Min-Volume Week #2

Gear:
None / no belt

Health:
Felt "flat", or "didn't feel like I was firing on all cylinders". Expected, since that's sort of the point of the de-tune week.

Note to self: switch from Deadlift 5RM to Block Pull 5RM, full-on DLs (even for one set) are too much and inhibit super-compensation and rest.

Olympic-Style Front Squats:
275, 1 x 3 (1 set of 3 reps)

Close-grip Flat Bench:
280, 1 x 3 (bleh)

Wide-grip Flat Bench:
280, 1 x 5 (better)

Power Cleans:
230, 1 x 3 (barely, no power today)

EDIT:
I realized that I added the weights wrong in the gym. It was 185 + 4x10 + 2x2.5 = 230. Somehow at the time I thought this was 220. Yay me for pulling 10 lbs over my goal weight for the day while having a brain fart.

Rippetoe-Style Bent-Over Row:
230, 1 x 5

Upper Back + Misc

10/15/08

Bent Over Rows

20kg + 50lbs x 10

20kg + 50lbs x 10

20kg + 90lbs x 8

20kg + 90lbs x 8

Neutral Grip Pull-Ups

Body x 10

Body x 10

Body + 25 x 7

Body + 25 x 7 (failure)

Body + 25 x 7 (failure)

Reverse Flies

(poor first set of too much weight)

115 x 7

115 x 6

115 x 6

Curls

30lb curl bar + purple band x 4 sets

Upper Back

Pendlay Rows: 135x10
185x5, 8
195x6
205x6

Pull-ups: Wide x 7
Wide Parallel x 5
Parallel x 6
Supinated x 5

Pull-over machine: 200x10
275x8
285x6
275x7
230x8

Rear Delt Machine: 130x10
145x7
115x10, 10, 12

Banded Curls: 30 + mini band x 4 sets

First time trying the Pendlay rows. I kinda like these. The set-up is pretty similar to my conventional deadlift. Dave said that next week we may do farmer's walks. Hooray!

Also, I have no biceps.

MAX BAX

Bent Over Rows:
thumbless "Bull" style
185 x 10
205 x 8
225 x 6, 2 sets

Close-grip pull ups:
bw x 8
45 + bw x 10
90 + bw x 6
90 + bw x 8
100 + bw x 4

Pull-overs:
275 x 10
320 x 8
320 x 7
275 x 10

Reverse flies:
160 x 10
175 x 10
190 x 10
220 x 10

Curls
30 lbs cambered bar + green bands, 4 sets

SHEIKO WEEK #5; #11 & CARDIO DEADLIFTING

Showed up way too late, had no rest today between sets. Weight: 211. Time: 1:15.

• Bench 135x3 (50%), 165x3 (60%), 195x3 (70%), 225x3x2 (80%), 235x2x3 

(85%)

Easy.

• Deadlift 260x3 (50%), 315x3 (60%), 365x2x2 (70%), 415x3x2 (80%), 445x2x2 

(85%)

No rest on deadlifts is not fun. Almost missed the last rep with my "weak grip".

• Bench 150x5 (55%), 180x5 (65%), 205x4x3 (75%)

• A: Dumbell bench 35x10x5

• A: Lunge 135x5x5

Renee is back from Germany. I have my gym buddy back.

Bench Day

10/14/08

Flat Bench

warm-up

Speed Bench

95 x 3 x 9

Stability Bench

30 lb dumbbells x 10

30 lb dumbbells x 12

40 lb dumbbells x 12 (failure)

40 lb dumbbells x 11 (failure)

Seated Dumbbell Military Press

45 x 8

45 x 8

50 x 5

50 x 5

Tricep Burnout

3 supersets cable pulldown + 8 dips

3 supersets cable pulldown + 7 dips

(probably could have gone for more dips)

Abs

4 sets of ab wheel

benching FE

Speed Bench
Quadded-minis
145 x 3, 9 sets

Stability Bench
50lb dumbbells off greens, 10 smooth reps
70lb dumbbells off greens, 6 wtf reps
"", 10 so-so reps
"", 12 ok reps

Military Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
185 x 4
135 x 10 (barely)

Tricep burnout:
Tricep extensions 100 x 10, 70 x 8, 50 x ??; Dips: bodyweight x 8
Tricep extensions 100 x 10, 80 x 7, 60 x ??, 40 x ??; Dips: bodyweight x 15

Finished with 4 sets of ab-wheel

Bench

Speed Bench (minis): 95x3x4
115x3x4
95x3x2

Stablity Bench: 30x9,15
40x12
70x1 (wanted to try it)

Seated OH Press: 95x6, 8
105x8
115x6 (PR)

Superset of Cable pushdowns/Dips:
stripset x 2/ 6, 7

Ab Wheel: 4 sets

Stability bench is kinda fun. The speed work was good too. The seated press was ok, I personally prefer the standing kind.

Min-Volume Week #1

Gear:
None / no belt

Back Squat:
blahblahblah
305, 1 x 5 (1 set of 5 reps)

Rippetoe-Style Standing Overhead Press:
200, 1 x 5

Conventional Deadlift:
405, 1 x 4.5

Couldn't lock out the fifth rep. Mike said I need to pull the bar more towards me at the beginning, it was too far out in front. Part of the reason is that I did this in my VS Athletics shoes. I think the heel tilted me a little too far forward and I didn't compensate correctly. Stick to chucks for pulling for now.

ps.

VS Atheltics shoes are still awesome for squatting

10-14

Power clean 85/3 97/2 x 3 (75%)
Clean and Jerk 105/2 x 2 (80%) 117/1 x 4 (90%) missed last two
Clean pull 105/3 117/2 130/2 x 4
BTN Press + OHS, paused on the neck every rep I could manage 3+1 115,115,115
Back Squat 105/4 125/4 355(Lb)/4 x 3 Only did 2 sets, almost failed last rep of second set and called it a day

This workout sucked...Clean and jerks felt like total shit, although the weights felt light. Not sure exactly why. Back squats were surprisingly easy after everything else feeling so bad. I'm nervous about the meet. I know I can snatch 107, and I know I can get 130 up to the height I need in the jerk, but I'm afraid I can't fix it overhead. Not sure what to do about it since I'm not at all a firm believer in overhead supports, nor do I want to change anything at this point. Maybe the next jerk workout will be better and I'll get some more confidence. Maybe today was just a brain fart.

PREHAB/CARDIO/FLEXIBILITY

▼ Prehab

• A: Cable front kicks 40x15x2

• A: Cable side kicks 40x20x2

• A: Leg extensions (single leg) 90x15x2

• Toss ball on bosu ball

• Squats on bosu ball (single and double leg)

• Side twists

• Hip abduction machine 90x30, 150x20x2 (full stack)

▼ Cardio

• Elliptical ?? x 2 mins

This was the worst 2-minutes of my life. The stride was built for some 3-foot midgit, I was just shuffling my feet. Who the fuck does this to themselves?

• Upright bike 140-150 bpm x 20 mins

Much better.

▼ Flexibility

• Gastroc

Pulled something in the left calf on my Sunday walk.

• Hamstrings

• Soleus

• Adductor on machine

• Seated groin

Really need to pull on these for stretch now. Excellent.

• Seated gtute

• Hip adductors

W/out using ball for support -- much better. Left hip is killing me.

Book Club: Lyle McDonald

Some very good articles:

Fat Loss

Muscle Gain

Reminder: USAPL Nov. 15 Entry Form

Must be post-marked by this friday.

Form found here.

Sheiko Week 4, Monday

Squat
1x4x150
1x3x180
2x3x210
1x3x240
2x2x255

Bench
1x3x135
1x3x140
1x3x165
4x3x190

Flies
5x10x25

Dips
5x8 with plate

Squat
1x4x150
1x3x180
1x3x210
4x2x240

goodmorns.
5x5x135

I was really tired/sore from football on Sunday night, which made then last 4x2x240 tough. My groin is also sore from football, but that was a non-factor yesterday. Hopefully it will be at full strength for deadifting tomorrow.

Squats

10/13/08

Squats

Warm-ups

135 x 8 x 2

Banded Box Squats

95 x 2 x 2

135 x 2 x 4

1st Day in Suit

Some warm-up sets, and then I put on my suit.

Box Squats: 135 +greens x 2 x 8

PowerCleans: 115x5
135x5, 5, 5

Barbell Lunges: 95x6/6
135x6/6, ?/?
95x?/?

Strip set: leg ext./135lb squat

Brutally painful hamstring stretch

The suit was tight, and will take a bit of getting used to. Got some nice bruises though.

Also, Brent and Dave came up with the phrase "no more kylin' around".

Recovery Squat

Last week was brutal, so we backed off a little this week.

Box Squat:
w/ green bands.
225 x 2
275 x 2, 7 sets

Cleans:
165 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5

Lunges:
225 x 16 (8 per leg)
245 x 12
275 x 8

Was there another set in here? I forget..

RE Quads + Squat:
Did that ol' Arnold exercise where you strip set your quads to the point of failure and then squat with perfect form until failure. I don't have a name for this thing to tag it with. Suggestions?

2 sets, lots of reps, 135 on squat.

Then we did some partner stretching. I went from like 45° to 110° in flexibility. awesome.

▼ 1. 10/13/08 - Mon - SHEIKO WEEK #4; #10

• Squat 205x4 (50%), 245x3 (60%), 290x3x2 (70%), 335x3 (80%), 355x2x2 

(85%)

All reps easy, no belt. Slightly wider stance than usual with toes out, focus on knees out from the beginning. This felt better on both my hips and knees.

• Bench 135x3 (50%), 165x3 (60%), 195x3 (70%), 225x3x4 (80%)

• Dumbbell bench 35x10x5

• Dips BWx8x5

• Squat 205x4 (50%), 250x3 (60%), 290x3 (70%), 335x2x4 (80%)

Hips came up on the second heavy set. I belted the last one and my form felt flawless.

• Good morning 165x5x5 (40%)

Yesterday with Rippetoe

So, yesterday the guy I was going to train with (not an Olympic lifter but he works at the gym I lift at) bailed on me, so I just showed up hoping someone would be there. Turns out Rippetoe was having a seminar and he was training right after. I talked him into letting me train there (he doesn't really know anyone at the gym so I had to sweet talk him a little into letting me lift with no one else there). I was doing 90% snatches (97kg) while he watched and coached my form. Turnes out I need to start with my hips higher tha I have been on both the snatch and clean, and to get my elbows down in the jerk to drive myself under the bar. I had a blister on my thumb by the time I was finished with the workout so I skipped power cleans but did the snatch pulls I needed to get done. I also skipped back squats since the workout went like 2 hours or so and I was tired/bored. I have 85% back squats tomorrow anyway so think it'll be alright.

Rippetoe was a nice guy and he ended up staying and coaching me way longer than he had planned to be there. I need to get much more flexible in my rear delts (I think...whatever shoulder muscle that allows me to keep the bar in the palm of my hand for the jerk). I definitely still need to stretch the hams/groin to get into the hips-higher starting position with an arched back. My back is flat but not arched enough.

Lame bench

Late post from saturday.
Shirt Work:
Used the 48 Phenom
315 x 3 off 3 board
Armpit started to rip, didn't look good
365 x "TAKE IT"
Armpit completely rips open. I thought it was the shirt blowing, but it looks like one of the non-load-bearing seams tore. I need to get this restitched ASAP if I want to use this shirt.

Switched to the F6. This shirt has loosened up a lot more than I thought.

375 off 2 board x FAIL. ugh
365 off 2 board x 1
365 x 1 - barely. Not good.

Board word:
3 board:
315 x 4
315 x 5
325 x 5

Tricep death:
205, finished the 4 board, couldn't hit a rep off the 5 board.
185, 4 board + 2 reps
135, finished

Lateral Raises
25 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10

A pretty lame work out. I need to back off this week if I want any chance a recovering. The bar did not feel very fast.