Been very busy at work and not getting as much sleep as I want this week so far. I guess this makes up for sleeping like 13 hours every day on vacation. Toenail came off finally so I can walk around without pain.
Comments: Late night, even though I started lifting fairly early. Setting up the bands is a pain without a platform but whatever, it works. Grip felt good today. I wasn't sure what to expect as I haven't pulled on blocks against the bands. My goal was set low at 545lbs but that went up well. I got really psyched and got 585lbs with only a bit of bump-bump at lockout. 610lbs was just too much today. Really worked on the down set. Grip held in like a champ on sumo sldls. Really surprised I did 465lbs double overhand. Everything was tight by the time I got to rows. I felt better as the sets went on though. Pulldowns are still an issue. Back is just so dead by this point. Really wanted more reps on the last set but couldn't count the last two. Just got to keep pushing. I really feel that these changes are going to do wonders for me.
Got back late last night from Virginia, left Thursday morning. Felt good to get some sleep in my own comfy bed. Pretty much just food and hiking there. Monday I went to my chiro session and then Tuesday a deep tissue massage. I had been putting it off for a while as she was scheduled for rotary cuff surgery in January. I figured I'd wait until she was better as the time I went with someone else, I feel asleep it was so light. I had my own issues as I ruptured my hamstring in early January, then the torn oblique in late June and chiro sessions so this was the first time I had an opening. A lot of tightness in my shoulders and neck on the one side. She recommended I use a taller pillow to support my head. Any way, this left me with a perfect opportunity to be relaxed and to have another go at a new deadlift max on Wednesday. Everything lined up so I went for it.
Comments: Having spent eight days analyzing the last session, I had my thoughts together. The plan was to do the same weights to warm-up but aim for 640lbs. I also made the choice to put on my hard belt on sooner. It's kind of something I've been learning from my overhead pressing in that I need to do a few sets with it so I don't screw up my form. I can get away with anything when it comes to squats though. Last time I only did one single with the hard belt before going for my max. I belted up for 545lbs to get in the extra practice. I had it too tight last time which screwed me up big time. I will say I was a tad nervous as I wasn't feeling as good as last week. I just told myself that didn't mean anything, what mattered was results. I was going to do 640lbs for my last single but someone else needed the 2.5lbs plates (they were going for their opener) so I figured why not and made it 645lbs. I got as amped as I could and pulled. As it started moving, I had no doubt I was finishing the lift. Felt good to hit this weight after last week's mistakes and learn from them. I went a little heavier on the down set as it was easier to just go with 6 plates a side then go down in weight. Hit that for a tough triple to better my PR by 20lbs. Really pleased with how that went. The rest of the workout was just gravy at that point. Hit PR's on wide grip rdls and cable rows. Pulldowns were really tough. Last week I wasn't as fatigued by the time I did them so that could explain that. Tried to get eight reps on the last set but no good. I may switch to a different machine as this exercise is a bit rough on my shoulders. We will see. Ate some homemade deer bologna and went home to stretch.
Comments: Typical easy stuff. Can't make definite plans for Wednesday as the after work class thing could require me to take that night off as well since Monday night's session was canceled due to upcoming weather. Whatever. If it does turn out to be okay to lift, my plan is to make up for the deadlift session last week. I have a solid backup idea in place now in the event I do miss a PR attempt like with the deadlift and log push press. I will not go for a down set and just go on to the next exercise. Should be nice and relaxed (besides work) for vacation as I have a chiro session tomorrow and a deep tissue massage (which I've been putting off since last Christmas) on Tuesday.
"I have a belly full of white dog crap and you lay this sh*t on me?"
Lot's to update. Been very busy and this past week has been kind of rough.
So first the bad. I wore a "boot" on my foot for a day but decided against it since it would raise my hip on one side too much. The hematoma has been bleeding out since then so lots of bloody socks. Wednesday was definitely the worst. Didn't help that I had a ton of work plus the night class has increased the work load with this final project.
Anyway, on to training stuff. I've finally had enough time to digest all of the suggestions from friends and training partners and I've finally got it in order. This is it:
Tuesday – Deadlift Training Main Lifts - Max Single followed by 90% heavy set Week 1 – A type of Deadlift with bands or chains Week 2 – A type of Deadlift (3" or 6" block) Week 3 – A type of Block Pull with bands or chains Supplementary Lifts - 4-5x5-8 Week 1 – Wide Grip Romanian Deadlift Week 2 – Louie Deadlift Week 3 – Snatch Grip Deadlift Accessory Lifts Seated Cable Rows – 4×8-12 Cable Pulldowns – 4×8-12
Thursday – Press Training Main Lifts - Max Single followed by 90% heavy set Week 1 – A type of Strict Press w/ Chains Week 2 – A type of Strict Press Week 3 – A type of Strict Press w/ Bands Supplementary Lifts - 4-5x5-8 Week 1 – Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses Week 2 – Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses w/ Slingshot Week 3 – Swiss Bar Floor Presses Accessory Lifts Neutral Grip Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses – 4x8-12 Seated Overhead Cable Triceps – 4x8-12
Friday – Squat Main Lifts Week 1 – A type of Box Squat Week 2 – A type of Box Squat w/ Chains Week 3 – A type of Box Squat w/ Bands Accessory Lifts Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses - 4x8-12 Modified Glute Ham Raises – 4×8-12 Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Kneeling Leg Curls – 4x8-12
Sunday or Saturday – Events Whatever, usually 3-5 exercises
This is the rotation for the deadlift, press and (box) squat:
I'm borrowing heavily from ideas from Brian Shaw. The biggest changes have to be to what used to be ME LB and DE LB. Increasing the focus on deadlifting and back strength. Not much changing to pressing day. Squat day will be more rep work, lots of focus on building up the legs and going for 5rm on a different box squat each time.
Comments: This workout did not go as planned. I felt good on my singles, pulled 545lbs double overhand with just a soft belt. Just totally blew it on 650lbs. It stopped right below my knees. Close but not there. Really messed up the rest of my workout. I tried 640lbs after that ( I really wanted a PR) and it did get higher but still no good. Too much wasted on the previous pull. I was really pissed as if I had stayed smart and gone with 640lbs for my max, I would have gotten it. I was really in a funk and wasn't sure if I was going to finish the workout or not. I finally convinced myself to at least do the back work and then call it a day. Rows went well and pulldowns were a bit awkward. I haven't done them in so long and never really with a straight bar. I was still trying to figure out my training at this point.
November 16, 2011 - Extra Workout
Band Face Pulls IW#1'sx100
Band Press Downs IW#1'sx100
Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls IW#1'sx100
Comments: Forgot to take my meds, made for an incredibly crappy day. Felt dizzy all day. Couldn't walk so just band stuff.
Comments: I meant to get to this workout as soon as I got out of work but I was deep in the paralysis by analysis thought spiral and finally snapped out of it (got it together) and got to the gym late. Really hurt wearing the Oly shoes. The power rack was in use so I had to press from the squat rack, literally have to do a bit of a squat to get the weight off the pins. Despite that, didn't feel too bad. I got out of position on my attempt at 180lbs and it made for a very tough lift the whole way. I made sure everything was right for 200lbs and got it convincingly. Also did well on the down set. Benching went swimmingly as well. Incline db pressing started well but I was just done for the last set. Got to keep pushing and pressing. Triceps also suffered but that was to be expected since the last time I did them was on Saturday and that was when they were fresh. Still did good work on them. Good day
Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses 335x12 375x12 515x12 565x12
Modified Glute Ham Raises bw+5x12 bw+25x12 bw+45x12 bw+65x12 PR+2 reps
Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Kneeling Leg Curls 79x12/12 89x12/12 99x12/12 109x10/10
43 Minutes of Stretching
Comments: This workout was going to be the biggest change to my usual routine. Despite my hatred of front squats, I decided to give it my best and make it work. Jenkins suggested I do them with straps and it makes quite a difference. I am able to keep my arms up and keep the bar in perfect position the whole set. These were tough, good first session. I've never used this kind of leg press before so I started really light to get a feel for it. After two sets, I ramped up the weight a lot and boy did it get tougher. This is a much better leg press than the one I was using at the Y. Modified ghrs felt good. I wasn't sure what to do to finish off the workout but luckily the hs leg curl thing could hold enough weight so I did that. Lots of stretching after this workout.
November 19, 2011
Raking - 25 minutes
Walking - 31 minutes
Comments: Toe is still a pain but I was able to go for a walk today with no issues. Did some raking before hand to warm up a bit. No real workouts planned until 11/29 since I'll be away for Thanksgiving. I may lift Wednesday and might try for a deadlift PR again. Who knows.
Comments: Didn't really do much of anything today. I think I have most of my changes for my workout in place but won't know for sure until I finish this week of training. I'll be making the changes as I go. Have a place to set up the bands so I did band stuff. Went to a doctor about the toe. No broken bones just a painful hematoma. They drilled some holes in the nail to relieve the pressure. Feels a bit better.
Besides Tuesday's workout and most of Friday and Saturday, this week has sucked. Wednesday was definitely the start of it but missing 310lbs four times on log push pressing on Thursday tipped it over (didn't help that I then got only a single with 261lbs and felt a sharp pain in my chest on the left side). I asked for advice and got some (as well as a healthy dose of criticism) so I've been in the pondering mode since. Going to be spending some time sorting out everything but I'm at least headed in the right direction. Training this week might have to be altered as a rouge 75lbs plate waffled on my left foot. I doubt anything is broken but the swelling is painful.
Comments: As I mentioned earlier, I've been deep in thought over what changes I need to make to my training in regards to overhead (push pressing) and some of that advice suggested changes to lower body training as well. Mild case of paralysis by analysis set in which made for a late workout and a late start. I eventually shook that off and went with my planned workout of ssb box squats. These felt really good and that was surprising as I haven't used this band tension for them and I'm only 8lbs off of my "heavy" week on my "easy" week with this band tension. I got stuck in a thought rut after I was done but eventually decided to continue as planned with a minor modification. I'd do leg press for 4x12 instead of waved weight of 3x10, 4x8 and 5x5 like I have been doing. Then the 75lbs plate squashed my left foot. The amount of suck was indescribable. This happened to my right foot last year but this one hurt more. Well, on with the workout. No burning pain in my right quad this time so I think it is getting better, what ever it was. Roman chair work was a disappointment. I threw up in my mouth after the last set. Got to find a replacement lift, these upset my stomach too much. Perhaps a ssb or csb goodmorning? After my stomach settled a little, went on to do upper back dumbbell stuff. These went well. I decided afterwards to do overhead seated cable triceps to make up for no finishing my Thursday workout (I left in disgust after the log push press failure). Hit a big PR on these. Guess my triceps are getting their crap together finally. Not much stretching for this one.
Comments: Yesterday was annoying, hopefully today is better. Made myself go for a walk after class to relax. Noticed just how exhausted and wrecked my legs were.
Stress is a pain. Caused me to have restless night on Monday and somehow did something to my neck in the process. And the stress was unjustified. Thankfully only minimal eye twitching. Had a bone-breaking sounding pop when I went for my chiro adjustment. Neck is feeling better but not 100%. The lab at school was closed last night due to no lab monitors so not going to get a chance to walk tonight as I got stuff to do (that should’ve been done yesterday). Appetite has been up lately (also added another shake at night) but weight is still down.
Comments: Lifting didn’t bother my neck. I never feel comfortable with the csb but I figure I should use it since it is tough. I had a little scare when my right hamstring felt tight, similar to the feeling (but nowhere as bad) when my left hamstring went pop in January. So I was very cautious and tried to stretch it and adjust my foot placement, etc. Despite that, I made a 40lbs PR. Rdls felt good but I’m definitely at the point where my grip (double overhand) is going to hold me back on these. I got to decide whether to bring out the straps on just the heaviest set or to use the alternated grip. Modified ghrs felt really, really good. Getting better at upper back work after heavy lower body stuff.
No band stuff again, basement still getting fixed up with coats of paint. I'm noticing that stretching times have increased a lot this week and I believe it may have to do with the increased amount of work I'm doing each workout and also do to the decrease in workout frequency. Just something I need to keep my eye on is all.
Walking - 30.5 minutes
Comments: Good, relaxing day. Most of the aches and soreness from yesterday are back down to minimal irritation levels. This will be an interesting week.
Well, I definitely think that I needed the rest as my shoulder felt better the next day. Also, I ate a pot roast the size of a football which I don't think I've ever done on a day I did nothing. Also got some deadlift advice from Brett, more or less upper back stuff and cues I'll need to remember when I pull.
High Heel Leg Presses 670x10 760x10 850x10 PR+20lbs
Roman Chair Back Extensions 100x12 130x12 160x12 190x10 PR+4 reps
Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises 47.5'sx12 62.5'sx12 77.5'sx12 92.5'sx12
41 Minutes of Stretching
Comments: I did some raking before this workout. Felt good but then my lower back just tightened up after doing 225lbs. Made for a rough workout but I went onward. This is a tough weight for DE work. Left knee was achy so coupled with the sore back, I was very cautious of what I was doing. More so on the last set of leg presses as that burning feeling popped up in my right quad on the first two reps. I paused and rubbed the leg to make that feeling go away and continued the set with even more caution. If that feeling keeps surfacing, I may have to drop leg pressing from my routine. I hope it doesn't come to that though. Still getting used to roman chairs with heavy weights. I thought I'd be more acclimated to it but I guess it will take more sessions. I have to take longer breaks as these upset my stomach. Curse my sensitive digestive system. Dumbbells felt much better this time, matched my PR on these after so many weeks of building back up to it. Uncharted territory next time haha. Tons of stretching after this workout.
Meant to lift today. Achy and not feeling the best. Could be stress and some extra rest will be good. Figure I'll stick to my plan of no event training until after Thanksgiving.
Comments: I meant to get to this workout as soon as I got out of work but I forgot a change of clothes. My left shoulder was uncharacteristically achy and it bothered me the entire workout. I honestly wasn't expecting much. Log pressing was rough and it didn't look like I was going to get 265lbs, let alone a PR weight. Not sure what happened but 280lbs went up easier than 265lbs, so much so that I started laughing during the rep. 10lbs more and got it with a fight. My down set sucked as I got an easy first rep and then missed the second twice before getting it. Log pressing is weird. Nothing really to say on swiss bar floor presses other than my triceps were starting to get sore. I decided to go the dumbbell route for incline as it requires more balance, the groove isn't so fixed and I can bail from the lift easier. Even though the last set (wasn't planned) was two reps under my PR, these went better than my incline from last week. Not sure if my body is adapting or if it was just less volume this week. Then the triceps stuff. Other than the shoulder and some issues with the cable, these were good and hard. Lots of stretching.
November 04, 2011
Walking - 32 minutes
Comments: I like walking while it is cool outside. Refreshing and relaxing. My knees were feeling achy all day but they feel better after a good walk.
Comments: Just walking, had to take apart the power rack in the basement so the ceiling could get painted so no place to setup the bands. Made sure I got in a walk today to help my lower back recover after that heavy day.
Late lifting yesterday. Working on editing project after work so got to Max Fitness an hour later than planned. I’m noticing that I tend to have red dots on my face and throat after these heavy ME LB days.
Comments: As I said, I got there late, most people were already half through their workouts. 18” pulls so I tested out my new blocks. They work great. I was stupid and tried for 595lbs DOH and did manage to break it off the blocks a bit. Even though I said I’d be sticking to my small jump plan (which I disregarded last week with the chain pulls), I ignored it. I wanted 700lbs bad and that is how I got it. Big ol’ ramp up the legs. I hope to get it cleaner in the future. I was getting pretty tired on snatch grip pulls and the crappy bar wasn’t making it any easier. Had to rush modified glute ham raises and rows (more so on rows). Didn’t seem to mess with the ghrs much but rows were really tough.
I’m a little taller than 6′6″ and I really like to lift weights. I’m a competitor in amateur strongman contests. My hope is to become a competitive professional strongman. Currently I'm training for Northeast Regionals in Monaca, PA on 6/1/2024. I’m not a major competitor yet and I have a long way to go but I’m having fun.