December 27, 2011 – ME LB & December 28, 2011 - ME UB

December 27, 2011 – ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

15” Block Pulls w/ Chains
No Chains
135x5
Add Chains (+70lbs)
135x5
Add Chains (+140lbs)
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1
455x1
Added Straps
495x1
545x1
585x1 PR+15lbs
605x0
605x0
515x3

Sumo Stiff-legged Deadlifts
315x8
345x8
375x8
405x8
435x8 PR+3 reps

Seated Cable Rows (straps)
215x12
245x12
275x12
305x12 PR+1 rep

36 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I figured this would be an interesting workout as far as how I’d recover from doing heavy yoke picks and decent weight on farmer’s walk just two days earlier. Went quite well. Hit a decent PR but got greedy and tried to go for a big PR and missed it twice. My strap on my left hand wasn’t secure on my lift with 585lbs which made it a bit tougher to lockout than it should have been so I figured that if everything was perfect, 605lbs would go up today. Nope. I was much closer on my first attempt which was why I wanted to give it another go. Really wore me out for the down set where every rep felt like my eyes were going to burst. First set of sumo sldls were super easy but the other sets were not. Scar tissue in my leg started to act up on my set with 405lbs. No pain, just felt like my hamstring was “itchy”. Got mad, added more weight and did another set of eight for a PR. Rows went much better this session. Stones must have worn the crap out of my rowing muscles last week. Quite a bit of stretching after that to end a late night.



December 28, 2011 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Push Presses with Chains
No Chains
90x5
Add Chains (+28lbs)
90x5
Add Chains (+50lbs)
90x3
Add Chains (+72lbs)
90x3
Add Chains (+94lbs)
90x3
Add Chains (+116lbs)
90x3
115x1
140x1
165x1
190x1
215x1 PR+5lbs
225x0
185x3 PR+7lbs & 1 rep

Swiss Bar Floor Presses
215x5
245x5
275x5
305x5
335x2 (worst spotter ever)

Comments: Much like last week, I moved this workout up a day but in this case it was to allow more rest for event training since that will be on Saturday and not Sunday this weekend. Lower back was fairly tight. I got to the gym about 45 minutes later than I had planned. Made a small PR on log push presses against chains but I'll take it since my push press form has gone to crap and I'm rebuilding it. I might be even happier with the down set then I was with the single lift since I was working on resting the log each rep and had to work on my breathing. This was the end of the good portion of the workout as tons of new people just came in and crowded up the gym. Had to wait to do floor presses. Saw a guy doing one arm cable curls standing on a bosu ball I shit you not. Swiss bar pressing was going fine although it felt heavy in my hands (hands just worn out from yesterday) but my camera ran out of juice on my second to last set. I knew I needed a spot for the last set and none of the usual faces were around. I bit the bullet and asked two of the people that looked mature and seasoned. They agreed but then things went bad when they saw I was doing floor presses. They had no idea how to spot. The one guy decided to stick it out but the other got his "stronger" son to spot. The other guy did fine but that kid held on to the bar end and was actively lifting the weight! I was both mad and off balance and just racked it after two reps. Would have just severely injured myself if I continued the set. I did have to crack my back after that set. I was mad and then more people came in and there was no way I'd get to do my triceps exercise so I just packed it up and called it a night. Ugh, guess that'll teach me for going late to the gym.

December 26, 2011 - Extra Workout

I said I had my thoughts in order. It is still early but I need to keep open for Pro/Am shows this year. I should be fine going in to Viking Fest as it doesn't have much in the way of moving events like yoke or farmer's and the next plan show has them as rather light so I can focus on them as more of form work and not have to go much over 750lbs on yoke or 300lbs on farmer's walk. As far as goals for Viking Fest, I don't want to bomb any events. The car deadlift is obviously going to be the toughest to keep from bombing but I'll do what I can. For the max log, my best push press with a clean is 280lbs while my best with a jerk was 290lbs. I hope to beat both of those numbers but that could be tough as well since the log at Viking Fest will be larger in diameter than any log I have. Either way, I have my routine pinned down (for now). In prep for Viking Fest, I'm doing a 5/3/1 rep scheme on log press on my event day. As far as the ME exercise rotation, I'm attempting to prolong the time between variations as well as increase the amount of implement pressing and front squatting.

Walking - 32 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Kind of beat from yesterday. Took a different walk route as I dropped the log off at the gym and walked home. The cool air helps me relax and clear my head.

December 25, 2011 – Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)
110x5
140x5
165x3
195x3
220x3
250x5

Yoke
395x50'
575x50'
755xpick
845xpick
935xpick
1025xpick PR+13lbs
755x100' (drop at 50')

14" Pick Farmer's Walk
218xpick
268xpick
308x50'
308x50'

55 Gallon Oil Drum Bearhug Carry
223xpick
223x100' (turns at 50')

Comments: Got my workouts sorted out so life is good. Legs and hip were still kind of sore from Friday. Log just felt heavy the whole time. I took the advice to break up the reps rather than using the rebound from the previous rep to help the next rep. Should help me develop my pressing better. Core was just a wobbly mess on log. Really wanted six reps but I guess five is fine for now. Need to add 50lbs to that to even think about having a chance as a pro. Moved on to yoke from there. I had plans for some runs with 755lbs but it felt like the weight of the world just picking it up and I knew that wasn't happening today. Change of plans. Decided to see if supermaximal weights would wake me up some so I did picks adding plates each time. I figured 755lbs would feel light after lifting 1025lbs and it did. Did just one set of 100' (50' downhill and 50' uphill) which was enough. Really need to get back into moving events. Thankfully I have time to get better. Did farmer's after that. I had planned on doing double the sets but after the experience with the yoke, decided to do just two sets. Heavy but not terrible. Finished the day off with the stupid bearhug carry. Only got 100' with it. Man it sucks. I also tallied up my PR's for the year (not including my rehab PR's) and it came out to $109.75. A little less than last year but understandable with the two injuries this year.

December 21, 2011 - December 24, 2011

December 21, 2011 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Strict Presses
45x10
75x5
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x1
225x1
250x1
270x0
270x1
285x0
285x0

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses w/Slingshot
265x8
295x8
325x8
365x7

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
70x12
85x12
100x12
115x10

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Moved this workout up a day so I could make some family stuff the following day. I was pretty beat from deads the day before and it showed. Shoulders were sore as crap. Making changes to my training so that I'm doing more push pressing rather than strict style. I feel it is giving me bad habits when it comes to push pressing. I felt good on slingshot presses but I messed up on the set with 365lbs. I pushed to much and I slid on the bench so I had to readjust myself. So close to getting eight reps. Triceps were dead when it came to cable overhead triceps. I have to realize that I will not always have PR's or meet them on the assistance lifts since I'm rotating reps and exercises on the main stuff and it is changing the amount of fatigue from week to week.



December 22, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 32.5 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Just the walking and bands. Abs were sore from the past two days of lifting.

December 23, 2011 - DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

18" Box Squats w/IW#4's clinched
No Bands
45x10
95x2
135x2
Add Bands (+145lbs)
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
225x2
265x2
305x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2
342x2

Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses
425x12
475x12
525x12
575x10

Modified Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bw+25x12
bw+50x12
bw+75x12 PR+3 reps

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I was in the middle of making changes to my routine before I went for this workout. Got out two hours early from work for the holiday weekend. Squats felt good. I used the crappy bent bar as it is harder and a bit easier on the wrists. The rack height was a little high so I had to let the weight settle when I unracked it before squatting. Felt tons better than last time I (accidentally) used this weight. My hamstrings were really sore and tight after these. Leg pressing remains a disappointing enigma for me but I'll continue to stick with it. The reps should be good for my legs. Glute hams were just plain great.

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QM7oZ4mB7c

December 24, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 31.5 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Legs were still sore when I got up today and walking only helped a little. Bands were fine. Got my log out of the gym so I can do events at home tomorrow.

December 20, 2011 – ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

3” Platform Deadlifts
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
Added Straps
545x1
585x1
605x1
545x3

Wide Grip Romanian Deadlifts
350x5
380x5
410x4 (miscount)
440x5
Added Straps
470x5

Seated Cable Rows (straps)
215x12
245x12
275x12
305x4/270x9/225x12

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Everything was still fairly tight in my lower back so I was somewhat concerned it would hamper the workout. I’ve kind of been avoiding deficit pulls for a while since I was worried they would mess with my form on deadlifts from normal height. I elected to use 3” for the platform and I think it was a perfect choice. The weight felt really dead and stiff at the bottom of the lift, made for a slow start which was just what I was aiming for on them. I haven’t maxed from this height platform in years so I didn’t base my goal weight off of that. I think it was only 455lbs. I had done 555lbs off of a 6” platform earlier in the year (before the oblique tear) so I figured that that weight was the bare minimum I would aim for with my goal being at least 6 plates. Took a few sets to get used to the platform but I got it squared away in short order. Using a belt was the trickiest part as I’d be in horrible position if I put it on too tight. I got it wrong on the first set but corrected on the rest of the sets. 585lbs went up slow but I really wanted to get over 600lbs. Threw on 20lbs more and went at it. Tough one but I got it. Hard triple for the down set. Nothing really to write home about with the wide grip rdls. My calluses were about to tear on the set with 440lbs so I decided to strap up for the last set. I plan on doing farmer’s walk for event training so I figured it was best to save the hands for when it counts (though it looks like rain/snow this weekend). Rows were super tough this time around. All the sets felt like 30lbs heavier than normal. Probably because last time I didn’t do any deadlifting. After getting like 4.5 reps on the last set of rows, I decided to do a double drop set to get some more reps. Back was dead. Stretched and called it a night.

December 19, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 32 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Left side of my lower back is still kind of sore. Walking does seem to loosen it up and make things better. Bands were good. Two heavy days of lifting back to back coming up.

December 18, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 31 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Oof, lower back and legs were quite sore this morning. Walking helped loosen things up a little. Bands were tough considering the double whammy of workouts. I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow. I'll be making slight changes to my workout this week due to holiday happenings. I'll be lifting Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As far as Viking Fest, the deadlift event is going to be the biggest challenge for me. I found out that it will be facing the car instead of away from the car. On the one hand, it could be tougher but on the other hand, it should be easier to train for it as it will be much closer to farmer's walk picks.

December 16, 2011 - DE LB & December 17, 2011 – Events

December 16, 2011 - DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadliftts w/IW Super Mini SB's dbl
No Bands
135x5
225x2
Add Bands (+195lbs)
135x2
185x2
235x2
285x2
325x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2
382x2

Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses
465x12
515x12
565x12
615x8

Modified Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bw+25x12
bw+50x12
bw+75x9 PR+5lbs

37 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: This was a tough one. Deadlifting was not fun. This was more band tension than I really wanted but I had to make a compromise from using the one I want due to the convenience of this setup. The one I would like to use involves lots of dumbbells and plates while this one just needed the rack. Tried doing the sets with a double overhand grip but on the first set, I knew it would be asking too much of my hands. I didn't use straps and elected to go alternated grip, which feels really weird after not doing it for so long. Leg pressing I just did lazy strength but throwing on some plates rather than going for my actual starting weight. I felt better than last time but I need to drop the weight back down so I can get in the reps. Finished up with glute hams and stretching.



December 17, 2011 – Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

12.5" Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)
120x5
140x5
165x3
180x5
210x5
235x8

Tire Flips
860x1
860x1
860x6
860x6
860x1

Atlas Stones
No Tacky
240(18”)x3 to 57”
324(20”)x1 to 57”
354(20")x1 to 57"
Added Tacky
385(20")x1 to 57"
427(20")x1 to 57" PR+6"
452(22")x1 to 57" PR+6"

Comments: Apparently I had gotten a text message Friday morning about a change in event training this weekend. I didn't check my phone until late at night after my DE LB workout. Events were going to be Saturday, not Sunday. Crap, so much for sleeping in today. I made it down to the Stable and had a plan this time. No stupid crap like last week. It was also nice to see some familiar faces. First up was log pressing. I'm running a 5/3/1 thing for log so this would be the first run through. Joe's log is slightly larger in diameter than mine and weighs 7lbs more. I forgot about the fact it weighed more on the first set as that was only supposed to be 110lbs. I'll remember next time. Didn't feel too bad. More stupid math came up when I went for my second work set and realized the weight felt off on the pick. I had forgotten to change the weights on the far end. Ugh. The money set, IE, the one that counts was an eyeopener to be sure. I felt wobbly and my triceps were definitely feeling the heavy Thursday workout. This was about what I wanted on this so it is a good start. Next I moved on to tire flips. I was going to do three sets of five but since just about everyone was leaving (I guess they were there earlier than me) I decided to drop it down to two sets of six (three down, three back). Did two singles to feel out the tire. Went slow on the first set and a bit faster on the second. I slowed down on the last three though as I got out of my grip groove. Not as much pop as usual and I blame that on doing the speed pulls the day before. Did another single to prop it back up as I forgot I was done after the second set to put it away. Moved on to stones. My goal here was to hopefully PR on my best stone to 57" (our high platform). This was my second time using the Shaw Strength Stone Sleeves. I learned that they do not work so well for no tacky stone lifting haha. Could also be all the dirt on my hands from the tire flipping but I really had to wake up to rip those no tacky stones off the ground. Put on my new batch of Spider Tack and made my previous PR look like a toy. Next stone up was the 427lbs stone. A bit tougher but got it as well. I figured that since I was probably not going to do stones the next two weeks (home training for Christmas, got over plans for New Year's training) that I'd go after my first baby, the 452lbs stone. A little tough on the lap but just straight up killed it to the platform. Great way to end the day of training and good start to my prep for Viking Fest.

December 11, 2011 - December 15, 2011

This week has been a busy one; hopefully there will be a little bit of down time with the holidays coming up shortly. Late night of video work Monday, job interview on Tuesday and a med check and more video work Wednesday. So I have some catching up to do. I guess the most important things are that I have two upcoming contests planned (Brute Strongest Man and Viking Fest) in early 2012. The regular event training will certainly provide new challenges for my training, especially since I’ve been doing so without events for several months now.

December 11, 2011 – Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Clean and Push Presses (one clean)
72x5
122x5
172x3
222x3
272x1
272x1
272x1
307x0,0
308x0,0
308x0,0,0 (no cleans)

Conan’s Wheel
CW+400xpick
CW+490xpick
CW+580xpick
CW+580x3 laps (169’6”)
CW+780xpick
CW+780x1.5 laps (84’9”)
CW+1000xpick
CW+1000x3 picks
CW+1000x3’

Atlas Stones
270(18”)x3 to 50.5”
350(20”)x1 to 50.5”
407(20”)x1 to 50.5”
522(20”)x0 to 47.5”
522(20”)x0 to 47.5”
407(20”)x3 to 50.5”

Comments: This was my first real event training session since my birthday in early September. Apparently the crew in VA are going to have to move out of this gym to make room. It sucks but it sounds like they will have a new place to train, just means I got to drive a bit longer when I come down to train. I got one thing right and just about everything else wrong. The plan was just three events, some sort of overhead, conan’s wheel and stones. I just had a horrendous amount of suck on axle. Just embarrassing and awful. Lot of mistakes, hell I failed three times to clean the last weight before I called it quits. Just made me angry. After having time to reflect, I have a plan for overhead training on event days. Going to go with a 5/3/1 rep scheme that should hopefully give me enough practice at push press form as well as overhead reps. On to conan’s wheel which was the only event that went right and it started out great. I did what I thought was the contest weight for a decent three laps but then I was told that the weight was going to not include the apparatus. So I added another 200lbs and got 1.5 laps. That was where the smartness ended though as I heard someone mention that another competitor had done the conan’s wheel with 1000lbs on it. Being smart would be just doing a set of picks with that weight but I did several; one an intentional pick and the others actual attempts to walk with it. The weight was compressing me so much that pick height I was using for the other weights was too high to walk with it. Lowered it one and got about three steps before it just wobbled me like a ragdoll. Someone noticed that my start stance was fairly wide and thought that I might have issues with transitioning into a walking stance. He is right so I’ll have to be mindful of that next time. Then came stones and I was going to finally get a chance to try out the Shaw Strength Stone Sleeves. They work well and stick to the stones but it can be a hassle to get them on as you need another person to help. Cleaning the tacky off is also a
chore and I’m not so keen on using a tough scrubber on the leather. The tape I had on to protect the Velcro was just garbage, it was oily and kept coming apart so I elected to do low volume. Picking up the
stones was pretty easy but obviously my extension was off a bit. In another rookie mistake, I tried the 522lbs again. I figured I had made the long trip down might as well try but it was just plain stupid. Not
even close. I did three reps with the dusty 407lbs stone and stopped when the tape just slid off into my hands. Obviously I was disgusted with how I did but I can only improve upon this session. The soreness
in my arms was intense and has only recently went away.

December 13, 2011 – ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

18” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x3
180x3
215x3
245x3
275x1
305x1
335x1
355x1
375x0
375x1 (spotter help)
380x1
352x2

Cambered Squat Bar Goodmornings
200x8
230x8
240x8
270x8
300x8

Seated Cable Rows (straps)
215x12
245x12
275x12
305x11 PR+5lbs

Comments: Didn’t feel so hot and I don’t mean just the incredible soreness in my arms and back lingering on from events on Sunday. Still having some stress, eye twitch still there a little. Felt like I had a
mild cold but pressed. As I’ve mentioned before several times, I despise front squats. Doing them regular style? No real improvement. Use a harness? Torn oblique. I’m honestly giving them another shot at the urging of Jenkins and doing them to a box with straps. I still hate them with the intensity of 10,000 burning suns. My goal was to do 375lbs as I had plugged that in as the weight to base my speed day
stuff. I’ve only done them to a box twice and one of those times was with the harness. It felt heavy all night leading up to the goal weight. First attempt with it I got stapled. My training partners said the negative looked perfect haha. At this point, my right shin was really sore. The pain was very similar to when I had Osgood–Schlatters. I decided to switch out of my wrestling shoes and wear my work shoes. That seemed to make things feel better. Next time I’ll do these with oly shoes. I got mad and had a go at it. A little trouble at the bottom but it flew up but I knew it wasn’t all me. One of my side spotters had given a nudge at the bottom. I had to decide if I wanted to “count” it and do my down set or try again. I decided to try again with more weight. I got angry, slapped my face and just moved it. Really tough but I got it. Banged into the j-hooks on the one side haha. I wasn’t paying attention when it came time for the
down set and I accidentally had 10lbs extra on the bar so that was a tough fought double. The plan after that was sets of eight on snatch grip deadlifts but I changed my mind to csb gm’s. See, I had been hoping to use the thick squat bar for a deadlift variation to give a contrast to the whippy deadlift bar. Didn’t work out so I’m going to make snatch grip deads a ME variation instead. That’s where csb gm’s come in as I’m not using that bar for squats. These went well, went real deep on them too. I screwed up my math on the one set so I practically did the same weight for two sets. No biggie. Rows reactivated the soreness in my arms. I can’t wait until my arms are used to event training again. Didn’t have time to stretch.



December 14, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 32 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Made sure I got this workout in so I could help the recovery process. Bands were tough to do and were quite dead.

December 15, 2011 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell 4-Board Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
255x3
285x1
315x1
345x1
375x1
405x1 PR+10lbs
420x1 PR+25lbs
435x0
365x1 (misload)
380x3

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses
130x5
160x5
190x5
220x5
250x1 (suck)

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
70x12
85x12
100x12
115x11 PR+5lbs

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Felt a lot like Tuesday and I wasn’t sure how I’d hold up. Board pressing can always be odd, especially the 4-board/5-board region. Really happy to hit over 405lbs on this finally. Had a bit of an issue on my down set as I put a 25lbs plate on one side and a 10lbs plate on the other. Stupid. Rested a bit and hit a triple. Incline was another story. I really suck at it and more so when it is after heavy stuff. I need to get used to that. I’ll make smaller jumps in weight next time and aim for a lighter weight until I get used to this. Perhaps that will work better. Triceps felt strong on cables. The chain tore a bit of the preacher curl bench on the set with 100lbs so I put an extra shirt over it to keep that from happening again. Stretching felt good.

December 06, 2011 - December 10, 2012

I think the following conversation with my dad sums up the week-

"I think doing heavy deadlifts and heavy squats every week is too much for me."
"You think?"

Very busy this week, didn't have time to post updates. After my workout on Tuesday, I decided to go back to what I was doing as far as doing three exercises a day, deadlifts two weeks on and one week squats. Going to do the same with overhead doing overhead two weeks then bench for one. Also doing ME LB, ME UB and DE LB again. Some tweaks to that as well but I need to do some more work on it to get it solidified. On to this week.

December 06, 2011 – Deadlift

Dynamic Warm-ups

Reverse Band Deadlifts w/IW#4's
No Bands
135x5
Add Bands (-100lbs)
245x5
295x3
335x3
385x3
425x3
475x3
515x1
565x1
605x1
Added Straps
655x1
690x0
690x0

Comments: So much suck. My eye wouldn't stop twitching and I never felt good. Best pull of the night was the 605lbs double overhand so I thought I was finally getting it back. Nope. Just called it here and contemplated my next move.

December 08, 2011 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Swiss Bar Strict Presses w/ IW#2's
No Bands
45x10
75x5
105x3
Add Bands (+100lbs)
35x3
65x3
95x1
125x1
145x1
165x1
180x0
180x0
140x4

Swiss Bar Floor Presses
210x8
240x8
270x8
310x7 PR+5lbs & 2 reps

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
65x12
80x12
95x12
110x12 PR+5 reps

36 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Went late to do this workout as I had done some thinking on what to do. Gym work is gym work, event work is event work. Never tried strict pressing bands (at least standing that is). The bands are very unforgiving. Very tough. I guess I was a bit too ambitious this workout. Made up for it on swiss bar floor presses. My triceps are getting stronger.



December 09, 2011 - DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

18” Box Front Squats w/IW#3's
No Bands
45x10
95x2
Add Bands (+95lbs)
45x2
125x2
165x2
195x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2

Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses
445x12
495x12
545x12
605x10 PR+10lbs

Modified Glute Ham Raises
bw+10x12
bw+30x12
bw+50x12
bw+70x12 PR+2 reps

42 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Finally broke down and decided to do front box squats as a lift. I still hate them with the intensity of a thousand suns. Changed thins up by going 10x2 instead of 8x3. Front squatting was awkward but I'm getting used to it. When it came time for leg pressing, my legs were quite sore. Walking took some concentration after a few sets. I really struggled with the last set. I thought I was tired and just drained but it turned out I was using 20lbs more than I had thought I was using. So win I guess. Finished up with glute hams and a lot of stretching.



December 10, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 31 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Really nice outside today for walking. Definitely helped get rid of some of the soreness in my lower body. Had to do band stuff later in the day as the basement was being painted, again. Tomorrow I'm doing events in VA.

December 05, 2011 - Extra Workout

So much for making food and sleep a priority. I was up past 12 transcribing audio and couldn''t finish breakfast. Also have a bit of an eye twitch going on with my right eye. I don't feel stressed so not sure what gives.

Walking - 32 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Good, relaxing walk. Band stuff felt good too. I'm contemplating making adjustments to training (like dropping an exercise) or making my press day similar to my squat day in that it is more focused on 5rm (or 3rm) as opposed to 1rm. My head might be clearer in the morning. I will be returning to event training this Sunday, heading down to VA to hit stuff with the Edge 2.0 crew.

December 03, 2011 - Extra Workout & December 04, 2011

I tend to lose track of time when I'm editing.

December 03, 2011 - Extra Workout

Walking - 32.5 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Typical easy stuff. Still felt beat up from the day before, possibly the rest of the week as well.

December 04, 2011

Walking - 32 minutes

Comments: Had plans but they fell threw. I might just have to event training in Virginia as not much is happening up here, at least in an organized sense. I think my original goal of events this weekend didn't include me making a change to my training. Possibly this coming week will be enough time to adjust. A possibility is to go back to three exercises a session instead of four. We'll see.

December 01, 2011 - Press & December 02, 2011 - Squat

Oof, after the high that was Tuesday's workout, things went downhill. Mountains of paper work at my job and no where near enough sleep. I have to remember that these changes to my workout (and work) are going to be harder on my body then my previous setup and I need to make food and rest a top priority (more so than before).

December 01, 2011 - Press

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Strict Presses
45x10
75x5
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x1
225x1
250x1
270x1
290x0
290x0

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses w/Slingshot
265x5
295x5
325x5
355x5
385x5 PR+10lbs

Neutral Grip Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses
55'sx12
70'sx12
85'sx12
100'sx11

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
65x12
80x12
95x12
110x7

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: The one good thing with this workout was that I could wear my Oly shoes without pain. I felt good in warm-ups but it felt heavy as soon as I started putting on the weight. Never a good sign. I'd like to think that the time off due to last week and the lack of sleep contributed to that. Still hit over my bodyweight. Went to bold on the last single and paid for it. I gave it another go but it wasn't as close as the first attempt. Next time I guess. Lack of energy plagued this workout. Really had to fight to get the reps in on slingshot benching. Improved the reps on incline from last time, so close on the last rep. Same reps as last time on triceps but I think I was closer to getting eight reps on the last set than last time. Perhaps I will be more energetic next week for this workout.



December 02, 2011 - Squat

Dynamic Warm-ups

18” Safety Squat Bar Box Squats w/Chains
No Chains
65x10
Add Chains (+111lbs)
65x5
115x5
155x5
205x5
245x5
295x5
335x5
385x5

Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses
455x12
505x12
545x12
595x11 PR+30lbs

Modified Glute Ham Raises
bw+10x12
bw+30x12
bw+50x12
bw+70x10 PR+5lbs

Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Kneeling Leg Curls
79x12/12
89x12/12
99x12/12
109x12/12 PR+2/2 reps

45 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I have forgotten how rough chains can be on squats. With overhead and deadlift, they are deloaded at the start whereas with squats (and bench) it's right there from the get go. Hard fought stuff but I got what I wanted. Shins were super sore after these sets from walking out the chain weight (full weight at the top as they were slightly off the ground). My sore shins made it tough to get in the leg press haha. This different leg press just kills my legs. I haven't had my quads fail on me in a while (talking years) and it happened on the last rep of the last set. This is a good leg pres. Beat up my hamstrings and did a ton of stretching. Really looking forward to a day off to rest and sleep.