Katana Videos

These were taken from Wednesday (7/29)
415 off 2 board
405 off 1 board

7/31 Bench

Bench: 135x5
165x5
185x3
205x1
210x4 PR
165x8, 8, 6, 5, 5

Chest Supported Row: 2px10
3px10, 8, 8, 8, 8

7-31

Today was a great workout! I think I just needed to wake up the CNS a little from its nap due to infrequent training.

Back squat 162/4 x 2 165/4
Clean pull 125/3 132/2 x 3
Cl. Pull to kn. 135/3 x 2 145/2 x 2
Press 70/3 62/3 70/2 62/3
Front squat 134/5 This was going to be an all out set but I decided I didn't want to drop the bar at the gym here. I'm pretty sure I've never hit 5 before with this weight though (it's 295lb).

I was going to do 1 set of presses and rep out with 115, but after the front squats I forgot. Not a big deal.

Deadlift

Deadlift
warmup
(belt on)- new 13mm power belt arrived last week; core feels more stable with this as opposed to the bodybuilding belt that i've been using
325 x 5
265 x 3, 3, 3, 3

Gym was closing in 5 minutes so I rushed the rest:
Back raises
BW+25 x 12, 10, 10, 10

supersetted w/ Side bends
45 x 10, 10, 10, 10 each side

7/29 - SKILLS EVAL

▼ 1. 7/29/09 - Wed - SHEIKO#20 - SKILLS EVALUATION

Weight: 214. Time: 2:30.

I can't imagine a worse set of circumstances to do a heavy day. So that being said, I'm extremely happy with these results.

I was having weird irregular heart beat last night that distracted the hell out of me and made me only get 4 hours of sleep. Then I called to make a doctor's appointment and they told me to go to urgent care. So I spent the whole day basically getting tested with various apparatus, before being told I was 100% OK and it was probably just heartburn.

But I'm moving this week and I also have a paper deadline so stress was pretty much at the max. Not a good day to go heavy.

• Squat 45x5x2, 135x5x3, lungesx15x3, 225x3 (50), 275x3 (60), 315x2 (70),

365x2 (80), 405x1 (90), 425x1 (95)

Belt only. Felt pretty good. 405 was very easy. 425 was slower but still manageable. My right knee wasn't happy after 425, but it wasn't terrible.

Murph (TPS owner) told me he was 'seeing lots of things' I need to fix on my squat. He said 'fix a few things and you'll squat 100 more pounds.' I'm going to look into this after this meet. It sort of ties into my current plans anyway. Murph: 'You have access to every piece of training equipment in the world now. And you aren't using it. Sheiko doesn't make sense, it's too much volume.'

• Bench 155x3 (50), 185x3 (60), 215x2x2 (70), 245x2 (80), 275x1 (90), 290x1

(95)

Used belt and wrist wraps. Got press command from Carlos on the last set. Not as fast as Dee's, but didn't slow down on the way up either. Felt good.

• Deadlift 135x5x3, 275x3 (50), 335x2 (60), 385x2x2 (70), 445x2 (80), 495x1

(90), 525x1 (95)

495 was super easy and fast. 525 was also easy, but I lost my arch a little bit. I felt very good about both, though.

Guess Brent still sucks at squatting, at least.

ME Deadlift

Band-resisted Deadlift:
they have carabiners attached to the floor and quad-up the bands across. I'm guessing 3' apart? The bands would be slightly loose if you didn't stretch them back across in their setup.

We got the scale out and measured what each of the bands were at the top. I think the breakdown was something like:

mini-minis: 45lbs at the top
mins: 80lbs
monster minis: 90lbs

The monsters were pretty stretched out, sadly.

315 + mini^2 x 3
315 + minis x 3
315 + monster minis x 3
315 + mini^2 + minis x 3
315 + minis + monster minis x 3
315 + all three x 3

I'm guessing it was 715+ at the top. We tried to measure the weight per side but the scale topped out at 200 even before we hit where my lockout was. The first rep of the heaviest set wasn't quick but wasn't a grind. The remaining reps were trivial and it felt like I could have done 8 easy. It's just a matter of getting the body used to increased resistance.

Stiff-leggeded DLs:
225 x 8
315 x 8, 2 sets

These didn't bother my back at all, which was nice. However, my grip was shot as it hurt to hold the bar. I didn't tear any of my callouses of, but I needed to give my hands a break, so I didn't go up.

Zerchers:
pause on legs; no belt

135 x 8
225 x 5
275 x 5

The last set was heavy. Feeling pretty gassed from the long workout, so I called it after that.

7-30

Training has been sporadic due to the move. Today was an ok day. I'll be going tomorrow as well because I'm not going to be able to work out during the weekend (we'll see about Sunday).

Sn. pp. + OHS 90/1+3 x 2 100/1+2 x 3 105/1+1 110/1+1 x 2
Hang sn. pull ab kn. 100/2 x 3 110/2 x 3

Pu J + OHS 92/2+2 x 2 102/2+1 102 - awkward set, kinda missed the jerk, kinda missed the squat. The close grip overhead squat was way harder than I thought it'd be.

Push jerk 102/2

Front squat + Jerk 105/1+2 only did one of these because my back was gone after all the other overhead work.

Bench 70/8 85/6 90/6 95/4 x 2 102/3 x 2 95/4 90/6 - triceps failed on the last rep. This was an especially brutal bench pyramid because I want to get in a lot of volume before I leave. I'll probably do overhead press tomorrow for high reps to get in some more volume.

Back squat 125/5 162/3 142/5 x 2 The 162 was really hard so I dropped the weight. I think this is just because I haven't squatted in awhile. I'm going to squat again tomorrow; I think I'll do some singles around 162 then back off and do sets of 5 again at 142.

Also, for awhile my squat has been quite a bit ahead of clean and jerk and so I didn't think it warranted much emphasis beyond what the program calls for. Being home has given me the chance to look at a few weightlifting books and check out the numbers. At around my weight my squat should be around 134% of my clean and jerk, which is much higher than I expected. Since I squatted only 180kg at the meet that makes my squat 136% of my clean and jerk. While I'm not concerned just yet with my squat it does point to my need to get stronger in general. I'd say upper body is still the bigger weak point (hence the bench and the overhead presses). Once I finish out this competition cycle I'm going to change my squat training to a more Sheiko-like program (as with bench) and continue overhead presses to bring my strength levels up to where I can more easily improve my Olympic lifts.

The last thing is, I'm not really sure what to do about front squats. The weightlifting program doesn't emphasise them much, and obviously Sheiko doesn't either. There's no reason I couldn't just switch the back squats to front squats, but they have little carryover to back squats, while back squats have good carryover to front squats. I don't want to lose strength for powerlifting either. I'm thinking that I could do the Sheiko-style program 3x a week, as prescribed, and do front squats once a week. The other option I'm considering is to split the program and whenever I would squat twice do front squats after (or front squats in a morning workout and back squats in the evening). Anyone have any thoughts?

7/29 - Skills Eval.

• Squats: 45x5x2, 95x3, 115x3, 135x2x2, 155x2, 170x1, 180x1 (95)

Fell forward a bit on the last one, so it could have been better, but didn't feel heavy.

• Bench: 45x5, 65x3, 75x3, 85x2x2, 100x2, 115x1, 120x1 (95)

Carlos noted my 90% looked easy enough to be a warmup. Definitely felt good for 130.

• Deadlift: 135x3, 150x3, 185x2x2, 212x2, 240x1, 255x1 (95).

Not bad. My back was a lot less rounded for the 95 than I was prone to in the past.

7/30 Deadlift (no pull)

Leg Press: 90x10
180x10
270x10
360x10
450x10x5

Calves: 450x25, 25

Banded Back Raise: Purple x 20, 20, 15

Ab Wheel: 10, 10, 10

I started off with some light DL's but my back didnt feel up to pulling. I keep rushing into things, and prolonging injuries. Just too damn impatient I guess. I'm going to be nixing the pulling for a while, and focusing on bringing my low back up to par again while getting everything else stronger. Hopefully once everything is 100%, my deadlift should skyrocket back up.

katana trening

Back in the Katana for the first time since my meet (about a month).

Bench Press:
315 X 2 (shirt seater)
355 X 1 (3 board)
385 X 1 (2 board)
415 X 0 (2 board). fell out of the groove on the way up
415 X 1 (2 board)
405 X 1 (1 board)

Floor Press:
225 X 4
245 X 4
265 X 4
275 X 4

Parallel Bar Skullcrushers
Kettlebell Tricep Extensions
Abs

Bench

Bench (paused)
warmup
170 x 3, 3, 3

Close grip bench press
135 x 8, 8, 7, 7

Dumbbell shoulder press
40s x 8, 8, 7

One arm dumbbell extensions
20 x 8, 8, 8, 8 (per arm)

Bench

Bench:
Had someone else give me a pause today,
285 x 5
295 x 3
295 x 2 + 1 fail

Almost got the third.

2 board:
315 x 3
335 x 2 + 1 fail, 2 sets

Both times, I just got stuck and could not convert. This seems like a real sticking point for me, so I may switch to doing more volume work off the 2 board.

Skullcruzhers:
I got tired of not being able to do these, so i figured i might as well burn through all the scar tissue and give them a shot. Strangely enough, it worked. I hadn't done these in ... 6 months?

not sure what the bar weighed, but worked up to 140lbs + bar weight for sets. Felt good.


Finished with arnold presses

7/29 Press

Press: 95x5
115x3
135xF, F (couldnt get it past eye level for some reason today)
125x3
95x10, 9, 7, 7, 7

Dips: BW (212) +10x 10, 10, 10, 10, 8

I was planning to do my 3 singles with 135 today, but that didnt work out. I think it was b/c I did that back workout yesterday. Oh well, once I adjust to it everything will be kosher again.

Monday 7/27

• Squats: 45x6x2, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3x2, 145x2x3

Experimented with form a bit (I haven't been keeping my knees out).

• Bench: 45x5, 65x3, 75x3, 85x3x2, 95x2x3 (75)

Instead of bracing against the floor with my legs, I find that gripping the bench works better for me.

Upper back

T-bar rows
warmup
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5

Wide grip pullups
BW x 10, 10, 8, 8

Barbell shrugs
235 x 15, 15, 15
275 x 8 - grip gave out

Reverse EZ bar curls
70 x 10, 10, 8

supersetted w/ cable face pulls
85 x 12, 12, 12

7/27 & 7/28

▼ 1. 7/28/09 - Tue - FLEXIBILITY

Weight: ??. Time: 0:30.

  Not doing anything today because of the skills eval tomorrow.

• Flexibility - adductors on leg press, gastroc, soleus, hamstrings, seated groin, hip flexors

▼ 2. 7/27/09 - Mon - SHEIKO #19

Weight: 219. Time: 0:45.

  Really short day before the skills evaluation on Wednesday.

• Squats 135x5x3 (50), lungesx15x3, 225x3 (50), 275x3 (60), 315x3x2 (70), 

340x2x3 (75)

• Bench 155x3 (50), 185x3 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 225x2x3 (75)

Upper back

DB Rows:
140s x failure, 5 sets

Pull ups:
used a 75lb chain around my neck. Looks ludicrous, but is rather awkward as the chain is 10' long, so it flails around and constantly hits me in the knees and feet.

4 sets

Did a giant set of lat pull downs, band pull-aparts, hammer curls and cable abs.

7/28 Back

Pull-ups: BWx8, 8, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 3, 3

T-Bar Row: 4px10x5

BB Curl: 70x6, 3, 4, 5, 3

I had to belt up for the T-Bar rows, b/c my back was flaring up after yesterday. Once the belt was on, they went perfectly fine. The curls were crappy though. I didnt realize how much I was using my arms on the rows until I tried to do any direct bicep work.

Squat

Only had about 45 minutes to workout.
Squat
warmup
195 x 5, 5, 5

Lunges
135 x 5, 5, 5 (per leg)

Kneeling abs
4 sets of 12

Squat Trening

Wasn't planning on doing it today, but decided to finally squat 405 RAW.

Squat (belt only):
375 X 1
405 X 1
Slower that I wanted but I had good depth so I'll take it.

Light Good Mornings
Home Made Reverse Hypers
lots of BICEPS

Here is video of some of those heavy dumbbell rows I was talking about.. You can also see my signature chalk storm that I make.

Volumizing Squats

Squat shoes didn't show up today, so continued in the chucks.

Squats:
365 x 5
365 + 40lbs of chains x 5
365 + 80 of chains x 5
365 + 120 of chains x 5
365 + 160 of chains x 5

Didn't feel too bad today. Moved the chains up a bit, so they deloaded at the bottom all but 1-2 links. Maybe one link was one the floor when upright.

Box Squats:
no belt; 13" box w/ foam

145 x 8
195 x 8
215 x 8
235 x 8
255 x 8

Much easier this week as my core wasn't shot. The foam definitely makes it harder as your body has to adjust to the unsettling. I originally thought it was gimicky, but it does seem to actually do something.

Spent such a long time squatting, I did heavy calf raises and hanging leg raises for finish. The calf machine here goes to 600, which is awesome. I can actually exhaust myself on these in under 30 reps.

Bench

Bench (equipped)
265x1x3
275x1x2
295x2x2
295x1x1

Tricep Pull downs
Abs


Short but sweet due to finals this week. Getting closer to touching, and getting much better at staying in the groove.

I don't have a gym update

I think I have a gym! When I get to Ann Arbor I'm meeting with the director of Olympic sports. Hopefully afterward I will have a place to train. Yay!

7/27 Squat

Squat: 135x5
185x5
225x3
245x5 (matched a PR)
205x5, 5

GM: 135x10x5 (focused on technique)

Seated Calf: 100x25x2

Back Raises: 20x5

Back was fried after the 245 squat, so everything else was a bit lighter. But its good that even with my back not 100% I can match PR's. I probably had another rep or two in me as well.

7-27

Snatch 100,102,105,107-miss,miss,miss,miss,got it
Clean and jerk 120,122,125,miss,miss
Jerk 110 - 2+miss, 1
Press 5x3 - 60,62,65,67,70

I'm going back tonight to get in the volume that I obviously don't have in this workout. I'm going to do lots of volume this week because my lifting status will be compromised when I move to Michigan, at least for awhile. Stupid Crossfit.

*Update*

PM
Jerk 110 - 3,3,1.5
Front squat 142/1 - Apparently my front squat sucks, my back was tired, or both.
Cl. Pull 125/4 132/3 142/3 132/3
Press 62 - 5, 2+2, 3+2 These were rest-paused because I went to failure. Long way to go before I get to Phil.

Last 3 Workouts

7/24/09 -Friday

• Squats: 45x5, 95x5, 115x4, 135x3x2, 155x3x6 (80)

My hip flexors were really hurting me as I reached full extension at the top. Stretched them out for a bit, the rest of the sets felt much better.

• Bench: 45x5, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5x5 (70)

• Dumbell bench 20x10x5

&&

• Glute-ham raise: bwx10x5

• Dips: 8x2

7/22/09 - Wednesday

• Sled Drag: 90x2 trips, 180x1 trip.

• Bench: 65x5, 75x4, 85x3x2, 100x3x2, 105x2x3 (85)

• Deadlift: 135x5, 160x4, 185x3x2, 215x3x2, 225x2x3 (85)

• Bench: 45x5, 65x5, 80x5, 95x4x4 (75)

• DB bench: 20x10x5

&&

• Lunges: BWx5eax5

7/21/09 - Tuesday

• Cardio: Elliptical, 35mins, moderate pace.

• Stretch.

Poll: Team rugby practices start next week.

Our first game is the first weekend of Sept.

Would practicing T/Th (except for the week of the Aug 22nd meet)

be a good or bad idea?

7/24

▼ 1. 7/24/09 - Fri - SHEIKO #18

Weight: 220 (morning). Time: 2:00.

  Today my intensity was down a little bit, and I was maybe a little tired.

• Squats 135x5x3, 225x5 (50), 275x4 (60), 315x3x2 (70), 365x3x6 (80)

I was a little distracted by heartburn and my heart beating really hard -- I thought I was going to die.

• Bench 155x5 (50), 185x5 (60), 215x5x5 (70)

• Dumbell bench 50x10x5

• A: Dips bwx8x5

• A: Good morning 135 + 40# chain x5x5

For the Curious

Ok, so for all of you that feel like knowing exactly what I am doing here it is:


Monday: Squat
Back Squat: Ramp up to a max set of 5, 3 or 1
Drop the weight and do 2 sets
Good Mornings: 5x10
Seated Calves: 2x25
Sit-ups: 5 sets

Tuesday: Press
Military Press: Ramp up to a max set of 5, 3, or 1
Drop the weight and do 2 sets
Chin-ups: 50 reps
Dips: 5x10

Thursday: Deadlift
Deadlift: Ramp up to a max set of 5, 3, or 1
Drop the weight and do 2 sets of SLDL
Leg Press: 5x10
Calves: 2x25
Dragon Flags: 5 sets

Saturday: Bench
Bench Press: Ramp up to a max set of 5, 3, or 1
Drop the weight and do 2 sets (paused)
Seated Press: 5x10
Barbell Rows: 5x10


Basically I am doing the Dave template with a focus on big, basic exercises. I will be rotating between the 5, 3, and 1 rep daily maxes with the bench/squat on one timetable, and the press/dl on the other. If anyone sees anything I may have missed, chime in.

Only gear used is a belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps. I'm pretty sure I will be doing my next competition raw.

Light Bench

Bench (paused)
135 x 5 x 3

Chinups (close grip)
BW x 4 x 8

Lateral raises
15s x 3 x 12

7/25 Bench

Bench Press: 135x5
155x5
165x5
185x3
205x5 PR
185x5, 5 (2 second pause on chest)

Press Behind Neck: 95x10, 7, 5, 6, 9

Barbell Row: 165x10x5

Weight: 210

Well, my bench looks like it is headed in the right direction, and the weight I am losing is mostly water/fat. The only thing I think I have to change here is the Press Behind Neck. As awesome as this exercise feels for building my delts, it tears the hell out of my shoulder. It will be replaced next week by Seated Press.

Other changes will be the addition of Chin-ups on Tuesday, and the replacement of Shrugs with Leg Presses on Thursday.

Deadlift

Deadlift
warmup
315 x 3
335 x 1, 1
265 x 3, 3, 3
I'm trying to focus on keeping the lower back arch throughout the movement and I think because of this I'm finally learning how to push my hips through at the top.

Good mornings
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5

Lying leg curls
90 x 10, 10, 10

Hanging leg raises
4 x 15

The Return of BULL STEWART

Went to Bull's new place today. Very nice. He got business of the year award last year and tripled his gym membership since I last saw him. His new gym has a dedicated powerlifting room in the back with chalk, bands, ss-bar, hex-bar, and a front squat hardness. The wall back there is lined with team pictures too, which is awesome. Got the form for the Alki beach meet, so it looks like I'll be deadlifting in 4 weeks. We spent so much time talking that it was a bit of a rushed workout, haha. I'll probably try to train at Bull's place on Saturdays from now on.

Good Mornings:
365 x 5
405 x 5
435 x 5
455 x 5

This may or may not prove that my GM is better than my squat :/ Warming up, I did a bit of form adjustment and my back now feels much straighter and I'm able to get lower. The lower back did feel somewhat tired at the start, but 455 felt easy. This may have been because Bull was standing behind me with a "why do you need a spot on this?" look on his face.

Supersetted light (225) speed pulls with chest supported rows. Speed pulls felt so-so, as the lower back really was tired. I think last week's deadlifts took more out than expected since I haven't really gone that heavy in a while.

Then did a superset with kettlebell pull-throughs and hamstring curls.

Lighter day overall, need to keep strength up for my last deadlift before the meet, which will be next thurs. May do it suited just to see how that feels. If the suit is too lose, I'll see about getting it tailored.

f*ck wooden, i'm using chalk

Deadlift
310x1x3
360x1x3
380x3x2
360x1x3

Cleans
133x3
153x3
163x1
183x1
199x1
209xfail 3 times LOL
204x1

Stability Bench
135+30lb. dumbells x3x4


Seated Good Mornings
135x3x5

Abs


Today was an exhausting workout. I was tired today from a busy week, not getting as much sleep as normal, and doing spin class and playing basketball in Chucks (which is a terrible idea and I shall never do it again).

I was happy to increase my clean max. I tried putting on 5s and failed 3 times, so I got mad and just put on the 2.5s and hit it. I will work jerking next week.

Also, I ordered some weightlifting shoes via ebay.

Slogan for the the shoes is "Dominate the deadlift in the Nike Romanelo"
LOL. we think it's because "Dominate the snatch" just didn't cut it.

Also, I used chalk today. Luckily, no one bothered me. Jake, is it legal to rub a little chalk on the shoulders/chest? was doing it because of sweat...

7/22 & 7/23

▼ 1. 7/23/09 - Thu - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Weight: 218 (after gym). Time: 1:00.

• Dumbell pullovers 40x10x3

Upper back has been hurting me for a few days now. This is a great stretch.

• Cardio - bike 130-150 bpm x 25 mins

A bit more intense than usual.

• Flexibility - soleus, adductor on leg press, hamstrings, hip flexors, seated groin, glute

I felt really flexible today -- maybe because I was more warmed up?

▼ 2. 7/22/09 - Wed - SHEIKO #17

Weight: ??. Time: 2:45.

  Had enough time to do everything today so I took my time without doing any supersets. This is usually the hardest day of the cycle, but not today.

• Drag sled 90x2 trips, 180x2 trips

• Bench 155x5 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 245x3x2 (80), 260x2x3 (85)

These felt pretty good, but not super-duper easy. Did press command for the last set.

• Deadlift 135x5x3, 225x3, 275x4 (50), 335x4 (60), 385x3x2 (70), 445x3x2 (80), 

465x2x3 (85)

These felt great.

• Bench 165x5 (65), 195x5 (65), 225x4x4 (75)

• Band flies green band x10x5

Can't decide if I like these or not. My pecs were feeling a little sore the next day.

• Lunges 135x5, 95x5x4

135 felt heavy so I dropped it back down.

7/23 Deadlift

Deadlift: 225x3
275x3
295x3
315x3
225x8, 8 (stiff-leg)

Shrugs: 275x10x5

Leg Press Calves: 400x25x2

Rainbow Dragonfly Ponies: 5x5

My arms are still sore from tuesday lol, so I guess I did something right. The deadlift poundages are still low b/c my back is still not 100%. I am trying to work everything else hard, so when I get my back up to par again (doing stiff legs with 308 for reps) I can have a bigger and better deadlift. Oh, and all of these are being done conventional.

bench trening

Bench Press w/chains:
185 + 44lbs chain X 4
185 + 76lbs chain X 4
185 + 108lbs chain X 4
185 + 140lbs chain X 2
185 + 108lbs chain X 5
185 + 140lbs chain X 3

Dumbbell Bench:
100 X 9 (3 sets)
actual weight of dumbbell is heavier (~107lbs)

4 Board Press:
275 X 8
295 X 7

Triceps
Abs

Bench

Bench (paused)
warmup
155 x 5
165 x 3, 3, 3

Flat dumbbell press
50s x 8
55s x 8
60s x 8, 7

Skull crushers
65 x 10, 9, 9, 9

Pushdowns
85 x 12, 12, 12

Upper Back

Pull Ups
10, 8, 6, 6, 6 bw+45
25 second pull-up (25 seconds up, 25 seconds down)
20 second pull-up

Rows
Alternating arm Lat Pull Downs
Lat Pull-Down/Row machine thingy
Reverse Flies
Dumbell Curls
Abs

7-22

P. Cl. +Pu J. 92/2 x 4
C&J 92/2 x 2 105/2 x 4 112/1 x 3 105/2+1 x 2
Cl. Pull 105/4 x 2 120/4 x 3
Pu. J 100/2 x 3
Bench 70/5 85/5 95/3 x 2 102/2 x 2
Back Squat 115/4 135/5 x 3
Bench 70/5 85/5 90/4 x 4 failed on the very last rep

Overall this was a pretty good workout. Amazing what not having to shit after every set does for your training. The 85% clean and jerks felt really good. I'm using 120 (264) as my bench max for this round because I'm pretty sure I could've made that at the meet. I won't be benching quite as much though because I want to focus more on the Olympic lifts to break my 110/132 records, but I'm keeping them in to keep up the upper body strength. Also, I'm not going easy on the volume or intensity at all right now because I'm going to move back home July 29 and to Michigan on Aug 1. My ability to workout may be slightly impaired by not having a place to train. The local Crossfit gym is a little pricey (and by that I mean fucking insane) so I am looking into a few other options right now. If any of you know someone in or around Ann Arbor please let me know.

Upper back

Pullups
BW+25 x 5
BW+45 x 5
BW+50 x 5
BW+55 x 5, 5

Dumbbell rows
90 x 8
100 x 8
110 x 15 PR - had to regrip after 12 for the right hand
110 x 8

Barbell shrugs
225 x 15, 15, 15, 15

Hammer curls
35s x 10
40s x 8, 8

Squat

Squat
225x1x3 unbelted
245x1x3 belted.
265x1x3
275x2x2
225x2x5

Press
95x1x7
105x2x5

Front Squat
155x1x3
175x1x3
185x2x3


Cleans
Spin Class
Abs

ME Bench

Bench:
all 1 second pause on chest
285 x 5
295 x 3 + 1 fail
295 x 2 + 1 fail

Felt pretty strong on these, but at the end of the set, I just felt gassed, but not weak, which resulted in failed reps.

Dumbbell Bench:
the weights go 90, 95, 120, 130, which I hadn't noticed. The gap is right where I wanted to work today, sadly.

120 x 4, 2 sets (+1 fail on 1st set)
95 x 8, 7

Again with the tiredness

Standing Press:
135 x 5
155 x 4 + 1 fail, 2 sets
135 x 5

Supersetted tricep extensions + shoulder dislocates.

I think a combination of not sleeping and having to rush to the gym right after work is cutting into my work capacity. I was planning on doing a creatine cycle to counter this, but I'm concerned about the associated water weight gain. I may try half doses and see how my weight adjusts.

7/20 & 7/21

▼ 1. 7/21/09 - Tue - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Weight: 219 (after gym). Time: 0:40.

  No time today so I just did minimal crap.

• Row 2000 m in 7:35 (1:53 pace)

Upper back was feeling really sore (like many of us have experienced) because of bench and/or squat yesterday. Not really sure exactly why -- maybe loose during squat set up? Anyway, feels way better after rowing.

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

• Ice knees

▼ 2. 7/20/09 - Mon - SHEIKO #16

Weight: 215 (morning). Time: 2:30.

  Heavy-ish today. Altogether, it went amazing. I feel like I'm back on track. Dee said I was pretty intense about lifting today, which is exactly what I think I've been missing.

  In other news, I've managed to completely avoid adductor pain for a few weeks running. I think the key is squat-specific stretching on the leg press and the lunges to warm-up/cool down.

• Squat 45x8x3, lungesx15x3, 135x5x2, 225x5 (50), 274x4 (60), 315x3x2 (70), 

365x3x2 (80), 385x2x3 (85)

I was feeling pretty focused on these lifts, and they went really well. Sleeves and belt for everything heavy.

• Bench 45x∞, 155x5 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 245x3x5 (80)

Press command on last two sets to make sure I was actually pausing. Went fine.

• Dumbell bench 50x10x5

• Dips BWx8x5

• Squat 225x5 (50), 275x4 (60), 315x2x3 (70), 365x2x4 (80), lungesx15x3

Feeling tired going into these, but I got my head back into it and it went well. Belted last two sets, sleeves only before this. I was worried that I would feel off, but I still dominated.

• Good mornings 135 + 80 # chain x5x5

These felt good. I figure I'm going to try to work chains into my next training cycle, so I should start with them now.

7/21 Press

Weight: 212

Barbell Press: 95x5
105x3
115x3
125x3
105x10 (PR), 8

Dips: 11, 11, 8, 8, 8, 4 (shooting for 50 total reps)

and some swimming afterwards to stretch things out. Not much variety in the workout, but I think its best for me to stick to just a few basic exercises at this point, and work the hell out of them.

7/20

• P. snatch: 55x4, 65x3, 75x2, 85x1x2
Practicing hook grip.
• P. Clean + Jerk: 95x2, 105x2x3
• Squat: 45x6, 95x5, 115x4, 135x3x2, 155x3x2, 165x2x3 (85)
• Bench: 45x6, 65x5, 75x4, 85x3x2, 100x3x5 (80)
• Elastic band flies: Nx3, where N>=10
• Squat: 95x5, 115x4, 135x3x2, 155x2x4 (80)
Had an epiphany during these sets: sitting back on my heels going down, but once I've bounced out of the hole, shifting my weight forward and using mostly quads to squat up, works so much better for me. I hit depth solidly, and never get stuck or slow down as I'm coming up. Nathans commented that they looked really easy and solid.
• Pushups: 20x5
&&
• Good mornings: 45x8x5
I hate good mornings.

• Foam roll back, hips/it band, quads, stretch.

Bloodspot Benching

From now until competition, I will be benching on Mondays at OC Strength Club. My goal is to hit 300...it'll take work but I know I can get there.

Bench
lots of warm up
225x1x2
265x1x3 off 3 board. shirted, belted.
275x1x2 no boards. about 2.5 inches off chest
285x4x2 got to within an inch of chest.

Narrow Grip Bench
135x1x6
165x1x5
185x1x4
195x1x3

Tricep pull downs
Abs


I'll be working most of my sets without boards so I can work on staying in the groove and pulling the weight down. Stability bench has definitely helped keep everything tighter/more stable, but still needs some work. For the first 2 sets of 285, my feet were moving. I did get everything set MUCH better for the last 2 sets.

As usually happens when I haven't used the shirt for awhile, I got bloodspots around my eyes/face. It looks like I got beat up/aged 40 years. Hopefully I don't keep getting them.

squat trening

Squat:
375 X 3
375 X 3

Low Box Squat w/Green Bands:
185 X 2
225 X 2 (5 sets)

Calves
Home Made Reverse Hypers
Shrugs
Biceps
Chain Drags

LE Squat

So I'm thinking of doing a deadlift-only at a meet in a month, which means I need to start cutting weight.

Went a bit over overboard on the cardio and biked 25 miles on saturday and then played ultimate for 2 hours on sunday. (It's easy to do in nice seattle weather). Feeling a little beat up from the deadlifts last week and the cardio, so lowered the volume and poundage today.

Squats:
Returned to my old friends, the chains

315 x 5
365 x 1
315 + 40lbs x 5
315 + 80 x 5
315 + 120 x 5
315 + 160 x 5

All sets felt easy, which was what I wanted. USAPL judge said i was hitting depth. Another noticed the chain was deloading completely at the bottom, but was off the ground at the top. I measured and my squat stroke is 28-29" which is longer than I would have thought. Not sure how that compares with others though.

SS-bar box squats:
(no belt)
145 x 8
195 x 8
215 x 8
235 x 4

These kicked my butt today. My core was obliterated and I couldn't keep upright with the SS-bar. Good training though. I will probably keep this in the rotation all summer.

Zercher Squats:
tried pausing on the legs. Feels good actually. Hits a range of motion that I can't quite express yet.

135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

Ran out of time due to external commitments, which was fine since I needed to keep it light for recovery.

Squat

Squat
warmups
185 x 5, 5, 5
155 x 8, 8

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

Glute ham raises
BW x 10, 10, 10, 10

Seated calf raises
90 x 15, 15, 15
supersetted with Side bends
45 x 12, 12, 12 (each side)

7/20

Today's top sets:

Squat: 220x5
Bench: 200x5 (PR I think)
Deadlift: 295x5 (my back afterwards felt like complete crap)
Military Press: 110x5

The first week of this program seemed pretty good, but now it seems like I have to spend a half hour warming up for everything. I may just revert back to the Jurgens template of lifting. Stay tuned for more.

7-20 and indigestion

Pwr Snatch ab. kn. 77/2 x 3
Pwr Snatch 77/2 x 2
Snatch 88/2 x 3 95/1 x 3
Jerk 105/2 x 3 110/1 x 3
Snatch pull 100/2 x 4
Front squat + jerk 105/4+1 x 5
Bench 60/3 70/5 85/5 x 2 97.5/3 x 3

This workout shouldn't have been hard, but it turned into a grueling 2 hour session because of my eating choices yesterday. I ate about 3/4 of a large pizza and had a rather large dinner yesterday with no regard for the fact that even when I'm not cutting I don't eat that much grease. Today I awoke to a terrible feeling in my stomach, horrible gas, and diarrhea. My burps tasted and smelled like they do when I have the flu (which is the only smell to make me vomit, ever). After almost every set, to stifle the onslaught of gas and discomfort in my stomach, I had to get water. The tension from lifting brought out all mannor of burps, farts, and 2 breaks where I needed to take very loose, gassy shits. I felt bad for the people in the stalls next to me. I courtesy flushed for them. My head felt funny too, as if my blood was all diverted to my stomach to try to get rid of what was in there ASAP. Overall I'd rate today's lifting experience as "completely horrible." Ironically, due to the forcing out of all the bad shit in me (literally) I now feel much better.

7/17/09

• P. snatch: 65x4, 75x2x2,85x2x2 (i think)
• P. Clean + Jerk: 95x4?, 105x2, 110x2, 115x2?, 125x1x3 (FAIL on jerk.)
Have been watching a lot of olympic oly videos so I wanted to go heavier today. The heavy jerks were just a bit too far forward and I just didn't get enough drive at that point.
• Bench: 65x5, 75x4, 85x3x2, 100x3x5 (80)
• Squat: 45x6, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5x2, 145x4x5 (75)
My hips were feeling really tight by these last sets.
• Bench: 65x6, 80x6x2, 90x6x4 (70)
The last sets were non-trivial.
• DB bench: 20sx10x5
&&
• Stiff legged deadlift: 45x8x5
Would rather it be single-leg, but was rushing to finish.

I need to make sure I get better sleep/rest before these heavy days, I was definitely feeling drained in the last half of the workout; the night before this I slept 5 hours, woke up at 4:30am, slept for another 1.5 hours until 9:30, and napped in the car/restaurant before lifting.

2009 California State Games

2009 California State Games
San Diego, July 18, 2009

Making weight was pretty exciting-- seeing how my dieting wasnt cutting it this time. It was VERY stressful ..and taxing. So I ended up doing excessive cardio and not eating leading up to comp. Yea, this probably took its toll meetday. And yea, weigh-ins will probably be the highlight of my month.

Congrats to Jake and Phil on their awesome lifting. It was great lifting with you guys. and thanks to everyone that came out to support.. especially a BIG THANKS to Big Brent (..his bench hand-offs got mad skillz , yo)

Results, 132 RAW Junior Division

Bodyweight
130.2 Yes!

Squat
248.00 Yup.
275.00 Yup.
292.00 Yup.

Bench
231.25 Yup.
248.00 Fail.
248.00 Fail.

Deadlift
374.25 Yup.
418.75 Yup.
446.25 Fail.

Total, 942.00

Meet Results

BW: 81.6kg

Squat - 180, 185-miss, 185-miss
Bench - 112.5, 117.5, 125 - miss
Deadlift - 185, 190, 197.5

Overall I'd say for my first meet this was a huge success, especially with a 30 pound pr on the deadlift. Opening with 1 pound greater than my best ever on deadlift may have been risky, but I totally nailed it. I'm a little disappointed with squat, but I think my lack of any heavy squat training and my lack of ability to stay tight in the hole killed me. I tend to relax at the bottom and bounce out of the hole. Not a good idea when trying to max. Would have beaten the other guy in my weight class if I'd gone for 120 on bench instead of 125 (I don't know if I could've pulled a 200 deadlift), but oh well, a loss on bodyweight isn't bad for the first time. Maybe I'll just cut more next time!

I am going to modify my training to compete in both, but really it won't have to change too much overall. Just doing more pressing, some deadlifts, and a more Sheiko-like squat routine.

My weight tonight: 195. 15 pounds gained back in 36 hours. Not too bad.

Also, BIG thanks to Brent for being my liftoff guy and general meet-advice guy while I was there, and for the singlet. It was really fun lifting with Trey and Phil as well. The smelling salts provided by Say Tan (a guy who we met there) were fucking crazy! Definitely fun, although I did miss every lift I used them on, lol. Congrats to Trey for a few new records and to Phil for defying Nathan and posting a total.

3 wheel bench and trening

Took the last two days off to help the guys at the USAPL meet in San Diego. Did the best job I could as surrogate Dave. Congrats to Trey for his nice 942 RAW total and his massive squat/deadlift PRs. Big props to Jake for stepping out of his sport and doing a powerlifting meet with his oly flair. "Phil The Power" had an off day but still set a PR so congrats for that. After taking Fri/Sat off, I decided it was finally time to take the skirt off and attempt 3 wheels on bench.

Narrow Grip Bench:
255 X 1
285 X 1
315 X 1 (PR)
275 X 5

Incline Bench:
185 X 5
225 X 6
225 X 5
205 X 8

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
65s X 8
75s X 8
85s X 7
90s X 4

More Tri/Shoulder stuff

7/19 - BORING DAY

▼ 1. 7/19/09 - Sun - CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

Weight: 218 (after gym). Time: 0:45.

• Cardio - bike 130-150 bpm x 20 mins

Actually pushed myself a little bit toward the end.

• Flexibility - soleus, adductors on leg press, hamstrings

Hamstrings and lower back felt really tight. Not much stretch time today, normal desk girl that hooks me up is on vacation.

In other news, a friend of mine that is new to lifting but has been accompanying me and Dee to TPS set a 60 lb squat PR on Friday (squatted 245 lbs). His form was pretty bad to start, so we dropped the weight down a lot and focused on using the right muscles. This has been steadily improving and on Friday he wanted to go for a max. He had good form throughout, I'm so proud of him.

LE Bench

Bench w/ chains
had 80lbs of chain on there.

225 + 80 x 3, 5 sets

The first 2 sets were weird because not enough of the chain deloaded. I messed up the second reworking and I think it was near 305 the entire lift. Right pec felt irritated during that set, which was disconcerting.

The gym was busy today, but the coach doesn't really have other people lift off that often, so I got stuck waiting around for an hour trying to finish this set. I need to improve this situation somehow so I can get my workout done more quickly.

Close-grip:
1 second pause on these
225 x 5, 4 sets

Harder than I would have liked from the chest.

Super sets of t-bar rows + banded tricep extensions.
Then a super set of band pull-aparts and front raises

7/17/09 SHEIKO #15

▼ 1. 7/17/09 - Fri - SHEIKO #15

Weight: ??. Time: 2:15.

  A pretty good day. I think I figured more stuff out on the squat. Back was feeling beat up during the week and knees were a little tired so I played it safe today.

• Foam roll throughout

• Hang snatch (warm up) 95x5x5

This made my elbows feel weird and my traps very sore the next day.

• Bench 155x5 (50), 185x4 (60), 215x3x2 (70), 245x3x5 (80)

Good.

• Squat 45x10, 135x5x3, 225x5 (50), 275x5 (60), 315x5x2 (70), 335x4x5 (75), 

45x10x3, lunges bwx15x3

Felt pretty good. I think a major missing component for my squats this cycle is intensity. Even with TPS's good atmosphere, I've been too worried about why my squats aren't feeling good enough and not just getting pumped and making the weight my bitch. Today was a good day.

  Knee sleeves (APT, not Inzer) and belt for all these sets.

• Bench 165x6 (55), 195x6x2 (65), 215x6x4 (70)

I may have read my program wrong and was supposed to do 4x6 on the last weight, I'll need to check. Doing 6 reps is weird now.

• A: Band flies purplex10x5

These were suggested to me by Carlos to help stretch the front delt/pec connection from all the presses. They felt pretty good, but I was rushed so my shoulders started feeling a little painful, especially the rear delts (??).

• A: Good mornings 135x5x2, switch to SS bar, 135x5x3

Again, don't know how much SS bar weighs so I just assume 45 even though its more than that. Definitely harder that way.

• Dumbell curls 25x15x2

Hopefully to help with the elbows that were feeling a little weird from snatches.

Results

242 Men's Open Raw Powerlifting

BW: 107.9 kg
Squat: 451
BEnch: 352
Deadlift: 529
Total: 1332 (+20 PR)

Well, this didnt go as well as I wanted. Got 4 hours of sleep due to my goddamn sleep problems. Then I weighed in at 107.9, which is about 5 lbs less than last contest (109.7 kg). So lessons learned:

- rent a hotel for out-of-city meets, its seriously WORTH IT just to make sure you get enough sleep
- bring more food (we had to go to the local mall to find food)
- be aware of the meet tempo. This meet only had 30 lifters and went MUCH faster than all of the other meets I've been to

Here's the video.

Light Bench

Bench (paused)
warmup
125 x 8, 8, 8, 8

Dips
BW x 10, 10, 10

Chinups (close grip)
BW x 10, 10, 10

7/17

Today's Top Sets:

Squat: 215x5
Bench: 195x5
SLDL: 255x5
BB Row: 185x5
PBN: 110x4
BB Curl: 85x5

Well, I was shooting for a 115x5 today on the PBN, but everything seemed kinda funky and unstable. I'm just going to stick with military presses from here on out, just so I don't have to worry about screwing up my shoulder. My back is feeling better, so I will start doing conventional deadlifts on Wednesdays starting next week.

Good luck to all those competing tomorrow!

Photorecap of the 2009 USA Powerlifting California State Championships

Blast from the Past:

Per some request and for your entertainment, here's some photos from the USAPL meet not too long ago.. (that i've been meaning to post..)

It's just a few (of the thousands; my bro was snapping away all day).. but as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Enjoy!

2009 USA Powerlifting California State Championships
February 21, 2009
7:30 am - 10:00 pm
Santa Clarita, CA

*photo credits:
special thanks to Harrison, for taking these and spending the whole day supporting the ucla powerlifting team; he turned down his work/$$$/a wedding contract that fell on the same weekend in a beautiful beachside resort, instead, only to be trapped in a gym full of sweaty men. grunting men

*also:
on the same note, should any of you know anyone getting married or need special event shooting, if you could pass along Harrison's information, that would be great!
Find his info at: http://www.harrisonlongphotography.com/blog/