Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Back in the saddle

PM Workout 1

  • BJJ - Lots of throws and i got crushed several times.

PM Workout 2 (5/3/1)

  • Squats: 245x5/285x3/315x5
  • Good Morning: 155 5x10
  • Neutral Stance Palloff Press: 90 5x10/side
  • Situp: 4x25

Another one of those nights i wasn't going to train but that's alright...we all make errors in judgment from time to time. Thank god for Fight Quest on Netflix and Fight Science on Hulu. Me thinks i need to by Human Weapon and XMA on DVD. It's inspirational stuff for sure. Found heaven a few blocks away from the office, I'm looking forward to flipping tires. Lots of tires.

Squats squats squats. I love squats.

Or do I... Today was DE lower day, and I totally wrote my split in a stupid manner that will be corrected for the next DE session. On the plus side, I think I finally broke out the "scary powerlifter crazy eyes, red face and red bald skull" look, judging by the looks of horror and awe from the high school kids curling in the cable machine right in front of the power rack. It made it all worth it.

A1. speed deadlift

3 x 5 x 45#
2 x 3 x 105#
3 x 155#
3 x 195#
3 x 225#
1 x 275#
12 x #315 (3,3,3,3)

B1. 1/4 squat (it fell somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 squat, really)

2 x 5 x 135#
2 x 3 x 225#
3 x 315#
24 x 415# (5,6,5,4,4) crazy eyes came out here, followed by red face

C1. front squat w/chains

2 x 5 x 45#
2 x 3 x 105#
3 x 155# + 2 chains
24 x 185# + 2 chains (6,5,4,4,3,2) MOAR CRAZY EYEZ!

D1. hammer curls (prehab)

8 x 20#
8 x 20#
8 x 20#

D2. int & ext rotations (prehab)

8 x 12#
8 x 12#
8 x 12#

Overall not a bad day, but it took 1.5 hours due to needing to rest between the 1/4 squats and front squats. I had to drop my weight on the front squats, too, due to the stupidity of putting them both on the same day, one right after the other. I'll fix that for next time.

Monday, March 29, 2010

New Goodlife

First time doing a full weight day at a different Goodlife gym than I'm used to. Despite being smaller it was less busy, hurrah! Chest and Quads day..

Bench Press
  • 20 x 135
  • 12 x 155
  • 10 x 175
  • 8 x 195
Squats
  • 15 x 135
  • 10 x 185
  • 8 x 205
  • 5 x 225
Incline Bench Press
  • 12 x 135
  • 8 x 155
  • 6 x 175
  • 4 x 175
Leg Extensions
Used the machine, 20, 12, 10, 8. Almost maxed on the 8 but can't remember the numbers.

Incline Freeweight Flys
  • 12 x 30
  • 10 x 40
  • 10 x 40
  • 10 x 40
I would have done leg press today but I strained something during squats so I decided to take it easy.

International Bench Day!

What was I THINKING putting my ME bench day on a Monday?? Luckily, I nabbed the last empty bench in the gym. It was my first bench workout in 4 months, and man did it feel like it. But I survived with only a 10% drop from my old 1RM, and my wrist held up pretty well.

Also, I skipped yesterday's Strongman GPP day due to rain and being fried from Saturday's squat day.

A1. bench press

3 x 5 x 45#
2 x 3 x 95#
3 x 135#
3 x 155#
3 x 185#
1 x 215#
1 x 235#
1 x 260#

B1. neutral grip lat pulldowns

5 x 50#
3 x 70#
3 x 90#
3 x 120#
24 x 150# (6,6,6,6)

B2. oh push press

5 x 45#
3 x 75#
3 x 95#
24 x 135# (6,5,6,4,3)

C1. oh shrugs (prehab)

8 x 45#
8 x 45#
8 x 45#

C2. face pull (prehab)

8 x 120#
8 x 120#
8 x 120#

Meetings make me sad

AM Workout (5/3/1)

  • Military Press: 115x5/125x3/135x4
  • Cable Tri Extension: 80x10/90x10/100x10/110x10/100x15
  • Kneeling Neutral Pulldown: 200 5x15
  • Band Pushup: 5x10 Heavy Band(2)


Grawr...the peril of working out during the day is that workouts can get supplanted by meetings:( Guess that means shoulders after BJJ tonight. This is going to be a crazy workout week methinks...

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Squat Day!

I changed up my training splits a bit today to more of a traditional ME/DE split. Today was ME Lower day, and I squatted for real for the first time in almost 3 months. It went really well- so well that I broke the rules and tried an extra single and failed :) Still, it felt great, plus I got to watch my wife PR her deadlift at 325!

A1. Squat

The warmup sets were devised by my wife, following Dave Tate's school of warming up

3 x 5 x 45#
2 x 3 x 105#
3 x 155#
3 x 195#
3 x 225#
1 x 275#
1 x 305#
1 x 325#
1 x 350# This felt really easy. Like, TOO easy, so I rested up and went for...
0 x 365# That's what I get for breaking the warmup rules.

All in all, I am 50# away from my goal of 400# for this year. No complaints there.

B1. 18" Deadlift

5 x 135#
3 x 225#
3 x 315#
12 x 405# (3,3,3,2,1)

C1. Seated Machine Row

5 x 90#
3 x 180#
3 x 230#
24 x 270# (6,6,5,4,3)

C2. Front Squat Hold
4 x 315# (20s, 30s, 30s, 30s)

Farmer Walk (50 ft)

1 x (175# per hand) x 50ft
1 x (175# per hand) x 15ft My left quad cramped up here and I called it a day

Overall, it was a good training session. My wrist flared up and got a bit inflamed towards the end, but it's feeling a lot better than a month ago.

Legs-N-Stuff

EA Club One gym this am. Supposed to be a light day, wife says I don't know what that is.

No abs, no hands.
No legs, no abs.
All sports start at the legs.

15 min jump rope warmup - criss cross, doubles, steps intervals
squats: 5x135, 5x225, 5x275, 5x275
leg curls: 5x125, 5x150, 5x175
2:00 single leg lunges, 30s rest
1:00 frog hops, 1:00 sumo squats w/45lb dumbbell, 30s rest
2:00 lunge walk, 30s rest
2:00 step ups, 30s rest
2:00 sit ups, 30s rest
2:00 one legged sit ups, 30s rest
2:00 straight leg hip thrusts, 30s rest
1:00 push ups, 30s rest
3 2:00 rounds on double end bag (30s rest)
3 3:00 rounds on heavy bag, mostly working jab and double jab but also some counters (30s rest)
left hook technique work on speed bag

Friday, March 26, 2010

Yeah, ARM TRAINING!!

AM Workout

  • EZ Cheat Curl: 85 5x10
  • Alt DB Curl: 30 5x5
  • BiL Hammer Curl: 25 5x10
  • Cable Tricep Pushdown: 150 5x10
  • Cable OH Tricep Extension: 80 5x10
  • EZ Cheat Reverse Curl: 75 5x10


Hmmm...i think i've been lying to myself. Arm training is fun.

Lunch Workout (5/3/1)

  • Deadlift: 225x3/245x3/275x6
  • Hack Squat: 135 4x10/1x15
  • Situps: 4x25


May actually make it through tonight's complexes...I would be so lost without Surge and brown rice...

Worst Day Of Your Life

Boot Camp Friday - Undisputed Boxing Gym w/Charles

3mi warmup jog (not part of the class but what the hell)

As Charles is fond of saying, "I'm going to make today the worst day of your life."

XX minutes nonstop (he said 20 but I think he went 25 or 30, I don't know I could barely breathe) 1 minute intervals, no rests. All exercises done for speed, as many reps possible. I use medium weight for these instead of light so that after about 0:45 seconds of each exercise I wish I was dead and I start screaming out in pain. For example I use 16kg kettlebells for the leg exercises and a bit smaller yellow ones for the upper body and maybe trade for the 16kgs if I feel good at the end of a set.

Run 2 laps around heavy bags farmer's carry 2x kettlebells
Military Press w/2 kettlebells
One leg in the air single arm press
Squats w/2 kettlebells
Run laps (fast) around heavy bags
Push-ups
Dumbbell flys
Bicep curls w/2 kettlebells
Tricep ext. kettlebell or dumbbells
Run laps (fast) around heavy bags Forward lunges w/1-2 kettlebells (each leg for 1 interval)
Various squats w/2 kettlebells
Single leg forward then backward lunges w/no step between (you can do with weights, I didn't)
Run laps (fast) around heavy bags
Sit-ups
Jack knifes
Crunches
Knee lift with twist
Run laps (fast) around heavy bags

Put weights away (running), glove up then:

jab, cross, hook
drop to prone on face and spring back up
sprint to far bag (~20 yards)
jab, cross, hook
drop to prone on face and spring back up
sprint to near bag (~20 yards)
repeat in a cycle for 1 minute as fast as possible hitting as hard as possible

1 minute straight punch burnout on focus mitts

2x more of the jab, cross, hook drill.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Limit==Baseline

AM Workout

  • Flye Superset: 4x5/1x8

    • Flat Flye DB25
    • Reverse Flye DB20

  • DB Row: DB75 4x5/1x8
  • Complex: 95 4x5

    • Romanian
    • Hang Clean 2 Front Squat 2 Push
    • Alt Reverse Lunge



I is gonna sleep gooooood this weekend...

Lunch Workout (5/3/1)

  • Bench Press: 155x3/175x3/195x10
  • Incline Press: 155x10/155x10/155x10/155x9/135x12
  • Cable Tricep Extension: 80x10/80x10/70x10/70x10/70x12


Blah...may be time to refigure my bench max. Dammit, i hate bench. Ah well, time to quit bein a puss i suppose...

Mad Squabbles

Boxing Conditioning at Undisputed Boxing Gym this am.

Standard first hour of conditioning, still working up to the full tuck and plank TRX interval times of 1 minute which is around 20-22 reps for me. Good partner medicine ball sit ups today, bad stability disk throws.

The equipment we use for conditioning:

Jump rope (warmups before class)
Stability disks x2
Kettlebell or kettlebells, pick one that is heavy enough for lunges and squats
Medicine balls x2
Big ball (Swiss style)
TRX

In general exercises are done in one minute intervals with 10-15 seconds rest between exercises. Some exercises are done for reps either 10, 12, or 15 with no rests. Planks tend to be done for either 30s, 1m, 2m with a rest period of back rolls.

Boxing today consisted of burnouts on the heavy bag:

10 seconds straight punches as hard and as fast as possible to same spot on bag using hips to throw from a good stance
10 seconds rest
15 seconds straight punches...
10 seconds rest
20 seconds punches...
10 seconds rest
30 seconds punches...
30 seconds rest
1 minute punches with extra emphasis on last 10 seconds

Then learning two combinations we built up on focus mitts using the progression:

jab, jab cross (2)
jab, jab cross hook (3)

jab, jab cross, slip left (2)
jab, jab cross hook, slip right (3)

Final combination:
jab, jab cross, slip left, COUNTER left uppercut, left hook (2, 2)
jab, jab cross, clip right, COUNTER, right uppercut, right cross (3, 2)

We also did uppercut burnouts on the focus mitts. Interval length is 2m rounds per combination with no rest, uppercut burnout rounds are 1m.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Brakes!

Lunch Workout

  • Barbell Row Superset: 135 5x5

    • Overhand Row
    • Underhand Row

  • Kneeling Pulldown Superset: 200 4x5/1x10

    • Medium Grip
    • Close Grip

  • DB Neutral Grip Bench: 70 5x10

Alright, hit the wall today, scaling back and just doing the one workout today. This puts me pretty solidly behind on the week, but at least i can use this week as a baseline and add workouts going forward. I'm looking forward to sleep tonight, yes i am...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Adaptation, Improvisation

AM Workout

  • Slept through it, made it up PM


Lunch Workout (5/3/1)

  • Squats: 235x3/265x3/295x8
  • Decline Situps: 5x20

PM 1

  • BJJ Week 4b
  • ...and i actually submitted someone today! twice!

PM 2 (Assistance makeup)

  • Good Morning: 185 5x10
  • Hack Squat: 135 5x10
  • Complex: 95 4x5

    • BO Row
    • Front Squat 2 Push Press
    • Jump Back Squat
    • Good Morning



It's not so much me being stupid and trying to see how hard i can train, it's more like getting myself up to the level at which i want to train. Truth is, i want to be really strong, i want to do BJJ, and i want to do capoeira (so i should probably start going back to class at some point). At some point, i'm not even thinking, oh my god, i shouldn't be training this much, this is crazy, etc, it just is. It's more about coming to grips with what i love doing. And that's never a bad thing.

Takin' it easy

Today was prehab and GPP day. Not too exciting, but it needs to be done.

Shoulder/Hips prehab circuit (int/ext rotations, hip ad/abduction)
3 x 8

Tabata Jump Squats
6 x 20/10
2 x 10/20

Walk
10 min

Fight Club

UBG Boxing Conditioning w/Mike B.
1st hour: conditioning

  • Roll it up
  • Plank it (long)
  • Roll it up
  • Plank it (shorter)
  • Plank leg raises 12 reps
  • Flop it (12 reps w/leg raise)
  • Straight leg hip thrusts (2 sets)
  • 10x push up both fists on disks
  • 10x push up right fist on disk left on ball right leg up
  • 10x push up reversed
  • 10x push up on TRX
  • TRX pike it
  • TRX combo tuck it then pike it - 2 sets
  • Ball overhead 90 deg legs roll it then thrust it combo - 2 sets
  • Drive ball sit ups with ball between knees
  • Partner ball toss situps with ball between knees
  • Partner chest toss situps with ball between knees
  • Feet in TRX straps hamstring thrusts - 2 sets
  • Foot on ball, other foot in air hamstring thrusts - 2 sets
  • Squat on the disks
  • Lunge on the disks
  • Med ball lunge with twist (on disk optional)
  • TRX lunges
  • Reach out lunges with kettlebell
  • Squat to side lunges with ball
  • TRX 1-legged squats with optional hop

30min boxing:

  • Heavy bag: jab; 2xjab; 3xjab; jab cross; hooks; uppercuts
  • Focus mitts: jab jab cross; jab 2xjab; jab 2xjab 3xjab jab cross; uppercuts; straight punch burnout x2; left right left slip(l); right left right slip(r)

Monday, March 22, 2010

Quarter whats?

Today was speed day for OH Press and trunk and grip work otherwise. I do the 1/4 squats for 2 reasons these days- one to get used to unracking heavier weight, and two because I'm hoping it will aid in a harnessed truck pull for Strongman.

A1. Speed OH Press

5 x 45#
5 x 95#
3 x 115#
12 x 135# (3,3,3,3)

B1. 1/4 Squats

5 x 135#
5 x 225#
3 x 315#
16 x 405# (4,4,4,4)

B2. Ball Slam

10 x 12#
10 x 12#
12 x 12#

C1. 3.5" Bumper Plate Pinch Grip

30s x 25#/hand
35s x 25#/hand
40s x 25#/hand

Flip the switch

AM Workout

  • Delt Triad: 15 5x8
  • Reverse Curl: SB65 5x8
  • Pro Wrist Curl: SB30 5x10
  • Sup Wrist Curl: SB20 5x10
  • Reverse 1.5 Curl: SB45 5x8
  • SGB: 45 x5/x5/x6


Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and...jacked? I'm betting it will...

Lunch Workout (5/3/1)

  • Military Press: 105x3/115x3/135x6
  • Cable Tricep Pushdown: 130 5x10
  • Cable Kneeling Lat Pull: 160 5x10


Workout 2 for the day down, let's start a pool right now: Will i make it through BJJ tonight without significant puking? And even moreso, will i sleep tonight? I hope so, i think i'm going to go home right after BJJ and just wind down rather than try and hit capoeira too. We'll work up to four training sessions a day over the next month maybe. Also carbs. I want brown rice. Lots of it.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

New friends and a good training day

Met some new people today, that my wife met at a meet last weekend. We trained together at our gym, and then all partook in some farmer walks. Overall a great training session, even if I did bail on my OH pin presses (I'll do them in my next session).

Deadlift (10 heavy reps)

5 x 135#
5 x 225#
3 x 275#
2 x 315#
10 x 350# (3,2,2,3)

OH Pin Press

Skipped since the power rack was in use by my wife :)

Front Squat w/Chains (20#/chain)

5 x 135#
3 x 185#
12 x 225#+2 chains (3,3,2,2,2)

Farmer Walk

2 x 50 ft x 175#/hand
1 x 75 ft x 175#/hand. My grip went here and I couldn't get it back.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I am lazy

Today I squatted, and that was it. I went to the gym at lunch to spot my wife on the bench and decided to get my squat work in to test my wrist. Great success!

Squat
8 x 45#
5 x 135#
3 x 225#
2 x 275#
1 x 315#
1 x 335#
0 x 345#



It was the first squat session in 7 weeks, so I can't complain. I also didn't use my Inzer knee sleeves, since the USAPL banned them, so it was the first time I got a good lift on the 335# without them. No excuses on the 345#, it just wasn't there.

But the wrist felt great! I figured out my hand placement to avoid pain there, so I am pretty comfortable with it.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Day 2 of the Wristical Return

Tuesday was the second day back from the wrist injury, and overall, it went well. Some aching during the OH press, but great otherwise.


Overhead Press:

8 x 45#

5 x 95#

3 x 135#

4 x 1 x 185# (these were more of a push press, but it's OK)



Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown:

8 x 60#

5 x 90#

3 x 120#

4 x 6 x 165#


Front Squat Hold (my wife took the power rack from me! it was DE day for her):

30 seconds x 135#

30 seconds x 225#

20 seconds x 315#

25 seconds x 315#

30 seconds x 315#

30 seconds x 315#


Hip and Shoulder prehab circuit (adduction, abduction, internal rot, external rot):

3 x 8


Jump Squat Tabatas:

4 x 20s on/10s off

4 x 15s on/15s off


I was tired afterward.


Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tuesday Classic

The weather's gotten nice in Toronto and so the cardio days move out of the gym. Started a facebook group for a slammin' summer of street handball.

Today had 5 people playing for about 1.5hrs at a pretty high level. Not quite as intense as squash, but still burning mad calories and I'm already aching.


What do you do to trim down when you're not building?

Getting Back Into It

Monday, March 16

This was my first day back from a fractured wrist and torn wrist tendon. Over the last 6 weeks, I still lifted, but with ankle straps around my arms to hold chains and weights for every lift I could. I'm hoping it shored up my support system for getting back into real powerlifting. This week is all about testing my wrist, so nothing heavy.

Deadlift:

  • 8 x 135#
  • 5 x 225#
  • 3 x 275#
  • 2 x 1 x 315#
  • 1 x 335#

Bench:

  • 8 x 95#
  • 5 x 135#
  • 3 x 185#
  • 2 x 1 x 225#
  • 1 x 235#

Cable Row:

  • 8 x 50#
  • 5 x 90#
  • 3 x 130#
  • 4 x 4 x 180#


The cable row made my wrist ache, so I called it a night. I was going to do front squats, but I'll do them Tuesday.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Sun Is Risin'...

Thursday AM Workout

  • Speed Rope 100/50R/50L/100/100
  • Complex: 95 4x6

    • Deadlift
    • BO Row
    • Stiffleg Deadlift
    • Hang Clean
    • Military
    • Squat
    • Good Morning

  • EZ Bar Cheat Curl: 75 5x8
  • EZ Bar Cheat Reverse: 65 5x8
  • SGB: 45 x5/x5/x6

    • DB Clean Press each side
    • DB Swing each side
    • DB Lateral throwout each side
    • DB Bent Lateral both sides



SGBs are murder, thanks Scott Abel. But wow, i've missed the effects of morning training. Nothing like a big biochemical high to get you out the door and moving. This sort of thing in the morning sets me up for a good 5 3 1 this afternoon provided i stay on my eating schedule and dont crash out after lunch. This is pretty much the litmus test for the new lifting schedule. Just gotta keep my stress levels down and i'll be good to go. I think i almost threw up after the SGBs today...nice.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Live from GDC

Workout

  • Squat: 225x5/245x5/285x8
  • Good Morning: 135 5x10
  • Lunge: 100x10/80x10/80x10/80x10/80x10
  • Situp: 5x20
  • Complex: 85 4x5/1x8

    • BO Row
    • Deadlift
    • Hang Clean
    • Jerk
    • Back Squat
    • Good Morning

  • Jumprope: 5x100

I'm pleasantly surprised by the 24 Hour Fitnesses i've encountered in downtown SF of all places. Dark, dingy, rusty racks and weights, hell they're almost like real weight rooms. This will not be a wasted week. The 8 rep complex at the end was murderous. So that's what it feels like to work hard. Probably will bump up all my complex work to at least 8 reps. Or maybe i'll bump it up to 95 for 5 first, then go to 8. That's a little too much analysis, just fuckin do work, right?

Also, GDC!!!! Looking forward to some sick devlifter sessions!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Fall In

Workout 1: 5 3 1

  • Military Press 95x5/115x5/125x8
  • Chain Push 40x15/40x15/40x15/40x15/40x20
  • DB Row 65 5x10
  • Tricep Pushdown 5x10

Workout 2: Whale Hunting

  • Speed Rope 100/50L/50R/100/100
  • Complex 75 5x5

    • BO Row
    • Deadlift
    • Hang Clean
    • Front Squat
    • Push Press
    • Back Squat
    • Good Morning

  • KB Tabata 24kg

    • R Swing
    • L Swing
    • R Squat
    • L Squat
    • R Press
    • L Press
    • 2H Swing
    • 2H Swing



Nothing witty, jeez it's my first post in like...months. Give it time, i'll be back to my old swearing, boorish, reeking of sweat, chalk, rust, and shame self in no time. Contributors wanted, Mail Me. Yep, doin the much talked about 5 3 1 and you should too. Going to get the often imitated but never duplicated Kevin Larrabee of The Fitcast fame back on the payroll and get him to hook me up with a crazy 5 3 1 assistance program, Spartan style. Can you dig it? (Black Dynamite was a Spartan, yo)