

(60), 315x5 (70), 335x4x4 (75), cooldown: 135x5x4, bodyweight lunges 

x 15 x 4

After getting super sore adductors from Monday, I decided to try some things to correct this for good. First, I noticed that lunges hit the main muscle (adductor magnus) that gets sore. So I did lots of these to warm up and cool down. I also made some form changes primarily for my right knee, but these could definitely have helped the adductor as well.

  For my knee, I tried pointing my toes slightly more forward. This also makes depth harder to hit, so I get a better bounce out the hole. I also focused on sitting on my heels with the weight straining on the outside of the foot. This felt noticeably different, and I couldn't keep this form on every rep, but I felt better overall so I will keep it up.

Bench 165x5 (55), 195x6x2 (65), 215x4x5 (70)

A: Dumbell bench 55x10x5

A: Good morning 135x5x5


Saturday, June 20, 2009

6-20

P. Sn. 72/4 82/2 x 3
Snatch 88/2 x 2 100 - 1,1,1,1,miss,1
Sn. Pull 110/2 x 4
Jerk 100/2 112/2 x 3 100- 2,4

Tried to back squat but could only do 162/1 after this, so I left Crossfit Balboa, drove home, and went to the ARC (about an hour break total):

B. Squat 125/5 162/3 x 5
Bench 145/3 170/3 x 2 195/3 x 6

Easy after the break. I lose my ability to strain after heavy Olympic lifts. They are too dissimilar from squats (much faster, much more rebound out of the bottom, lower bottom position as well). After a rest though I'm good to go.

Also, When I got to the ARC one of the squat racks was being used by this idiot teaching his little brother/friend how to lift (I believe they were training for either basketball or football). I got to hear such gems as "point your toes straight forward and don't put you legs wide or you won't work the right muscles," "these work your quads and your legs (with gestures to quads and hamstrings)," and "don't worry about what other people are doing just worry about tearing them up on the field, or court." I also got to watch as they did 1/4 reps on both squats and lunges, then move to the Smith machine to do weighted jumps with like 90% of what they were "squatting." I mean, they were going down the same distance for a squat (and a lunge) as they were for the jumps.

The thing that actually pissed me off was this: "anyone can put up three plates on a side" (this was as I was benching...I could barely keep from laughing and/or beating the shit out of this pussy because I'm about 90% sure he was talking about me.). And the reason I think he was talking about me (other than the fact that I was squatting 360 5 feet from them beforehand), although I didn't hear it, is because I think the little brother/friend was questioning his "mentor" when he saw me lift. Oh, another delightful piece of advice: "it doesn't matter if you see someone lifting more than you. If you're doing 10's on a side and you're doing it right then it doesn't matter." The irony being, of course, they they had NO CLUE was right actually is.

Friday, June 19, 2009

RE Deadlift

Deadlift
529 x 8

Good Mornings:
325 x 8
365 x 8
407 x 8
435 x 8

Can't remember the exact kilo conversions.

Did some light sets (155) of SLDLs to work on flexibility and form. These still seize up my back even being light. Feels good to stretch though

DB Row:
125 x 8
150 x 8, 2 sets

Upper Back Training (DELOAD)

Pullup
Warmup: Dead hang from bar
BWx12
BW+10x10
BW+25x8

Inverted Row
BWx12
Bwx11
BWx9

Face Pull
2 sets 8-10 reps

Seated Dumbbell Curl
2 sets of 10 reps

External Rotator Work
2 sets of 10 reps

Side Note: I am deloading this week, so the volume is lower and I'm going for more reps.
Deadlift Workout (DELOAD)
(Thursday Jun 18, 2009)

Power Clean
Warmup: Bar x 5, 95x5
135 x 5
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3

Dumbbell Pull-through
60 x 12
60 x 12
70 x 10

Barbell Holds
Held the bar in the deadlift lockout for as long as possible to work on pronated (thumb-less) grip
315 x Failure
365 x Failure
405 x Failure

Ab Wheel
3 sets to Failure

Side note: I'm deloading this week as I feel trashed after heavy squatting, deadlifting, rowing etc. I've decided to have one deload week every 4 weeks - just doing more reps, lower volume and more power movements while changing the exercises for the week ;)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

CARDIO/MISC


Weight: 215 (morning), 218 (after gym). Time: 0:45.

  Adductors feel a bit better today, not 100%. Definitely less sore than after Monday.

A: Pullovers 40x8x3

For stretching my upper back, which ended up quite tight after yesterday.

A: Decline crunches 45x10x3

Rowing machine 15 mins @ 2:08.5 min / 500m

Bike 15 mins @ ~130 bpm


Some guy was doing cardio and stopping to rest every 45 secs. It was pissing me off.

Rugby/Cardio

6/16/09

Touch Rugby - 1.5 hours, out on the pitch.

Stretch - .5 hours.


Started with 2v3, then brock showed up and we had 3v3. Being only in sneakers and not cleats did not bother my ankle luckily, though my feet slid out from under me once. I scored a few tries, but not having any real cardio for two weeks, plus getting sick, made me less than useful. In retrospect, this may have been a bad idea since I woke up with a fever the next day.


Touch will definitely continue throughout the summer so that i won't show up to practice in august as nimble as a prop.

M(arathon)E Bench

I srsly need to stop lifting at 4-star for 3+ hours...

Shirted Bench:
365 x 3 @ 3 board
365 x 2 @ 2 board
365 x 2 @ 1 board
365 x 1
385 x 1 (PR)
405 x FAIL

Guys tried cranking the Katana for the last one but the max-resistance point got shifted far too low for an IPF-legal bench. I went with the shirt's groove (to avoid dumping on myself), but it didn't give nearly as much pop. Guys said the Katana was barely doing anything (hard to believe), but it's definitely not providing a ton of resistance, which is unfortunate. I still have yet to fully seat it in the armpits, so I'm hoping once it's in place, the shirt might tighten up more. Next week I'll try 395, as 385 felt easy.

Chain Work:
185 + 140lbs of chains x 5 @ 2 board
225 + 140 x 5 @ 2 board
275 + 140 x FAIL
245 + 140 x 1 (immediately after previous fail)
185 + 140 x 14 @ MANPON (Brent said 15, but i gassed)
185 + 140 x 10 @ MANPON (sunk it in deeper this time)

Skullcrushers are still bothering my right tricep tendon at the elbow, so I bailed on them early. Bill suggested doing monster-mini band tricep extensions, which were surprisingly hard. They set had the bad weight kick in at 90 degrees, so it was perfect. Did 5 strip sets from monster-minis to minis, all til failure. I'm guess 110 at the top / 150 at the bottom for the monster minis.

Stability Bench:
65s(??) x 10, 3 sets

Forgot what Brent had on there.

Did some biceps too.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/17/09 - SHEIKO - #2

Time: 2:45. Weight: 219.

  Not sure what to make of my weight. Maybe it is really getting close to 220?

  The monday workout destroyed me. Jumping into the third week of this program is definitely intense. It left my adductors very sore today, like I always get from rep sets of squats. Took long warm ups but they are still sore. Other muscles were also a little beat up, especially my lower back. I think this is exaggerrated by my back compensating somehow for the adductors.

  Dee has a fever so I was alone at TPS.  :(

Deadlift to knees 135x5x4, 225x4, 275x5 (50), 335x3 (60), 385x4 (70), 415x4x3 (75)

I tried to keep good arch and pull slow off the floor. My adductor bothered me most for these, obviously, because it has the biggest stretch of anything I did today. I had medium success with the form. The final sets were kinda tough.

Bench 155x4 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x4x2 (70), 225x3x2 (75), 240x2x2 (80), 

255x1x2 (85), 240x2x2 (80), 225x3x2 (75), 215x4 (70), 195x6 (65), 

165x6 (55)

This took a long time, especially since I was alone today at TPS and had to leech lift offs from other people.

Dumbell bench 55x10x5

Deadlift from knees 335x4 (60), 385x3x2 (70), 445x4x3 (80)

These felt stupid easy, except for my lower back being tired. I think I maybe should start the pull from lower?

Lunges 135x5x5

Abs

Forgot to do these. Will do them tomorrow.

2. 6/16/09 - Tue - CARDIO

Cardio - bike ~20 mins

Strecthing - calves, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors


Deadlift

I tried to do the 70% 3x3, 75% 3x3, 80% 3x2 that Jake suggested for working on form a couple of weeks ago, but I was a little tired at the end of it I think because 1) I haven't deadlifted in 3 weeks and 2) the percentages were based on the 381 max I hit 3 weeks ago, which I did with not-so-great form.

Deadlift
I had my brother watch me do a few sets to see how my lower back arch was.
265 x 3, 3, 3 -arch was good on all these
285 x 3, 3, 3 -lower back started to round slightly in the middle of the movement on the last set so I didn't want to do the doubles at 80%
305 x 1 -very slight rounding in the lower back
285 x 1 -arch was good

I have a couple of questions for Jake:
1) Previously you suggested doing this at the beginning of every deadlift workout, but would it be too much volume to do assistance exercises after this too (like good mornings or SLDL's)?
2) Should these numbers be based on a lower max since the 381 wasn't done with good form?

Lying leg curls
90 x 10, 10, 10, 8

Side bends
45 x 10, 10, 10

GHR abs
BW x 20, 20, 20

6-16

P. Cl. + Pu. J. 92/4+4 105/2+1 x 3
Sn. Pull Bel. Kn. 88/4 100/2 110/2 x 2
Bench 135/3 155/3 185/3 x 2 195/2 x 3
BTN Press 50 - 3x3

So, I've decided to do the powerlifting meet on 7-18. Who else is doing it? I'm excited to actually lift with you guys this time around.

As you can see, the bench training is straight out of Sheiko. Squat training will be identical to my current squat training since there is plenty of it in this program. Phil, you'll be proud of my Bill Starr no-deadlift deadlift program. I'll only be doing 4 total sessions of actual deadlifting, and those only because I never deadlift and need to practice lifting more than 70% of my max (my max clean is around 73% of my deadlift). Clean pulls will take care of the rest.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

SQ/DL Triples

6/12 DL 529

3 days later...

6/15 SQ 485

Bonus: Spencer absolutely smokes the shit out of a 584 DL

New Program, First Post

Greetings dudes, I come in peace. Nathan invited me to log my workouts here, and hopefully y'all can advise me to getting stronger, faster, and more awesome.


6/8/09

Start of new training phase, at a new gym: Total Performance Sports (TPS) in everett.

OLY- light, for warmups

55xBurgnener warmup, deep overhead squats
Power snatches: 55x8?, 65x4x2, 95?xfail+1+fail
Power Cleans: 95?x6x4 +front squatx2
Power Clean and Jerk: 65x4x4

Murph said I need to get my head through faster on the jerks.

BENCH
45x8, 65x6, 75x4?, 85x5x4

i guesstimated a 1RM/goal of 125, so my work sets were just 70% of that, they felt solid but not difficult. My numbers and long-term program needs to be tightened up i think.

SQUAT
45x8, 95x6, 135x3?, 145x5x3+4+fail

These were non-trivial, I lost my balance on the last rep. I'm so not in squating shape, this is usually trivial for me, 160+ at these sets is more likely to fail. But this was over 70% of my goal/1RM (200), so, gotta get back in somehow.

SLOW PUSHUPS ON RINGS:
wide stance: x5?
narrow stance, one foot: x5?

Was going to do more bench, but was running out of time and wiped, so we dicked around with the rings and did suspended, slow pushups. Cool.


6/09:

got to zcenter way too late due to work, had 15 hard minutes on elliptical, stretched.

6/10:

TPS again.

OLY:

Burgener Warmup with deep overhead squat.

snatches: 65x6x3?
clean+jerks: 5?x2 (fast)

DEADLIFT:
Trying to work up to a 5RM, but this was not the day for that, full of fail.
135x6?, 155x5, 185x4, 205x3?, 225x1?, 235x3+FAIL (~85% of 275)

The sleeve on the end of the bar was COMING OFF and I was all lopsided for a bit. Fixed it, kept going.
The center of the bar was smooth where I was normally gripping for sumo, so this absolutely wrecked my hands and was fucking painful. Great start there.

BENCH:

Warmed up with DB presses: 25sx8, 30sx6, 35sx6?

45x10, 65x6?, 75x6?, 85x5x5

These were good. I didn't try to destroy myself. This was ~70% of 125. I should have done 70% on deadlift 5RM, but pushed myself too hard this first week back.

DEADLIFT:

135x6?, 185x5x5 (<70% of 275)

These were brutal on my hands. Tried to correct my non-arched back and failed on those more often than not. It was not a good time to try and change form while also on my first week back and using a shitty bar with no grip, but Nathan noted it's possible that I'm lacking in hipstrength needed at the bottom/start of the lift with a proper back arch. I'm thinking that when I actively try to arch, I end up pushing my butt below parallel and my leverage is gone, which perhaps does indicate inadequate hip strength, but I think I also just need to learn how to arch my back without ending up starting the lift way too low.

6/12/09:

TPS

OLY:

Burgener Warmup x1
snatches: 65x6x3?
clean+jerks: 65x 5?x2 (fast)

SQUAT:
45x8, 95x6, 135x5?

BENCH:
45x8, 65x6, 85x5x5

SQUAT:
95x5, 135x5x5

Glut-ham raise:
6?x3

Ow. Having never done these, and after all the squating, my hamstrings were shot.


6/15/09:

OLY:

Burgener Warmup x1
snatches: 65x6x3
clean+jerks: 85x 4x3

Snatches were much harder today, feeling stiff. Heavier c+j, still done for speed.

BENCH:
45x8, 65x5, 75x5, 85x3, 95x3, 105x3, 115x3
Current 3RM.

Huzzah. Would have attempted 120 but I felt my bad shoulder twinge so I didn't push it.

SQUAT:
45x6, 95x5, 135x5x5

BENCH:
45x6, 65x5, 85x5x5

DB presses:
35sx8x4

My shoulder was suffering on the last two reps of each set.

Deadlift (conventional stance):
95x6, 135x6x4

Trivial. Concentrated on awesomely arched back.


Other:
The female co-owner of TPS basically told me to cover myself so that other ladies that lift there won't feel bad about themselves. I spent the rest of my workout trying to pull my shirt down. If I were a dude, this wouldn't even be an issue.


Apologies on the text dump.

Squat Trening

Fifth and final week of the Brent Tanaka Squat Peaking Program. Full gear baby.

Squat:
485 X 3
Form wasn't great and my back was still pretty drained from Friday's deadlifts, but I took the weight down and squatted it up god damnit.

Cambered Bar Box Squats (for speed):
light weight X 2 (6 sets)

Hamstring Curls
Calves on Leg Press
Abs
Biceps
Chain Drag

Squat: Return of the Volume

Training down at 4-star for the next two weeks. Phils was there and loaned me his high-heels for me to try. They seem alright and I feel slightly more upright. I used to use the Inzer Pillars, but those are cheap. I will likely switch to heeled shoes now.

Squat:
407 x 5
418 x 5
429 x 5

Box Squat:
off 10" box (I'm guessing 10, could be 11? Def. below parallel)
275 x 8, 4 sets

These feel great for stretching the groin at the bottom.

Cambered Bar Squat:
225 x 8
315 x 8, 3 sets
365 x 7

Went slow and focused on getting as low as possible.


Banded abs + a walk around the block with 140lbs of chains. Overall feeling pretty good. No pain in the lower back for the first time in a long while.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Give Thanks for Good Spotters

Today was shirted training at OC Strength Club.


lots of warm up sets
265xFAIL 2 board, shirted/belted
basically, i was way out of the groove and almost got weight on my face, which is
why i am thankful for good spotters.

275x1x3 2 board, shirted/no belt
285x1x2 1 board, shirted/belted from here on out
295x1x1 1 board
305x1x1 1 board
305xFAIL no board.
touched, but way too low, then got way out of groove. again, thank goodness for
good spotters.


Finished with tricep pull downs and banded abs on glute-ham.



I have A LOT of work to do if I'm gonna be competing in September. Need to find my groove in the shirt and be able to touch. I'll probably be coming down every Monday after summer class to train at OC Strength Club.

Knees still don't feel great. I've also been playing a lot of basketball, which probably doesn't help. I may experiment with squatting wider this week.

Squat Workout

Monday's Squat Workout (6/15/09)
by Sunny

Squat
Warmup: 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3
245 x 3
295 x 3
315 x 3 (belted PR!)
245 x 8

Pause Squat
3 sets of 2 reps with 225 for a 5 second pause on each set

Leg Extension
3 sets of 8-12 reps

Standing Calf Raise Machine
One triple drop set starting with whole stack

Leg Raise (Abs)
3 sets of 8-12 reps

Side note: I was alone today, so I did not go all out on the pause squats. Felt good on the squats though, and I've gained a couple of pounds in the last week because of eating a lot at weekend parties ;)

SHEIKO - #1


Weight: 218. Time: 2:45. Weight is misleading. I drank a gallon of water during the workout.

  I jumped into this program in the third week, so I didn't have all the time to adjust to the heavier weights that I would have liked. I also haven't gotten as much sleep as I'd like lately, so I was very tired by the end of this workout.

  Some guy did a good morning/half squat from pins with yoke bar + 5 plates + 2 chains per side. It was pretty crazy.

Squat 45x5, 135x5x3, 225x4 (50), 270x4 (60), 315x3x3 (70), 360x3x4 (80)

Belted last 2 sets?

Bench 45x10, 155x3 (50), 185x3 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 245x3x3 (80)

Back is feeling good. Just need to keep abs tight, belt helps with this.

Dumbell bench 50x10x5

Dips BWx8x5

Squat 225x4 (50), 270x4 (60), 315x5x4 (70)

Belted last 2 sets.

Good morning 185x5x5

Foam rolling, hamstring and groin stretching


Bench

Bench (paused)
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 3
165 x 3
125 x 8, 8

Flat dumbbell presses
50s x 8, 8
55s x 6.5

Skull crushers
65 x 9, 9, 8

Machine flyes
100 x 10
110 x 10
80 x 10

6-15 PM Maxes

Squat 405, 415 - miss No chance of getting it. Perfect form on the eccentric though

Bench 225, 240, 250, 260, 275 - blacked out sometime after I was handed the bar.

Supposedly I lowered it and got it off my chest, but I don't actually remember. I do remember being stapled under the bar and thinking "this isn't so bad, I can hang out here until they get it off of me." This is the first time I've passed out under a bench press. My arch is really tight though... I'm still a little dazed.

Overall, great day of maxing.

6-15 test day

Snatch 107, 110, 112 - 3 x miss

Clean and Jerk 127, 130, 132, 135 - miss


Great test day. The 110 snatch is equal to my best ever, and the 132 clean and jerk is a 5kg record. I didn't weigh myself, but for 85kg that's FINALLY class 1. After the 130 clean and jerk my whole body was shaking, and during the 132 my feet shook while the bar was on my shoulders. I had to lie down after the 132, but I went for 135 anyway. The clean wasn't even close because I was so drained.

Tonight I'm coming back and maxing on back squat and bench. I'm hoping for 190kg back squat, although I think I can get at least 195, and 250 bench (5lb higher than I got like 4 weeks ago when I started benching again). That'll setup all of the maxes I need for the next (competition) cycle.

Thanks Nathan for making sure I used appropriate maxes for this program, because that, and doing a shitload of jerks, was probably the difference.

Sergey Fedosienko

Here's why Kyle should do Sheiko.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/14/09 - Sun - CARDIO

Bike 25 mins

Rowing 2000 m in 7:30

Stretching Hamstrings, seated groin, hip flexors

2. 6/12/09 - Fri - SHEIKO - CONDITIONING #3

Bench 150x5 (50), 180x4x2 (60), 215x3x3 (70)

Squat 225x5 (50), 275x4x2 (60), 315x3x3 (70)

Belted last set. Other sets felt OK, but last one felt really good.

Dumbell bench 50x10x3

Dips BWx8x3

Good mornings 185x5x3


Upper #1 - And new summer training plan

Well, because of my crappy grades this year, restrictions have been put into effect - one of which is less gym time/no Diablo. With this in mind, I decided to do an upper/lower split training 3 days a week with a focus on gaining mass. I'm tired of being skinny. It needs to change. I am starting this program at a BW of 220lbs.

Here is the Program:

Upper #1/Upper #2/Upper #3:
Incline BB Bench/Seated Overhead Press/Bench Press
Dips/DB Bench Press/Pin Press
T-Bar Row/BB Row/Chin-up
HS Row/DB Row/HS High Row
Skull Crushers Off Floor/Parallel Bar Extensions/Barbell Curls

Lower #1/Lower #2/Lower #3:
Back Squat/Front Squat/Box Squat
Good Morning/Sumo Deadlift/Conventional Deadlift
Incline Sit-ups/Pulldown Abs/Sit-ups on Floor
Standing Calf Raises/Seated Calf Raises/Leg Press Calf Raises

Everything for upper (except arm work) is 3-5 sets x 5-8 reps, and every thing for lower (except abs and calves) is 5 sets x 3-5 reps. Arms, Abs, and Calves are 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps. Over the 2 years of real training I have done, I have noticed that it is these rep ranges that work the best for adding muscle.

Today's Workout was Upper #1. I had to feel it out, so some rep/sets may be off.

Incline Bench (Medium Grip): 135x5
165x5, 3, 2

Dips: BWx8
+45x8, 7, 7

T-Bar Row: 3px5
4px5x5

HS Row: 3px5x5

Skull Crushers off Floor: 75x12, 11

Upper Back

Pullups (wide grip)
BW+35 x 5
BW+45 x 5
BW+55 x 5, 5

Dumbbell rows
95 x 8, 8, 8, 8

Smith machine shrugs
270 x 15, 15, 15

EZ bar curls
75 x 8, 8, 8

supersetted w/ Cable face pulls
85 x 12, 12, 10

Squat

Squat
175 x 8, 8
185 x 5, 5, 5

Lunges
115 x 6 (per leg)
125 x 5
135 x 4

Kneeling abs
50 x 20
80 x 10, 10, 10
(When I did 160lbs with ease I started to think I was strong...then I realized there was a damn double pulley.)

supersetted w/ seated calf raises
90 x 10, 12, 12 ,12

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Bench

Right shoulder still feeling so-so, so I backed off on anything wide-grip.

Close-grip Bench:
1 second pause
225 x 5
235 x 5
245 x 5
255 x 5

Incline Bench:
Paused these, which was a switch
185 x 8
205 x 7

Close-grip Incline Bench:
1 second Pause
155 x 7, 8, 10

Super set:
Dips
bw x 43, 25, 39, 27

MTS Row:
250 x 10
270 x 10
290 x 10
310 x 6

Super set: flyes for pre-hap (light) and pull ups of varying grip.

Finished with bench crunches or whatever they're called (Phil taught me these)

Friday, June 12, 2009

Deadlift Trening

Sixth and final week of the Ed Coan Peaking Program. Inzer Fusion straps up son. Bodyweight at 169.5lbs yesterday morning.

Deadlift:
529 X 3
video coming soon

Bodyweight Pullups:
a bunch

Dumbbell Rows:
115s X 8 (each arm)
165s X 8
165s X 10
185s X 6

Barbell Rows
Biceps
Chain Drags
Trey checked out the gym and I think he liked it and is going to join.. right Trey? Anyways, it looks like he'll be putting up some big RAW numbers come July.

last workout before test

Power snatch 78/2 x 4
C&J 90/2 x 4
Jerk 110/1 x 2
Front squat 102/6 120/6 x 3
Bench 145/4 x 4

Front squats were really hard for this late in the game, but everything else was easy.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/11/09 - Thu - CARDIO

Gym closed, no stretching.

Bike - sprints - 30 strokes on, 60 off 13 intervals

Maybe 14 intervals?

2. 6/10/09 - Wed - SHEIKO- CONDITIONING #2

Weight: 213. Time: 2:00. Second workout at TPS. Much more empty this time, but still better atmosphere than Z.

Deadlift 135x5x3, 225x5, 275x5 (50), 335x4x2 (60), 385x3x3 (70)

Double overhand without chalk except for last two reps. No belt. Felt strong on these. Used oly bar (has flex) at TPS. I am still pulling too hard off the bottom, but it doesn't affect reps with this weight much.

Incline press 45x10, 135x5, 165x4, 205x4x3

Always interesting to see what I can pull out of my ass on these. All reps paused, some more so than others.

Dips BWx8x3

Lunges 135x5x3

Glute ham raises BWx8x2

Tried a different machine with a different pad. Much more difficult, but still doable.


6-10

AM
P. Sn. Bel. Kn. 72/4 x 2 85/2 x 3
C&J 90/2 x 2 102/2 x 4
Jerk 105 - 2+miss, 2 100 - 1+miss
Clean Pull 115/3 x 2

PM
Jerk 102/3 x 3 was supposed to get 80%/3 x 4 so I made up all of the total reps, plus a few
Back squat 100/6 120/6 x 4
Bench 165/3 x 5

I test my maxes on Monday. Technically, this is a "competition without special preparation," so there is no decrease in volume beforehand. The intensity is lower but these long workouts are killing me. Friday will be easy though, and I'll have the whole weekend off to recover, so hopefully it'll go well. Afterwards I start the competition phase and will also begin doing the Sheiko competition bench cycle to go along with it so I can keep up with you guys on the bench.

D-D-Deadlift

Just me and Sunny tonight. Greg was out with one of his 17 girlfriends.

Deadlift:
450 x 8
500 x 8

Did the full set-down on every rep. Hamstring felt 100% so I started trying my old set-up where I pre-load the hamstrings. That felt so much easier off the ground, but I'm still a little nervous in the back of my mind for injuring myself again.

Good Mornings:
275 x 10
315 x 10

Worked on stretching the hamstrings with a hard arch.

Finished with hamstring curls, cable abs and seated calf raises

Upper Back

pull ups

3x8 body weight plus 45 normal grip
3x6 body weight plus 45 parallel grip

i was at 24 hour fitness and everything was in use but the assisted pull up bar. i put the assist thingy up but the weight would hit it, so every rep had to be super in control and not super fast..especially with parallel grips since it put my body closer to the machine

wide grip rows
1x10x130
1x10x140
3x8x150

reverse flies on machine
3x10x100

dumbell rows
1x12x65
3x10x70

angled lat pull downs on cable cross machine
1x10x90
3x10x100

high row
3x8x100

1 30 second pull-up...15 seconds to go up, 15 to go down. grip was dying. the goal is to be able to get to a 1 minute pull up.

too legit to quit pull-ups
2x10
that means going from arms completely extended to all the way up so your chest touches the bar

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

kATANA Trening

Pots stretched the sleeves out a lot. It was much easier getting the weight to touch today, but I didn't get as much pop out of it as before. Still haven't pulled the shirt down at all, it's riding really high at about my throat.

Bench:
295 X 2 (shirt seater)
325 X 1 (2-3 in. away from touch)
345 X 1 (1 in. away from touch)
360 X 1 (lightest weight I've touched)

Dumbbell Bench:
80s X 8
90s X 8
100s X 10
105s X 10
110s X 8

Skullcrushers
Dumbbell Extension
Lateral Raises, Plate Raises, Band Pull Aparts
Chain Drag

ME Bench (or: I can has Katana too nau?)

Got the 44" Katana in so decided to mess around with it today:
Shirted Bench:
315 x 1, 3-board (seater)
315 x 3, 3-board
315 x 3, 2-board
365 x 1, 2-board x 2
365 x 1, 1 board x 2
365 x 1 off chest

The arms on it are tight (no surprise) but fit pretty well. I imagine that they will get to be just right once the shirt stretches more. I wasn't able to seat it properly until the last two sets, but then it felt fine. I still haven't tried cranking it down either. (Thanks to the 4-star guys for suggesting I let it ride high while breaking it in.)

2-board:
315 x 3
315 x 8 (wtf?)

Just kept going on that second set like it was nothing. Very surprised.

Seated Military:
135 x 8
185 x 7
165 x 8
155 x 5 (going for 8; got tired)

Finished with some cable/rope triceps.

ME Bench

Dave lent me his 56 Phenom for the summer, so we decided I should try it on today. Tight in the chest, but pretty loose in the arms. Dave and his titanic biceps!

3-board: 185x3 205x3 225x3
+Phenom: 245x3 265x1 275x1 285x1 295xFail

Dips: Bwx10 +45x6, 6, 7

Tate Press: 40x10x3

Db Row: 105x8 125x5, 5, 5

HS Lat Pulldown: 2p/side x 10 2p+25/side x 8, 8, 8

A little less back volume than I am used to, but I needed to get out of the gym to finish up some schoolwork. Last assignment of the year!

MDNGHT BCK

had to drive to campus for the workout, but couldn't find parking for 40 minutes so I went home and came back at 11:40.

One-arm DB row:
(db x arm)
115 x 8
165 x 6
135 x 8, 3 sets

I didn't have my chalk with me and the smooth handle became too slippery to go heavier.

Close-grip lat pull down:
250 x 10, 4 sets

Super set of Band pull-aparts on the bench and the MTS Row machine (basically a low row). I am really liking those band pull-aparts.

Finished with some incline biceps.

Being able to use heavier dumbbells has sort of revitalized my upper-back days since there's a new challenge. The rows actually seem to hit where I want, so I plan to continue doing them for a while.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

rehab squat

my knees seem to be doing better...i've been making sure to ice them every day and i've been massaging the tendons. i'm pretty sure it's just tendinitis flaring up a bit.

however, my right hip area has been weird...it feels like it is super tight or jammed up? the psoas major/iliacus does not feel good when i am at the bottom of my squat.


taking it easy for now with squats...
135x1x6
165x1x4
185x2x4

hip area was not feeling so great so i did some light-weight overhead squats...
95x3x6
115x2x5

and then some light front squats. i'm starting to get used to holding the weight oly style.
95x3x6
115x2x5

rippetoe style press
115x5x5

finished with some captain's chair abs and LOTS of foam rolling.

i hate not being able to squat.


and jake (or whoever), please comment on this...when i was doing overhead squats and front squast, my knees were very much pointed out to the sides. this seemed to be the only way i could hit depth and stay balanced, and it felt very comfortable. for my normal squat, my knees don't point out nearly as much. should my knees be pointing out more on my normal squat? or is there some part of me that is sucks at flexibility and that is why my knees have to point out with the overhead/front squats?

also, any ideas on stretches/things to do for rehab of the psoas major/iliacus (aka the part of my hip/leg that is directly opposite my glutes)?

LAST TWO WORKOUTS

1. 6/9/09 - Tue - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Bike - 30 stroke on, 60 stroke off 10 sprints

Go for high resistance for 30 strokes and then low resistance for 60 strokes, repeat, etc.

Rowing machine 2000m in 7:40 + 300m cool down

Stretching - hamstrings, groin, calves

Thanks Dee!

2. 6/8/09 - Mon- SHEIKO - CONDITIONING #1

Time: 2:00.

  First day at new gym Total Performance Sports (TPS). This is a serious boxing/strongman/oly/powerlifting gym. I'm really excited about it.

  Starting this cycle with slightly increased raw maxes from the last cycle.

Squat 45x5x2, 135x5x3

For warm-up.

Bench 45x5, 155x5 (50), 180x4x2 (60), 210x3x3 (70)

Squat 235x5 (50), 270x4x2 (60), 325x3x3 (70)

These felt pretty heavy like usual for the first week. I also screwed up my adductors which isn't uncommon when I'm getting back into squatting.

  Also, *no knee sleeves* for this because of IPA raw rules. Belted the triples.

Dumbell bench 60x10x3

Good mornings 185x5x3

Glute ham raise BWx12,15,15

Not part of the program but I had the machine again for the first time in a long time.