meet prep week 3, dirty deads. form work

FIRST DAY WITHOUT BACK PAIN, all it did was get a little tight like normal as if it was actually getting worked. which is telling me, my form was like shit.
alot of tension on the inner thighs, so gotta find a way to condition myself for it, plus I am putting my feet way out like right next to the plates. but for sure keeping my chest up more, and less rounding.

The bar I am using, is not a deadlift bar, it is thicker, and there is basically no slack to pull out, but I like training with it because it makes shit hard, and then when I pull with a DL bar, even 30 lbs heavier feels lighter.
135x2  3 sets i believe.
175x2 2 or 3 sets.
225x2  3 sets?
275x2 working sets. 5-6 sets.

 really happy with the form. first time pulling in months were I was able to PAIN FREE do some type of deadlift variation. maybe I should of done some deficit pulls because my speed off the floor was doo doo but its all gravy.

RDL's - saw a video of JL holdsworth talking about RDL's and really focusing on squeezing the glutes and not making it a lower back exercise so that is what I was trying to focus on.
185x15. 3 sets.

Overhand hold
275x10seconds. 2 sets. this was cake, time to step the weight up.

GHR
bodyweightx15  3 sets. time to start adding a band or 5lbs

glute bridge
205x15  4 sets.  - this things always make me fart.

pulldown abs
120x10. 5 second hold on each rep.   4 sets.  so beat I went light on these. but will for sure step the weight up in the weeks to follow.

meet prep week 3 military mondays

bar in front x10
bar behind x10
65x5
85x5
100x3
125x5
140x3
155x4

pull up 15lbx3

Seated dip
230x15  4 sets.
180x25  2 sets. trying to make sure I do not let it bounce off bumpers. 

pull up 15x3

lat pulldown
180x15 KILLER  4 sets.   note to self. DO NOT EAT OATMEAL BEFORE TRAINING

pullup 15x3

rear delt, bent over DB work
25x25  4 sets.

pull up 15x3 BARELY

bicep curvy bar +blue fat grips
bar+30lbs  x25   4 sets.
"super set" with plate row machine, shrugs  45x15. 4 sets

sled rehab, bicep has been feeling weird, shoulders starting to ache a little as bench and military are finally getting closer to max.

front raises there and back
face pull there and back.
bicep curl there and back.

meet prep week 2 squat

barx5
barx5
95x5
135x5
165x3
198x1
working sets
235x3
265x3 belt
300x7 belt

unrack 365. feel it. so manly

front squat
185x5   3 sets. paused

leg press
4plates each side  x10  5 sets.
blast set 2plates, 25, each side.  30 reps

seated calf raises
100 rep challenge, working outer calf

meet prep week 2 bench day

barx10
barx10
95x5
125x5
145x3
working sets
175x3
200x3 paused
225x5.  decently happy with the 225 for 5 but the bar should be moving a lot faster on the lighter sets.

close grip incline
150x10  3 sets.
db incline 40x20 plus 5 spoon presses    2 sets

barbell rows with belt
165x15   4 sets.

face pull
110x25  4 sets.

reverse fat bar curl
45 x 25.   4 sets.

meet prep week 2 military monday 21 oct 13

barx10 infront of head
barx10 behind head
65x5 close grip
85x5 regular
100x3 close
115x3 regular
135x3 close
150x6 using belt to help back

bodyweight pull up x10

seated dips - gotta do these because regular dips tear my shoulders/elbows up. but they are awesome
230 plate weight x15   4 sets.
160x25  2 sets.

pull up x 7

lat pull down
195x15  4 sets.

pull up x6

side delt raises 20x25  4 sets.

reverse curl
45x30  4 sets.

pull up x 5

meet prep week 2 deads

chiro says to take it easy. I was only kind of listening to him but after today I am deciding to really do that now. so I guess I will only be doing "speed" pulls with no more than 315 to keep my back from getting all locked up and having me limping the rest of the day. I guess I will just try to do them as explosive as possible, and do that for the next 7-8 weeks until the meet then take the weeks off when I go home and just do recovery type work. hopefully those 7-8 weeks before the meet I can start getting in some RDL's because my back wont be so fucked.

all these deads are done with the stiffest bar in the gym, and done at about a 1 inch deficit. I figured make it suck up until 2-3 weeks out from the meet.

135x5 overhand
175x3 overhand
225x3 overhand
275x2 overhand

working sets
315x3
365x3
410x4.  should not of gone for the 5th rep.

overhand hold
275x10 seconds. 2 sets

roman chair back extension
25x15  4 sets.

glute bridge
205x15  4 sets.

GHR
15 reps bodyweight.  4 sets.

pull down abs
150x10   4 sets.

chiro says do bird dogs and planks 3 sets. 15 seconds each.

Meet Prep week 1 Squat

chiro really wants me to let back take er easy. so belt and repeating last cycle.

barx5
barx5
95x5
135x5
165x5
198x2 or 3
215x5
245x5 belt
280x9 belt. struggled last week getting 5 out. thought i did 10. I maybe could of grinded one more out. but this is ok, almost a 5 extra rep carryover using the belt. I think I am going to open with 280 at the meet. just to smash and build up some convidence. plus go deep, see if I can get someone to call my squat for me.

185x5 deep pause squats.  4 sets. should of done 5 but back was getting stiff and already kind of was from chiro appointment, so I figured i worked enough.

leg press
4plates +25 each side,  6 reps.   5 sets.
1 set  2 plates+25 each side  35-40 reps. REAL GOOD

planks/flipped over, and bird dog  15 sec each,  3 sets.  - chiro's orders
in between those, calf raises 3-4 sets.  140x25.  - ladies love em

so that extra 5 rep carry over on my squat from the belt is amazing. I am really excited to see what the adrenaline and excitement of the meet will do for me. thinking maybe open with 280, then hit 320, and if it feels alright, go nuts and try 365.

trying to sit back more with the squats but its hard, as you can see lost some balance there.

really happy this meet came up, I was needing something to drive and motivate me as I am waiting to start school in January. 

meet prep week 1 bench

barx25
barx25
98x5
125x5
145x3
 workin sets
160x5 all paused
185x5 all paused
210x7 first rep paused. should of been 8 but I dumped it back. I think I am pressing too low, and bringing the bar back too far in my movements. need to figure that out as soon as possible. also I have not been liking my leg drive out of the hole when my feet are tucked under the bench, so I am trying it with them out infront now.

close grip incline
155x8 3 sets.  first 2 sets all paused - miserable. 2 minute rest

DB incline
40x20 + 5 spoon press.   2 sets. 1 minute rest

bb row with belt
175x10 4 sets.  super easy. and no pain in lower back.

face pull
110x25  4 sets.  1 minute rest

bicep fat rope curls (normal rope with orange FAT GRIPZ)
50x30   4 sets

35lb sled front raises. shoulder rehab. a few trips back and forth on flat.



front delts and biceps were still sore from monday's work. so thats great because it means monday was a good training session. so I took it easy today on the biceps and did sled recovery work.

as you can see in the video, I ditched the bar over my head on the last rep and the speed it was moving I should of had that. I think I am touching too low, and bringing the bar back to much on the upward movement. also I probably could of saved it if i noticed it was drifting so far back if I would of just rolled my wrists forward.

meet prep week 1 deadlift.

deads all sumo pulls.
135x5
185x5 overhand
225x3 overhand
275x1 overhand
300x5
345x5
390x5

overhand hold
275x10seconds. 2 sets.

back extensions
20lbx15  4 sets.

glute bridges
185x15  4 sets.

GHR
bodyweightx15  4 sets.

pull down abs
150x10  4 sets.

back aching and hurting again. but worked through it. seeing the doc tomorrow.
everything else felt good

meet prep week 1. military monday

barx25
behind head x25
military
65x5 close grip
85x5 regular
100x5 close
working sets
110x5 regular
125x5 close grip
140x9 regular

15x3 pullup

seated dip machine heavy 10 4 sets. - these things rocked me, day later, I havn't been this sore in a while.
255x10  4 sets.
165x25  2 sets.

15x3 pullup.

Lat pulldown bar with palms facing.
210x10 4 sets.

15x3 pullup

Front delt work.   this was gnarly, great shoulder work.
45lb plate. front raises holding by the lip.  25reps   4 sets.  

15x3 pullup.

bicep.  arms are tanked.
curvy bar with fatgripz +40lbs x 25    4 sets.

great workout, felt awesome, put in work.

meet prep december 14th

hoping to do my first full power meet december 14th.

this will be a great experience. going to see a chiropractor tomorrow to see whats up with my lower back, and hopefully it is not too serious so I can lift without pain soon.

Ive been lifting without a belt since after my push-pull april 20th.

Im looking to see some great carryover when I do the meet in december.

I am going to keep training most of everything the same.

except for, I am pulling with a Texas power bar I believe. all I know is this thing does not really give you any slack to pull out. and when I pull with a deadlift bar I feel alot more explosive.

I am also going to be pulling off some very thin stall mats to make it somewhat of a deficit pull, hopefully this will carryover as well. we shall see. Im hoping for a 500lb deadlift this meet.

still trying to figure out how I am going to cycle in my belt and figure out my numbers but I will look into that soon.

Squat day week 3 august 30th

bar x5. wicked tight.
bar x5. doing the advice adam driggers was saying in his video, and really focusing on the bar being tight. I think it is helping me stay more upright as well.
95x5
135x5
165x3
195x2
245x5
275x3
305x2

one leg extension
70x15  4 sets.
leg extension 160x15 + 100x10

two leg curl
150x15  4 sets.

leg press
380x6  5 sets.
220x25 1 set

lying cable knee raises
110x15  4 sets.

planks
1 minute x 2.

I SUCK AT PLANKS!
right knee, hip, thigh pain still there. but happy with the 2 reps of 305

Bench day PR'S HOLMES! week 3 August 29th 2013

barx20 wide grip
barx20 move grip in a bit
95x5 regular grip
115x5
142x3
175x5
200x3
225x6  gotta be a PR. ALL DAMN DAY! almost lost it at the top but I stuck in there and got it. felt the bicep jumpin and freaking out.

Close grip incline
warmups
150x8 3 sets.
db incline bench
40x20 + spoon pressx5    2 sets

pendlay rows
160x10   4 sets.

face pull standing
100x25  4 sets.   i kind of dug these, more tension on the upper back, good work

biceps 20lb DB
hammer curl, inner hammer curl, hammer curl, inner hammer curl.  each x25
super amped about today's training. For sure a REP PR. I think the all time PR is going to get broken soon. yeuhh!!! no complaints.  face pulls felt great standing.

Deads week 3

all kinds of stretching before, not as extensive as the week before, probably should of done more, but back was not hurting nearly as bad so that is good.

135x5 sumo
180x5 conv
225x3 sumo
270x2 conv
340x5 sumo - manshit
385?x3 conv
430x4 sumo. OK Meet PR - 465. Gym PR - 455?  and those two were with belts, SO im going to go on record here and say, with a belt the likeliness of a new PR being set, is pretty damn possible.

Back extensions/raises.
25lb plate behind head x 15. drop weight and do bodyweight x15.   4 sets. 1 minute rest.
this made my back feel amazing. my lower back and hammies all felt super warm, possibly the blood rushing through there? either way, felt good, back felt strong, didn't really ache the rest of the workout. so it was great. glad i did this.

overhand hold
275x10seconds.  2 sets.  first set 10, second set about 8-9 seconds. repeat this weight.

pull down abs
145x10  4 sets. i minute rest.
slow set 95x15.

laying leg raises
10lb plate x 15   4 sets. 1 minute rest.



wow OK. after watching that video. I let bar roll way far away from me, so I think I need to either start with some space and roll it into my shins, or just jam it in there from the start.

I had planned to do deficit pulls. but that was not happening with the back after the no belt no nothing deads, which is OK. this was some max effort lifting going on. the back is wicked sore. and those are accessory movements.

tried to do some dimmel deads like last week, but not in the cards. I could of "struggled" through it, but I feel that I strained the weak back enough already, so its OK. I am really happy with the lifting today.


Great training day. I felt good and acomplished.


Lift smarter.

military day week 3

bar behind head x20
infront x20

65x5 close
75x5 regular
95x3 close
115x5 regular
135x3 close
150x5 regular

pull up 10lbx4

tricep rope pressdown
150x10  4 sets.
BICEP SCREAMING
blast set 100x25 pressdown
70x25 overhead

pull up 10lbx4

lat pulldown
205x10  4 sets.
palms facing in 100x25

pull up 10lbx4

front delt plate front raise
35lbx25  4 sets

pull up 10lbx4

bicep curl
35lb bar x25  4sets.

pull up 10lbx4

bicep was screaming. aching as usual. probably from flexing it this weekend? weird. anyways. some lacrosse ball therapy and I was good.  no more wide grip pull ups unless palms facing in.

Squat week 2

barx5
barx5
95x3
135x5
160x3
195x3
230x3
260x3
295x3.

more squats
170x10 2 sets. hip hurting and knees feeling krazy as well
165x10. fuck this, im taking er easy.

one leg extension
60x15  4 sets

leg press
220x25 4 sets.  2 each, wide and close stance

laying cable knee raises
110x15 4 sets.



HOLY SHIT. first of all, this felt heavy as all hell. I felt like i was getting folded in half which is pretty pathetic, because I can deadlift 465 atleast. also. holy hell, this is the second week that my knee's especially right side, and thighs up near the hip, and hip crease have hurt like all hell. last week I worked thru it. but I decided to only do 3 sets of my 5 this week because it hurt so damn much. obviously something was wrong, and I already got the mandatory squats done so i guess its cool. hopefully this is due to lack of lower ab strength because I have been neglecting it, and after I did the abs my hips and legs felt good, but man is it annoying. I hate being intimidated by squats. that is why I am doing the 5 sets of 10, but this pain is non productive. makes my knee and thigh ache and just feel weird. I'll push thru it for the main movement, but I need to figure out whats wrong.

bench week 2

bar x 20 wide grip. felt like doo doo
barx20 normal grip
95x5
115x5
135x5
165x3
190x3
215x7  happy with this, and form felt good

pause close grip incline
barx10 wide grip
95x5or6 moved grip in a little
135x3 close grip
150x8  x 3 sets.  was doing goofy hip shit trying to get it up on the last rep of 2nd and 3rd set so going to stay on this for a while.

DB high rep incline
40x20+5 spoon presses.  2 sets. had to rest for a second on last 3 spoon presses. stay on this for a while.

explosive pendlay rows
160x10  4 sets.

face pull
105x25 4 sets.  beatin me.

cable bb curl
35x25.  4 sets.

benching felt great. as usual feels like crap at first but as weight gets heavier I feel better. pretty happy with the 215 x7. really want 315.  still a bit off. but I think 275 is doable soon. slow steady progress.

oh yea. due to bicep nonsense or who knows whatelse, I was not doing DB's for a while. but I know they are good to do, and they help with the stability muscles. so that is why I am doing them pretty light and high rep. same with the bicep work

Deadlift week 2

info on back injury in notes

mad stretching. empty bar good mornings. banded good mornings. stiff leg deads.

135x5 sumo
175x5 conv
225x3 sumo
265x3 conv
315x3 sumo. good looks fast on video felt decently quick
360x3 conv should probably lean back more.
405x3. sumo - not pushing it this week because of back, but its still bullshit because this should feel light. it fucking didnt.

deficit pulls no more pauses.
270x3.  6 sets.
need to get deep i can be more explosive, if not, its just a big frustrating pain.

dimmel deads
185x15   4 sets. EXPLODE

overhand hold
2sets  275x10 seconds

decline sit ups? incline situps? the bench is tilted
8ish lb ball, 4 sets 10.

pulldown abs
145x10  4 sets. felt this in the lower back.tailbone for sure


ok. so a video i saw from elliot hules, basically was telling me a pretty likely reason for why I was having pain. niglect of ab training especially the lower abs which makes sense because for atleast 2 cycles now I have barely if ever done any lower abdominal exercises. I always do my pull down abs tho. so I need to start doing that. i have also spent the past week doing a ton of stretching, lacrosse ball therapy, and foam rolling. back is definitely still sending signals of being hurt that is why I am not doing any more than the required reps, but I am very frustrated with my performances on the deadlift. granted, last week was all fucked up. this week my back is a little hurt so that is understandable, but the weights feel WAY HEAVIER than when i was lifting at the other gym, so maybe this is due to the fact that it is a stiffer bar, and has less flex, but i dont know. either way it will challenge me more and only make my deadlift better, just frustrating when you did 425x5 3 weeks ago and it felt faster than the 405x3 that felt like 10000 off the floor.

Military week 2

bar behind head x20
bar infront of head x20

65x5
75x5
95x5
110x3
125x3
140x6

pullups body weight max 9 1/2 angled out bars

tricep pressdown with rope
60x10
80x8
110x5
130x3
145x10 4 sets.
95x25
70x25 overhead

pull up wide grip 6 reps

lat pulldown
warm ups
200x10 4 sets. with straps

pull up palms facing 6 reps

bent over rear delt work
15x25  4 sets.

pull up angle bar 7ish reps.

bicep hammer curl
20x25 4 sets.

felt WAY better this week. last week was freaking weird. 140 felt heavy but thats whatever. back felt good after doing warmups goodmorning with just the bar. all in all. great training day. strained and worked hard, but I was not super tanked. so im happy with this. I dont care if I am tanked from working hard. I do have a problem with being exhausted off some bullshit that should not make me feel like I rucked 20 miles



 

Squat week 1

deep squat stretches. knee stretchs from Elitefts video

barx10.
barx5
95x5
135x5
162x5
195x5
210x5
240x5
275x5 -  felt good.

more squats
170x10   5 sets.   super beat, lot of pressure on outside of legs and outside of knees. leg press will cure it tho

no front squat because of back.

leg extension
170x8  3 sets.

leg press
210x25  4 sets

bench week 1

barx20
barx20
65x10
95x5
115x5
140x5
155x5
177x5
200x7 - felt heavy but saw the video and I was moving it decently quick which is nice to know. like i said on deadlift day, just weird week so not going krazy.

pause close grip inclines
150x8
150x8
150x8

DB high rep incline
35lbx20, 5 spoon presses
35lbx20, 5 spoon presses

pendlay rows
warm ups
155x10  4 sets.

face pull
105x25  4 sets.

bicep sled rehab/front raise/hip pull thru

deadlift week 1

well this a frustrating day and week. power on post shut down 2 minutes into my warm up. so i had to go and lift Wednesday.

i was frustrated about not being able to lift so i didnt stretch AT ALL, and started going at it. now it could have been form, or a general tightness of the back. but either way. I went and screwed my back up. my erectors I guess. i've been massaging it with a lacrosse ball and stretching but man does it suck. need to stretch more. anyways. you live and learn. glad its not anything too krazy. (i hope, but highly doubt it, cuz i exaggerate)

135x5
180x5 conv
225x5 sumo
270x5 conv
295x5 sumo
340x5 conv
385x8 sumo - holy hell my back. could of been bad breathing and bracing.

deficit pulls 3 second pause under knee. supposed to do 6 sets. not feeling it. back is LOCKED UP
 270x3
270x3
270x3
270x3

overhand hold 270x10 seconds  2 sets.

just bar, good morning, back super locked up.

back extensions 20+ reps, no weight.

straight leg kettle bell deads 30lbx25 2 sets

pull down abs 100x25.  4 sets.

385 felt WICKED HEAVY. like heavier than the other day when I pulled 425x5. so weird shitty day and week.

military week 1

bar behind head 20x
infront 20x
65x5 close grip
75x5 reg
95x5 close
100x5 reg
115x5 close
135x11 reg

pull up 10lbx3

rope tricep pressdown
140x10  4 sets  1 minute rests
90x25  2 sets

pull up 10lb x3

lat pull down with straps
195x110 4 sets.

pull up 10lb x3

shoulder side raises palms down 2x, thumbs up 2x
15x25  4 sets

pull up 10lb x3

bb bicep curl empty squiggly bar
35x25  4 sets.

pull up 10lb x3

Squat day week 4

barx10 2 sets
95x5
135x5
160x5
195x5

more squats
140x10 5 sets.

front squat
140x8 3 sets

pushed empty prowler there and back 2 sets.
 these freaking fake prowlers on the rubber flooring they have drive me nuts. I know im not that strong, but when that shit is bouncing allover the place and binding and getting hung up on the rubber it pisses me off soo much I can only push it empty.
worked the hell out of my legs in just those two trips.

leg press
200x25 4 sets. make knees feel oh so happy. fo real gangsta!
i switch between wide stance and close stance each set.



squats went great. felt good. I did what this video of adam driggers says to do, except I honestly think I have my hands wider than before, but I think I am keeping my back alot tighter. granted the weight was alot lighter, but doing those 140x10 for 5 sets. the weight felt almost non exhistant. so I will try it next week as well.

bench week 4

bar x 20.
95x5
115x5
140x5

close grip bench
135x10 all paused.

high rep 115x15-20

pendlay rows
135x10 4 sets. pause and hold at top pull with elbows

face pull

90x20 4 sets

bicep sled pulls 3 laps.  x 2

front should raise sled pull 3 laps x2

partials are dumb for me right now. make my joints feel like shit. from now on, high rep incline DB work. i need to get back into using DB's but light weight get those stability muscles working.

Deads week 4

178x5 sumo
225x5 conv
270x5 sumo

deficit pulls 245 no pause. 3 reps. 6 sets

overhand hold
245x10  2 sets

good morning
145x15  3 sets

GHR no weight 15 reps 3 sets

pulldown abs
120x10 4 sets

Military week 4

bar behind head x10, infront x10   2 sets

60x5
75x5
90x5
behind head bar x20

tricep pressdown.
40x15
70x10
100x20
100x20
90x25
90x25
70x40

Lat pulldown
110x25  4 sets

front delt plate raises
25x25 4 sets.

bicep reverse curl 30x25
regular 30x25
reverse 30x25
regular 30x25

20lb bar  100 rep switching up the grips when exhausted.

GRIP DAY SUCKA!

got told near the end of my workout no chalk. so i was pretty bummed. but still a good time

1 hand deads

95x3
115x2
135x2
145x1
155x1
160x1
175x1 only left hand

dual 3 inch pipes lift
worked up to 65lb 1RM

1 hand plate pinch max
25's

sledge flips??

wrist curls and reverse

Squat week 3

wall squats.

squats
barx10
130x5
160x5
190x3
240x5
270x3
305x3. - decently happy with this

more squaaaats
175x10 5 sets.


front squat - F***ing hate doing these.
165x8 3 sets

leg press
210x25  4 sets.

doing the high rep leg presses help at the end helps my knees not feel like doo doo.

im glad the weight although feeling heavy, im less intimidated by it because i am squatting so many more times each workout now.

aint no thang but a chicken wang

BENCH week 3

bench
bar x 20
90x5
115x5
140x3
175x5
195x3
220x6 - happy but wish i had a spotter. maybe had 7 in me

close grip bench all paused
145x8 3 sets.

did stupid partials. im just going to switch this to light weight db inclines. get those stability muscles going.

the awesome pendlay rows
155x10 4 sets

face pull
105x25   4 sets

bicep bb curls
30x25 4 sets.

biceps are hurting less. still getting some aches here and there. but shit when you bench a million pounds, shits gunna hurt. thug life

Deadlift week 3

Pulls
178x5 conv
225x5 sumo
267x? Conv
335x5 sumo
380x3 conv
425x5 sumo

Deficit pulls wit 3 second pause under knee
260x3  6 sets. off of 25 lb bumpers

overhand hold 2 sets 15seconds 260lb

good morning
170x15 3 sets

GHR
15lb behind headx15 3 sets.

pull down abs
145x10 4 sets

felt great that day. eating something decent before the workouts is helping plus making sure i drink a gallon of water.

really happy with the 425x5. not sure what my newest 1RM would be. but seeing as my last PR was 465 i think its fair to say that that will be broken soon.

anxiety

I'm going to use this blog for whatever I want. Its Mine. And  no one reads it anyways so I'm going to vent here and hopefully this will help me through my troubled times.

Situation: separation from the army. Well its finally time. I've been talking shit and praying for this moment. Well here it is. Finally getting this MEB. I WILL be out in late october/ early November. I am not doing what most people do though. Most people go back home or go where they know someone. Nope. I'm moving to Austin TX. never been there, buy I've heard great things and I don't feel like going back to sj. I have no debt, and the GI Bill Benefits, so why not explore. I want to experience new things. Who wouldnt you want to live near the Beach? I know I do, but I need to explore new options and places.
So now that this process is starting I am starting to get my anxiety attacks and all that fun stuff. You know the bitch-ass-ness in you telling you to quit, off yourself, go back home. Something like that. But Im not sure what scares me more, trying and failing, or never trying. Now I'm not a huge daredevil or anything special like that but I have goals that I think are attainable. They have been done by other men. So I don't see any reason why I can't succeed. I got enough money to live income free for at least 8 months. Not that I will but just saying.

The goals I have In life are not that krazy.  Gain financial freedom before 35. That means - I work for myself if I choose to work for someone else that will be another story. However, I want to earn more than enough steadily that I do not have to answer to anyone or fear not receiving income from a company. I will achieve this through real estate investing. It seems like a great way to gain financial freedom.

I will squat 700. Bench 600 and dead lift 700. Then I will increase the goals.

I have many more but I think this will be plenty to focus on these while going to school.

From now on when I get scared I am going to tell myself that I can be a success. When I was in Korea working 8am to 8pm then coming home lifting for 1-2 hours and then doing 2 hours of school. And maintained a 4.0 while taking two classes. Everyone was sleeping and partying. I would spend 8 hours in the library on my weekends after working those scheduals, then reward myself with going out for maybe a movie. I enjoyed that struggle and the rewards and was proud of myself. If I can do that. I can easily succeed In the outside world.

 I think re-telling myself this will help me through my anxiety and fear of the unknown.

also not trying to accomplish everything in a day and slowly knocking away at it seems to help a lot.

military press week 3

military
bar behind headx10, infrontx10
 60 close grip
75 reg
90 close
workking sets
115x5 regular
130x3 close
145x7 regular

10 lb pull up 3 rep

rope tricep pressdown
warm ups
145x10 4 sets
blast set
60x25
using sotball grips 50x20, grapping overhand grip reverse curl - 20lbx20

10lb pull up 3 reps

lat pull down
195x10 4 sets. with straps, way easier and more controlled
90x25

10lb pull up 3 reps

rear delt bent over raises really pinched em and it felt great!
10lbx25 reps

10lb pull up 3 reps

bicep work hammer curls
20x25 4 sets.

squat week 2

I was working on doing alot more lower back arching like in the So you think you can squat videos, and man was my back sore afterward, i think it helped but I really just need to get with someone and have them work with me on my squat.

wall squats
barx5 or 10ish
125x5
160x5
195x3
working sets
225x3
255x3
290x5 - i felt real good about these, im learning to love to squat, and not be intimidated. progression is muy bueno.

more squats
170x10 5 sets

front squaats
165x8 3 sets.

leg press
200x25 4 sets.

my knees were not loving it today, but the leg press at the end of the day relived alot of the pressure on the front of my knee. so im glad i have been doing them.

Bench week 2

barx20,10

90x5
115x3
140x3
working sets
165x3
185x3
210x7

close grip incline bb 
145x8
145x8
145x8  stay at this weight for rest of cycle

Partials off chest90x20 1 set.
partails half way up to lockout
90x20 1 set.

pendlay rows
150x10  4 sets.

facepull
100x20 4 sets.  make sure to squeeze back

recovery
bicep sled curl. 3 sets. 35 lb plate
shoulder front raise 2 sets.
row 2 sets.

Notes: last set of close grip incline i was doing pause reps for 6 reps, then the last 2 I would EXPLODE out of the bottom it was amazing, but then got shitty form, sticking in the middle. but cool to see that working in the same damn set.
I think the partials are making my shoulders/bicep hurt.

deadlift week 2

warm up
135x5
178x5 conventional
225x3 sumo
265x3 conventional
working sets
315x3 sumo
350x3 conventional
405x5 sumo

deficit pulls with pause under knees, 2 seconds
255x3  6 sets

Overhand hold
255x15second. 2 sets

good morning
165x15 3 sets.

GHR
10lb behind headx15  3 sets.

Pull down abs
140x10  4 sets.

Notes: i felt way better this week than last week. could of been better eating, could of been the lack of people in the gym, also not as hot in the gym. either way, felt great.

military week 2

military week 2

wide grip pull up 5 rep.

military
bar behind head 10, infront of head 10
60x5 close grip
75x5 wide grip
90x3 close grip
105x3 wide grip
120x3 close grip
135x10 wide grip

wide grip pull up max 5 rep

rope tricep press
warm ups, 60, 100, 120ish
140x10.  4 sets.   bicep was acting weird as hell,aching hard. probably from the pullups or the cold weather.
blast set, 60x25 2 sets - made triceps and biceps feel alot better

palms facing pull up max 5 rep

Lat Pulldown
warm up 100, 150, 180ish
195x10 4 sets.   - trying my best to do it with all back and not yank with my whole body like most idiots.

wide grip Pull up max 5 rep.

recovery/maintenance
high rep side raises - 15lbx25 4 sets. 1 minute rest between sets.

palms facing pull up max 8 reps.

high rep hammer curls toward chest- 15lbx25  4 sets. 1 minute rest between sets.
I was watching a body building video of phil heath and he was doing these, said he was targeting obviously the bicep but also the top of that forearm, I have some aching there from time to time so I figured this would help flush that area with blood as well.

happy with this workout, didnt feel exhausted after it, good workout, i put in great effort just not exhausted by it. pretty happy despite waking up at least 4 times last night.

squat day

wall squats

squats
barx5,5
128x5
160x5
190x3
210x5
240x5
275x6

squats
165x10.  5 sets

Front squat
165x8.   3 sets

Leg press
200x25.  4 sets 

notes: sweated my entire ass off. squats i feel were good, but felt heavy, cuz im being a vagina, but im teaching myself to love squatting. except front squats, I will forever hate those fucking things. read some article where dave tate said going after hypertrophy and maximal strength is a bad idea because you will not get the best out of both. but i think the high rep leg presses are a nice way to finish up. and they make my legs/knees feel better.

P.S. i need to start doing some freaking cardio..... someday

bench day

bench day week 1    18 july 13

bench
barx20,10
90x5
115x5
140x3
150x5
175x5
200x10

close grip bb incline
145x8  3 sets

wider grip partials off chest
90x20  2 sets.

bb pendlay rows
145x10   4 sets.

facepull - done right high rep.
100x15
100x20 decided to man up
100x20
100x20

notes: really like these pendlay rows. Super bent over bb rows. helps keep me from using momentum to move heavier weight, and actually use my back. i feel like the partials are actually helping with the bb incline, which in turn will help with my flat bench.
ALSO the facepulls done with high reps are great.

deadlift day

deadlift
135x10
178x5
225x5
267x3

real work
285 or 290 x5 sumo
335x5 conv
385x6 sumo

deficit pull off of 25lb bumper plate - with 2-3 second pause under knee
245ishx3.  5-6 sets.

good mornings
135x15. 3 sets.

GHR
10lb behind head x8  3 sets.

overhand hold.
250x15seconds. 2 sets.

abs
lat pull down abs 135x10. 4 sets.

notes: pulls felt alright but form was shitty on 5th rep thats why i took a step back for the 6th.
hotter than hell in the gym, and crowded as shit so already annoyed when i walked in.
I felt like my lower back got messed with enough that I didnt need to go very heavy with good mornings, plus head was feeling weird and ever since i almost blacked out doing military press I have had a few p***y moments. still felt like a great workout. got all my stuff done in under 1:20 so im happy with that.  also have to account for having to drag weights to other side of gym so i would have a spot to lift

deuces

week 1 military

military press
bar behind head  x10, infront x10
warm up 60,75,90

100x5
115x5
130x10

weighted pull up
25lbx3

tricep rope pressdown
135x10. 4 sets.
high rep set- 70x25, 60x25

weighted pull up
25lbx3 barely

Lat pull down
195x10.  4 sets.

weighted pull up
20lbx3   need to do 10-15lb. dont be arrogant. your pullups suck.

high rep front delt work
25lb plate x 25. 4 sets

bicep high rep work
30x25. 4 sets.

notes: I suck at weighted pull ups and regular pull ups. so drop the freaking weight.
keep feeling light shit and tired, probably a lack of interest in my job, not eating enough, and these humid ass weight rooms. oh well.
dope workout

july 12 2013 squat deload

wall squat - doing this to figure out form, saw it on elitefts and thought it would be interesting to try. and after seeing video, i need to back that ass up and arch harder.

squat
bar 5,5
126x5
157x5
189x5

135x10 5 sets

front squat
135x8 3 sets

leg extension - the one at the gym was catching and dragging, or flying up because i was doing light weight, itd be nice to use a plate loaded one.

50x25 5 sets

leg press - i think im going to start doing these for high reps instead of leg extensions that way i can hit everything in my legs for high reps.

just testing it out    150x50  1 set.

cable knee raise ab work
100x10 4 sets.
easy peasy gotta step it up, but it was deload day.

notes:  for some reason it just popped to start dropping my elbows on the squat and this felt GREAT! which is what i've been needing to do, just gotta make sure i dont smash my elbows on my thighs, stay tight, and arch more.

bench deload week

week 4 bench deload week 11 july 13

bench
bar  20, 20

90x5
115x5
135x5

incline barbell bench
slight warm up
115x15 3 sets

partials off chest
85x20
85x20

bb row - did these like pendlay rows.
bar x 10ish
95x7ish
135x10 4 sets

facepull
60x20 5 sets

DB hammer curl
15x25  4 sets.


notes: realized I need to work on form with bench and although I set up and treat the weights like they are heavy I still dont stay as tight as possible. Still need to figure out where I am going to hit on my chest and keep it that way. I stay way tighter and bench alot better when the weights are heavy, which I guess is good, but still need to stay tight. *i like doing the 20 reps with the bar*

i think i need to grip wide as hell on my warm up with just the bar for incline, it wakes up my shoulders but wont hurt em because its light, then when i get to working sets, walk the hands in a little more.

Doing the partials off the chest i think are going to help me with being super shitty off my chest, I should also work pauses into the bottom of my regular sets. but the partials for some reason I try to do them with this retarded shoulders up shrug that makes it all shoulders, super ugly and uncomfterble. but I caught myself and on the second set, set up like a proper bench and tucked the shoulders back and down and really tried to use my arms and triceps and really was heaving the bar, I see this being a benefit for my flat bench.

did the BB rows like pendlay rows, super bent over, touched the weight to the ground almost everytime. really worked the traps and back. plus eliminates the use of alot of leg drive which i like, but works the entire back i think, plus the lower back is still sore from that stupid shit on my DL day.

facepull - really focused on pinching the shoulders and upper back back. need to stop heaving it.

bicep curl  - same pump feeling i would get before, but like no pain if anything it is eliminating pain, paul carter is smart. Im going to keep these up, and when 15 isnt shit, i will step the weight up. i also made sure to squeeze the hell out of the weight, so i really work everything and it seems to help with upper forearm aching.

deadlift deload week

tusday deadlift deload week.  9 july 13

wall squats, face into the wall with bar or hands on back - learning proper stance for squats.

deads
bar straight leg warm up 5-10 x2

176x5 - conv with overhand grip - trying to improve grip strength
225x5 - sumo
265x5 - conv. overhand grip. see above

this is where things got wacky.

deficit str8 leg deads
215x20 4 sets.

I did these thinking "hey it worked with my exercises yesturday". well dumby, they were not full body exercises, not to mention, it was hotter than shit, and the weight was actually pretty damn heavy to do 20 reps with. not to mention I dont know about other people, but when I do high rep, or heavy lower back targeting exercises, my shit locks up hard and you can kiss pain free walking goodbye for about 10-15 minutes. so I need to remember to put intense lower back work at the end of my working.

one leg standing curl
20x20 5 sets.
i did these basically for principle i could of added more weight but i was so damn exhausted, hot as shit, and lost that i just suffered through. whatever, got the blood to flow, and felt it a little. but I knew i didnt have the energy for GHR so thats that.

pull down abs on lat pulldown
80x20  4 sets.

notes:
on super high rep things i need to go waaay lighter i think. i was so fucking exhausted after the str8 leg deads that I was useless the rest of the workout. my back was super locked up, it was extremely painful just to bend down and move the weights. lower back targeting exercises need to be left to the end of the exercises.
also! I need to start doing deficit regular deads sumo or conventional starting the next cycle because I want that explosiveness back that I used to have before I was doing 5-3-1. check old training logs from before 2013.

I also am starting to try and cycle my prilosec because I dont want to be dependant on that shit. so today was my first day of not taking it, I am going to do, day on/day off for a while then start doing two off/one on if i feel i can. we will see, I hope none of my weakness was from the prilosec not being there, but i doubt it really had any effect. no "stomach" area pains. maybe just excess salevating but im used to that. god i want a good doc.

also, I really feel I lift better when I dont eat shitty defac food before I lift. shortening on the grill to cook eggs, really? and you say you are feeding me healthy meals? oh well. some people dont have the choice of what they eat, and would kill for that, so be greatful i guess, and make up for it with healthy meals inbetween

have been lazy about this but I am going to get back on it.
but I will probably only post the main lift videos now

monday 8 july 13  military "deload" week 4

military press
bar behind head 10, infront 10. x2 sets

58x5
73x5
87x5
on these working sets I made sure to pause at top and bottom, just to make it somewhat difficult. felt like shit doing these, felt tired and lazy

bent over rear delt work.

15x25 4 sets.
made sure to pinch shoulders at top

tricep work
tricep pressdown/reverse tricep curl alternating.
3 sets each 90x25

lat pulldown
100x25  4 sets

bicep curl wavy bar
30x25 4 sets


notes: talked to paul carter of lift-run-bang due to the pain i kept having in my bicep. he said it could be due to the fact that I was neglecting my bicep and so when i ask it to work it starts hurting. so i used a method he uses doing atleast 100x reps for the movement. i used it for everything today because it was a deload day. bicep feels great a day later, it still has a little of the ache that i usually get but nothing like before and I see this getting better over time.

p.s. I felt yolked as hell after the tricep and bicep movements haha, that was nice. lookin pretty.

those fun life lessons

so I have been struggling with a bicep issue, and after talking to paul carter of Lift-Run-Bang, he helped me realize my bicep could be pretty damn weak from not being worked out, and asking it to work is causing it to hurt, so i started implementing a 100x rep exercise he uses. IT WORKED pretty damn well, bicep is feeling better. well i learned my lesson today. probably should keep that 100x work to direct muscle targeting exercises, today I did 4 sets of 215x20 straight leg defficit deads, and after limping around for atleast 15 minutes, i was finally able to finish up the workout. lower back feels fine now, but I think I am going to leave the lower back exercises to the end of my workout so it doesnt take 8 million hours. ahhh the fun of learning your body.

oh look, puke.

 

i actually feel pretty damn good now, but dear lord was I exhausted, not to mention it was hotter than shit in the gym. i was so warm, then exhausted and weak. then all of a sudden super cooled off, and my sweat felt cold as hell. your body can do some amazing things.

 *really hope me not taking my prilosec today has nothing to do with any of this, but i doubt it

near blackout at the gym

so I went to do my max military press for reps, and after number 2, i lost vision, then everything tilted, and i lost all balance/strength, so had to throw the bar down and look like a jerk. oh well.

rest a few, and hit it again for 7.

second time its happened to me, last time was on a front squat max.

maybe a nerve? just holding too much air or breathing too much idk. stuffs weird. kind of threw off the workout but got my work done. so fun

 I am really looking forward to getting out of the military so I can have a decent kitchen to cook in and can plan all my meals.

 not to mention talk to a doctor/nutritionist that isnt a prick and actually cares about the people he treats.  I understand these docs have to see like 100 people a day, but its still pretty frustrated when they just shrug you off.

THIS IS WHY WE KEEP NOTES!

Sooooo, the dreaded elbow/bicep pains are back.

what these consist of is: something randomly setting it off (on my off days) and swinging my arms, helping my friend cut down his tree and throw the branches made it feel crappy.

fortunately its going away quickly when whatever movement that agitates it, is stopped.

when im working out, usually when my tricep gets tight, my bicep feels like its getting a gnarly pump and i feel (maybe a tendon) this tight spot like 2 inches from my inner elbow joint. this is not fun but its nothing compared to what it used to be..

The break down:
back in november-ish of last year, i was having elbow/bicep/shoulder pain that was so bad "speed work" was miserable, quick DB movements were super painful *still are actually i believe* and it was so rough that my squats were just pointless. what ended up happening was I dropped my bench number down, re learned to bench, completely stopped squatting, and just started deadlifting a shit ton. I would still squat, but it would be on the "V squat" machine, where ur feet are at a weird angle, and your back can go forward or back depending on how you pressed against the shoulder pads. at this point i was trying to do some krazy westside shit when i should of just been doing 5 sets of 5 of all the main lifts or something just to learn to work hard. but whatever, i got my head out of my ass eventually.

so now that i think about this, thats probably why im squatting 330 at best, and deadlifting probably over 465 now. but I always deadlifted better than squatting. "always" haha Ive been lifting like 2 and a half years. still a baby.

I started researching all kinds of stuff, got the voodoo bands that kelly starrett makes, those are awesome, but i dont think they were solving my problems. they helped with blood flow, but were not the key. i was doing lacrosse ball therapy, and that kind of helped. what really eliminated alot of the shoulder pain (which was rear delt) and the elbow pains when I did my regular heavy bench, was realizing that im not huge, and that im not a geared lifter, and moving my hands in. BAM! instantly I was a tad weaker, for a few weeks, but no more shoulder pain, and elbow pain was minimal after a few weeks. I was also regularly doing band deflections *i think thats what they are called* donnie thompson has a video on youtube about it, they work wonders. and he says they work better than elbow sleeves, I dont have elbow sleeves so i wouldnt know, but these WORK!

I now bench by setting up my thumbs on the end of the knurling, and get my spacing, then tuck them back next to my hand, so idk maybe 3 inches from the end of the knurling? im not sure, but you know what? it works, Im progressing, set a PR in my recent first meet, and I keep improving, so screw it, why over think it.

also doing "sled work"  helped. at the end of workouts, I did 2 sets each of tricep extensions, front raises, and face pulls. i just used 2 straps from 2 ratchet straps and attached em to a 35lb plate, and walked the length of the workout room and back. thats one set. I am going to start doing those again, and they feel great.

so as of right now, the elbow pain is not bad, no where near what it was. im 20 minutes or less back from the gym and its non existent.

so what am i going to start doing:
less DB work, atleast until this goes away. I will eliminate DB work.
I was starting to do incline DB presses, I will now do incline BB work instead. once this is better I will phase it back on or cycle it.

I am going to stop doing JM presses, these reign hell on my triceps which effects the bicep, and I think this is the biggest cause, because nothing else makes it hurt like this. JM's are awesome, I see how they work and the great benefit, but my elbows are bitch made, and can only take so much.

I will start doing sled work at the end of the workout. I really dislike being there longer than an hour, because I dont want to dilly daddle, but this is essential I think.

I have been Neglecting my shoulders. I think I do need to work in some high rep rear delt work too. I think my front and sides get enough from benching, and military press. but we will see as i progress. as long as these numbers keep improving, we are good. but I do not want to keep patching something if I can fix it.

deadlift day 28th may 2013

deadlift

305x3
345x3
391x5

rack pull
345x8
345x8
345x8

hip thrust - i keep maxing out the cable machine, so i need to research some more hip thrust type exercises
band hip thrusts 4 sets 15
used blue band grabbed mid way

GHR
red band
2 sets 10
1 set 15

knee raises
40lb kettle belt chained to leg straps
4 sets 15

military press may 27th 2013

military
 98x3
112x3
126x10

JM press 5 sets
130x10

barbell decline skull crusher
60x30

lat pull down  5 sets
180x10
180x10
180x10
180x10
180x10
90x30

bb bicep curl
75x10
75x10
75x10
75x10

squat day 24 may 2013

squat day  week 1

201x5  65%
230x5  75%
265x5  85%

step up 3 sets
140x8

front squat 3 sets
170x8


laying cable knee raises 4 sets
100x10

incline sit ups 4 sets

10x10 weight behind head

bench week 1. 23 may 2013

145x5  65%
166x5  75%
190x10 85%  happy with this too. as seen in the video that second set had some sketchy shit going on. but i am learning to push that bar straight up, not back and up.

incline DB press - did these FULL range of motion, DB all the way down to my chest then pressed. really worked that bottom end.
3 sets
65x8.
70lb barbellx30

low cable row
5 sets
175x10
wide grip handle 105x30

face pull
4 sets
110ishx10

great workout today, didnt dillydaddle a bunch inbetween sets or wait to long either. got in n out within on hour. excluding warm up.

deadlift day week1 21 may 2013

280x5  65%
325x5  75%
370x10 - 85%  really happy with this one. its funny, i was grunting like krazy, and of coarse getting weird looks. funny how at regular gyms you get funny looks when you are really exerting yourself.  STUPID PROUD OF THIS ONE.

rack pull
3 sets
340x8
i used the belt just to feel if i was really pushing out my abs or not.

hip thrust on cable machine
4 set
155x10.
i can do these really explosive so i did them close stance to make them harder. but that is the max weight the cable machine has. I need to look up some new hip thrust type exercises.


GHR
3 sets 15 reps.
 one purple band. I saw the video of my last workout and was not thrilled with my form. so I dropped a band and tweaked the machine a little, and I really felt it in the hammys this time.

military press day week 1 20 may 2013

military press

91x5  65%
105x5 75%
120x10  85%

JM press
5 sets
125x10

lat pulldown
5 set
175x10
100x30

seated DB hammer curl alternating
5 sets.
30x10

15x30 same time

cool down week 13 may - 17 may 2013

i dont need 4 separate post for this so I am just going to list the entire week's deload training.

military day 13 may

military
54x5  40%
68x5  50%
 81x5  60%

front shoulder raises
3 sets 20 reps   45 lb plate.

DB side raises.
3 sets
30lbx20

rear delt bent over db raises at the same time.
3 sets
25lbx20

tricep cable pull down with rope
5 sets
140x10
70x30 1 set.

lat pulldown
5sets
150x10

curl curvy DB
5sets
70x10
---------------------------------------------------------
deadlift day   14 may

deadlift
170x5 40%
212x5 50%
255x5 60%

rack pull
3 sets
305x8

sled Hip thrust - this was a pain in the ass setting up.
3 sets
90lb plate weight x 15

GHR 3 sets. 2 purple bands.
8
10
10

cable laying ab crunch.

3 sets
90lbx15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bench day  16 may

bench
86x5  40%
108x5   50%
130x5  60%

floor press - did pause reps for the first 4-5 reps.
5 sets
70x10

low cable row
5 sets 10
150x10

face pull
5 sets
100x10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Squat day 17 may

120x5  40%
150x5  50%
180x5  60%

today i really learned what getting STUPID TIGHT feels like and how much it helps. the weight didnt feel like anything on my back. granted it was light weight. but still.

step up - freaking miserable
3 sets
135x8


close stance front squat
3 sets
145x8

leg extension
3 sets
130x8
70x30

lat pull down abs
4 sets
120x10

left to right lat pull down abs for obliques
90 lbx30



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Squat 10 may 2013

week 3 squat 10 may 2013

squat
225x5 75%
255x3 85%
285x4 95%

170x10

front squat
3 sets
165x8

hack squat
3 sets
plate weight 180x8

90x30
threw up after this. but i felt good. taught me to push thru the burn. i wish i would of filmed the hack squat.
my legs are bitch made. but they'll learn.

bench day 9 may 2013

week 3 bench day 9 may 2013

bench

162x5 75%
185x3 85%
205x6 95%

no benches were available so i did floor press DB bench
3 sets
80x8
40x30

cable row
5 sets
170x10
 100x30

Facepull
140x10
140x10
135x10
tired of having to try to plant my feet like hell. so went to the lat pull down machine
 107x10

Deadlift 7 may 2013

Week 3
Deadlift 7 may 2013

Deadlift
318x5 75%
361x3 85%
405x4 95%

rack pull
off 45lb and 10 lb bumper plates
3 sets
350x8

cable hip thrust
max rack had was 157ish.
4 sets 15. going to start using a prowler type sled and loading plates and doing it that way.

core training on lat pull down machine
4 sets
110x10
left to right oblique type pulldown 80x30

was pretty tired today because Ive been sick and congested as all hell. as usual. but no excuse and still got my work down.

military press 6 may 13

week 3 military 6 may 2013
military
102x5 75%
115x3 85%
130x10 95%

JM press
5 sets
120x10
60x30 straight bar

lat pull down
5 sets
170x10
87ishx40

BB curl
4 sets
70x10

reverse curl 35x30

elbow was screaming on the bottom of JM presses

squat day 3 may 2013

week 2
Squat day 3 may 2013

squat
210x3 pause squat
240x3
270x3

165x10

legs are freakin weak

Front squat
3 sets 8
160

Leg press
3 sets 8
plate weight - 180, 230, 230
90x30

bench day thursday 2 may 2013

week 2 bench 2 may 2013

bench

151x3 70%
173x3 80%
195x5 90%

DB Bench

80x8
80x8
80x10

incline db bench
40x20

cable row
5 sets
165x10
105x30


face pull
4 sets 10
130lb

went thru unrack motions on the cable machine, pulling overhead with the bar.

deadlift 30 april 2013

week 2 deadlift 30 april 2013

297x3 70%
340x3 80%
380x5 90%

my lockout definitely sucks.

rack pulls off of 45lb and 10lb bumper plate
355x7
345x8
345x7......8

RDL off of 25lb bumper
3 sets
245x10

step up
2 sets
95x8

monday military press april 29th 2013

week 2 military press 29 april 2013

military

95x3 70%
108x3 80%
122x8 90%

JM press
5 sets
115x10
30lbx29.5 rolling DB extension

lat pull down
5 sets
160x10
80x40

cable bicep curl
4 or 5 sets
140x5

reverse curl 70x30

Friday squat day

Squat - warm up. 40%, 50%, 60%

195x5 65%
225x5 75%
255x5 85%

Front Squat

3 sets.
155x8

Leg Extension
70x30. blood flow, miserable

Good Morning 

3 sets. 155x8 

cable Hip Thrust
easy and explosive. whole stack
3 sets.
150x8

GHR
3 sets of 10.


I am thinking I have a quad deficiency. as said in the video

Deadlift day 3rd cycle of 5-3-1. first week after meet

got a decent nights sleep. feeling good this day. bummed as usual about the shitty bars at the gym, but got my work done.

did 3 exercises today as usual. got my ABS done in the morning during PT, instead of coming home and sleeping. did 3 sets of 10 pulldown abs, 10lb weighted str8 leg raises, and incline medicine ball situps.

Training log:

deadlift - going no belt from now on except on 1rm. definitely feel the weaknesses being visible.
Warm up - 40%, 50%, 60%

275x5-65%
315x5-75%
360x5 or more - 85%   could of done more but decided to just do my requirement.

Rack Pull - did these around mid shin-ish. off of a 45lb and a 10lb bumper plates.
these really brought to light a problem with my lockout, I was struggling with this weight.

355x5
355x5
355x5

225x15

GHR - I was trying to think of something to do for hamstrings and I was way too focused on cleaning up my weights and missed out on straight leg deficit deadlifts. and completely forgot about doing Pull Throughs which are something I want to get back into doing.

3 sets of 15 - these were rough. all the deadlifting got me, and i hate this at the gym GHR, not a fan of a few things hammer strength makes, but i got the work done, enough whining.

back to training! military press

military press day. 2 days after meet. Didn't feel like taking a week of rest, but took it easy-ish on the body.

decided not to do dips because of stress on my shoulders, had a great time at the meet so i didnt want to cause injury.

Training Log:

Military Press
warm up barx5. 50x5, 70x5,80x3

85x5
100x5
115x5. doing 5-3-1. so last set is as many as possible, I did 10. could of done maybe 12, but taking it easy.

no dips, letting shoulders rest.

JM press
warm up 50x7, 70x7, 90x5.

5 sets 110x10
rest a little, 50x30 blast it out, flood muscles with blood, got it from the guy on lift-run-bang.

Lat Pulldown
warm up, 3 sets, increasing weight, did maybe 5-8 reps each set.

5 sets 147x10. machine had 2 of those little step up weights. 3.5 lbs each.
rest a little, 80x30. same as jm press.

Seated Bent over DB Rear Delt Raise

25x10
30x10
30x10

I feel I have been neglecting my rear delts/back of shoulders. this is probably how I suffered all damage a while back. not trying to go back to that, and I have been feeling alot of stress on the front of my shoulders. that could be from the dips, my bench form and other things, but I definitely don't want it to be from my rear delts being weak, and the front of my shoulders trying to pick up the slack.

in and out of the gym, probably an hour, AT THE MOST.

good hard, solid work, no slacking or dicking around.

FIN.

motivation and training partners. ct fletcher

no one near me lifts the way that im trying to train, or is very consistent with their time that they train, partially due to army changing schedules around etc. so I am training alone right now, but everyone that has trained with a decent training partner, or even someone who isnt that great but has a great attitude, and is motivated just amps you up like crazy. When I was lucky enough to take leave and come home and lift with some powerlifters in my hometown, they had a guy that was always amped no matter who was lifting or what was being lifted, and this dude just made you wanna lift loads of weight over and over again cuz he was so passionate.

I dont know how many people have heard of CT Fletcher yet, but I would love to train with this guy, or atleast have him kicking it with me when im performing my lifts, because this dude is always amped 110%.  CT fletcher.  this video is not even that great for showing his passion, but he has it in boatloads.

FIRST POWERLIFTING MEET

although I was dealing with gall bladder/stomach issues earlier in the week, I was able to rest up and eat plenty of veggies, bananas, and water, and started feeling great around friday.

Saturday was honestly one of the best days of my life.
Hit a bench PR that I did not think I was near in anyway.
I believe I was the only lifter to hit all 3 of their lifts in each event.
I hit a deadlift PR that I did not know was going to happen.
Also met some awesome lifters, got some great info, and the weather was amazing.

perfect day, hands down.

this meet was great motivation for me to keep striving for my goals, and showed me that when it came time to shut up and lift, my hard work, dieting, and determination really did pay off.

a mother effin gall bladder

so found out today that I do in fact have something going on inside me.

i guess from the ultrasound, the doc said i got some junk going on in my gall bladder. which probably helps explain why i woke up feeling super shitty today, exhausted, cant sleep, and couldnt keep down the first 2 meals i ate today. back to blender chicken.

so the day has been spent trying to drink water, and liquidize my food so that i can get it down, and try to keep it down.

probably gunna lose some weight because of this unfortunately.

but hopefully i can feel better so i can compete.

frustrating week but hey, life goes on.

Week before meet monday 15 april 2013

the meet is on saturday so I have to take it easy this week, so today i just went very simple and got some blood flowing and stretched out. of coarse as i called it, they decided to move us all to our old crappy barracks so cue the headaches, stomache aches, and stress levels. im just gunna store this aggression up for saturday and grit my teeth till then.


training log:

military press
barx10ish
barx10ish
50x5
65x5
75x5

assisted dips
 5 sets 10 with 145 lb support


assisted pull ups
5 sets 10 with 145lb support

did some yoga type stretching, legs are still a lil sore from friday, adductors or abductors, the inside groin muscles.

feel pretty good. besides the typical hostility i feel towards my situation.

took a walk this morning for about 30-40 minutes during PT, it felt pretty good. but my sleep is still garbage hopefully that will improve before the meet.

also included 4tsp on fiber into my diet the powder kind, 2tsp in the morning and 2 at night. i think its working pretty well.

PMA - positive mental attitude

mental power is everything, make or break a PR

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/strong-mind-thinking-right/

be careful about switching it up

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/muscle-confusion-debunked/

"I’m not saying that you shouldn’t change exercises, methods, or training. I’m simply saying that one needs to understand the nature of adaptation.

 Essentially, that this muscle confusion is a total myth."

EliteFTS seventeen articles that everyone should read

alot of good articles here

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/programs/seventeen-articles-every-strength-coach-trainer-and-lifter-should-read/

squats friday april 12th 2013

This was fridays workout, I have a meet on the 20th, it will be my first meet ever so I am excited, unfortunately it is a push-pull, but i am ashamed of my squat right now anyways so its all gravy.

im doing 5-3-1 and i like its simplicity, and i like jim wendler's idea of just busting your ass for an hour instead of mediocrity for 2 hours. and doing workouts that hit the most muscles at one time, like dips for instance. however I did not think before i started, i just finished my second 4 week cycle. and i was 2 weeks shy of my meet, so this past week was just a bust your ass, try to work on form week, and next week i will be doing cool down, lots of stretching, and foam rolling, and try to get some sleep, eat alot etc.

i do however think that i was at the gym for like an hour and a half today due to some added junk but whatever, it felt good being it was a friday night round 7-8pm on post and NOBODY was in the gym, i was squatting while they were cleaning the place. makes me know that one day this will pay off, record breaking or not, work, life, business etc. perseverance pays off. thats probably one of the coolest things about powerlifting.

only filmed my squats today.

let me just say im ashamed of these squats, ive gone way lower doing atleast 5 reps with more weight, and it was ass to grass, i felt like i was going low this day, must of just been tightness in my legs. but i think im going to start going ass to grass and do pause reps now, I dont see any real downside to this.

training log:

5x5 squat worked to 245lb. no energy, feel like doo doo, and 8 hour death by powerpoint briefing today, (no excuses tho)

i have been feeling like a punk under the bar, and I am tired of being intimidated by the weight on my squats, so i loaded the bar up and did "pin squats" with the pin set maybe 3-4 inches below my fully standing position so i can just feel the weight on my back. I have no idea if this works but hey, mental power is important???

315x1
405x1
495x1
315x7ish

Front squat 5 sets
145x10

GHR 3 sets 15 reps. really tried to just squeeze every muscle i could, and glutes, and drive those toes into the foot plate, calves were feeling super cramped, its sunday and walking sucks, so i did something right. also - hammer strength GHR's are terrible, I had pleasure/pain of using an elitefts style GHR with a pad that doesnt rotate, and its alot nicer to use / jacks you up/

leg curl 1 set.
30 reps about 90 lbs. this was a weird and old plate loaded leg curl, but got it done.

the guy from http://www.lift-run-bang.com/ did this and I thought it was a good idea, and I have been using it this week, at the end of my workout this week I have been attempting to flood the muscles with blood, so I will just do a gnarly high rep exercise to do that, i gotta read more into this, but it also helps me feel like i achieved some good work when im limping out of the gym

stomache pain

 So lately I have been having gnarly stomach problems, and digestion problems, they would wake me up once or twice a night, and I would feel like crawling and dragging my stomach on the ground, anything to get rid of the pain, i would then eat tums like they were going out of style and after about 30 minutes of pacing back and forth it would go away, BACK TO SLEEP.

army doc put me on prilosec once a day, but that was it, gave me some tests, but I have yet to hear back about it. so I decided to do some changes of my own, im on a "high protein" diet trying to maximize the muscle growth and keep my mass. Im not trying to get big and fat, but I want to be as strong as possible seeing as competing in powerlifting is my goal. i would like to be lean because I feel healthy when im not eating 2 pizzas a day, but I dont want to lose any possible gains I could be having.
So im weighing about 200-202, used to be 210 but randomly dropped 10 lbs.
i WAS eating 1.5 pounds of chicken a day, but i was not eating very many veggies or carbs i guess, Im not a nutritionist, and everytime i ask to speak to one, i am ignored.
Im betting this could of been a problem with these stomach pains. so now im eating 2 lbs of chicken spread out between 4-5 meals, and I also include pasta and some veggies in each meal, switching between, carrots, spinach, green beans, and black beans. im thinking im probably eating too much chicken too, so once I do my first push-pull meet in the 20th I am going to change the diet up, to having it be around 200-250 total grams of protein in everything, not just based off of my chicken and egg intake, also hope to throw some steak and home made hamburgers in there. also instead of pasta im thinking about eating sweet potatoes with each meal. and eating more fruit. but chicken and ground beef will probably be the main meals because Im getting out of the army, and moving to a brand new place, aka, new job, new atmosphere, and trying to find a new job, so it will be slim pickings for a little while.

I am reading Power Eating by Susan Kleiner, PhD, it is a very interesting book, got it used on amazon for like 4 bucks. it raises a lot of interesting points about diet, but a lot of it is around body building and cutting. what i really want is a steady diet maximizing my gain, but not making me a fat slob, im pretty sure there is a diet plan in there about it, but I am just reading it front to back to learn as much as I can. A person that reviewed the book said it was good but that Optimum Sports Nutrition by Dr. Michael Colgan, was better, so i purchased that too, used for less than 5, Im telling you, if you can accept a messed up cover, you can get 30 dollar books for chump change. anyways, I will read optimum sports nutrition afterwards, and compare them back and forth as I go, Dr Colgan was on the board of the olympics, so it will be interesting to see his input. I really cannot wait for someone to come out with a nutrition book for powerlifters. isn't Jessie Burdick a nutritionist? Lets make this happen.
Seeing as how nutrition is what fuels us, I am pretty interested in maximizing my potential with it, and learning how I can supercharge myself as well as help myself recover through proper eating.

to sum it all up.

im pretty much stuck in the same situation as when I screwed up my shoulder, the doctors just say stop doing what your doing instead of trying to help you find a solution, some health providers are tough to deal with, but hey more knowledge for me to be able to pass on to others once I figure it out.

also I have been sleeping like shit, waking up tired every morning, and waking up about 2-3 times a night. but im assuming its stress from the big life change, so hopefully planets will aline allowing me to not over think all this change.

yea

keeping track

I am going to use this to track my training, post videos, and basically keep a verbal and visual training log of my workouts, as well as post articles that I enjoy. I suck at blogging so this will probably be designed terribly, but hopefully content will help me and maybe others?