For the first time in ages, I've trained 3 days in a row. I don't know if I'd want to do this all the time, but I have come to a conclusion: I miss training 4 days per week. I don't know if I'm missing out on gains or not. I do know that recovery has been better since I went to a 3-day rotation a year or so ago. But I love lifting and pushing myself, and doing that one extra day per week can't be bad. We'll see.
As for what I've done the last 3 days, I'll give an abridged version. As you may be able to tell, what started as 5/3/1 with singles is morphing into something else. That's fine with me. This may lead to something really good. We'll find out in August.
Mon. 3/28, Core lift: Bench press, 3's
Working max = 260 lbs
Bodyweight at gym = 198 1/2 lbs
After several months experimenting with a wider grip, I went back to my more narrow grip, with my pinkies just inside the rings on the bar.
1. Bench press
135/5; (70%) 182/3; (80%) 208/3
(90%) 234/6 - Redemption! Last week, I could only muster 6 reps with 225. This still sucks, but it's an improvement.
(95%) 247/1, 1, 3 - the singles felt easy, so I did a little extra on the last one. Could have ground out a 4th.
230/6
2. Pullups -overhand
wide grip: BW/10; 45/6
medium grip: 45/6, 5; BW/14
3. Dips
100/5, 6
BW/17
Tue. 3/29, Assistance lifts
Bodyweight at gym: 197 lbs
I had the time, so I went to the gym after work and did a circuit of exercises, some of which I rarely do. 3 sets each of:
1. Front/lateral raises + face pulls
2. DB shrugs
3. DB curls - instead of resting the weight at the bottom, I held 1 arm at the top while curling the other
4. Seated calf raise
5. Seated dip machine
Fun times.
Wed. 3/29, Core lift: Deficit deadlift, 3's
Working max = 505 lbs
Bodyweight at gym = 200 lbs. This session was preceded by a visit to a breakfast buffet.
1. Deficit deadlift - using 35 lb plates and wearing shoes instead of slippers
145/5; 215/5; 285/3
(70%) 355/3; (80%) 405/3
add belt: (90%) 455/5
(95%) 480/1, 1, 1
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Fri. 3/25, It's called a "squat rack" for a reason!
I only had my route to deliver for mailman GPP today. No overtime. So for once on a Friday, my wife and I got to the gym with plenty of time before child watch closed. When we got there, a younger (21-24) guy was using the squat rack and said he had 2 more sets. Nothing wrong with that, except one thing. He wasn't squatting. He wasn't doing good mornings. Not even the loathsome barbell-curls-in-the-rack routine. He was deadlifting! That would normally earn you respect and cool points, but this guy was doing deadlifts from the floor. Not rack pulls where he would, by definition, need a rack to pull from. These were full, conventional, snatch-grip deadlifts where no part of the bar was actually in contact with the rack. But for some reason, this guy thought it was best to occupy the squat rack to do an exercise he could have done in any space large enough to accommodate the bar. Good thing we had plenty of time.
Core lift: Squat, 3's
Working max: 425 lbs
Bodyweight before training: 199 lbs.
Warm-up: empty bar squats, good morning, RDL's, 8 reps each
1. Squat
135/5; 225/5; (70%) 297/3; (80%) 340/3
add belt: (90%) 383/3
(95%) 405/1, 1, 1
(90%) 383/6
The rack at the gym we went to today is built in such a way that I can't do my normal 3-step set-up. I have to do a 4-step, which feels awkward. I only had one set where I felt like I had a good, strong set-up. Some of the descents were ugly too, but nothing felt really hard until the last set.
2. Glute-hip thrusts - with barbell
225/10; 315/10, 6
I didn't have my buddy Rob's pad that we use just for this exercise. So I had to use the little pad that folks use for their necks, plus a shirt underneath. Doesn't work as well as Rob's pad. I thought the bar was going to cut me in half on the last set.
3. Prone leg curl
125/12; 100/13
4. Standing calf raise
225/12
Time: 1 hr 18 min
Core lift: Squat, 3's
Working max: 425 lbs
Bodyweight before training: 199 lbs.
Warm-up: empty bar squats, good morning, RDL's, 8 reps each
1. Squat
135/5; 225/5; (70%) 297/3; (80%) 340/3
add belt: (90%) 383/3
(95%) 405/1, 1, 1
(90%) 383/6
The rack at the gym we went to today is built in such a way that I can't do my normal 3-step set-up. I have to do a 4-step, which feels awkward. I only had one set where I felt like I had a good, strong set-up. Some of the descents were ugly too, but nothing felt really hard until the last set.
2. Glute-hip thrusts - with barbell
225/10; 315/10, 6
I didn't have my buddy Rob's pad that we use just for this exercise. So I had to use the little pad that folks use for their necks, plus a shirt underneath. Doesn't work as well as Rob's pad. I thought the bar was going to cut me in half on the last set.
3. Prone leg curl
125/12; 100/13
4. Standing calf raise
225/12
Time: 1 hr 18 min
Thursday, March 24, 2011
3/23 Training - Core lift: Overhead Press
Yesterday, I weighed 200 1/2 before training. Some of that came from the Big Steak Omelette and double blueberry pancakes I'd just eaten at IHOP. Too bad their all-you-can-eat pancake promotion is over.
Warm-up: OHP/bar/12 reps + pulldown/100/8 reps. No mailman GPP today.
1. OHP
95/5
(70%) 120/3
(80%) 135/3
add belt: (90%) 155/6, 3, 3, 4
125/12
The rack was being used, so I had to clean the first rep of each set from the floor. After Monday's deadlifts, this was the last thing I wanted to do.
2. Pullups - wide/overhand grip
BW/8
45/8, 6, 6 - 3rd set was done with a medium/underhand grip
BW/7
3. Seated row - plate loaded with chest pad
140/8 overhand + 5 neutral, 7 overhand + 7 neutral
Time: 53 min. Ran out of time, so I did a little more at home 4 1/2 hours later. Powerlifting 2-a-days!
1a. Daddy/Daughter Push-ups - had my 5-year-old hop on my back. She weighs about 45 lbs.
BW/15
Daugther/12, 15, 20
1b. Ab wheel
15, 15, 15
Squats tomorrow!
Warm-up: OHP/bar/12 reps + pulldown/100/8 reps. No mailman GPP today.
1. OHP
95/5
(70%) 120/3
(80%) 135/3
add belt: (90%) 155/6, 3, 3, 4
125/12
The rack was being used, so I had to clean the first rep of each set from the floor. After Monday's deadlifts, this was the last thing I wanted to do.
2. Pullups - wide/overhand grip
BW/8
45/8, 6, 6 - 3rd set was done with a medium/underhand grip
BW/7
3. Seated row - plate loaded with chest pad
140/8 overhand + 5 neutral, 7 overhand + 7 neutral
Time: 53 min. Ran out of time, so I did a little more at home 4 1/2 hours later. Powerlifting 2-a-days!
1a. Daddy/Daughter Push-ups - had my 5-year-old hop on my back. She weighs about 45 lbs.
BW/15
Daugther/12, 15, 20
1b. Ab wheel
15, 15, 15
Squats tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
First Training Video on the Road to Raw Nats
The title of this post says it all. If you're a fan of Michael Jackson, you'll really like this video. If you're not a fan of his, then something must be wrong with you.
Just joking about the MJ thing - to each his or her own. But I do hope you'll watch and enjoy the video just the same. :) Wave 2 starts tomorrow with overhead presses as the core lift.
Just joking about the MJ thing - to each his or her own. But I do hope you'll watch and enjoy the video just the same. :) Wave 2 starts tomorrow with overhead presses as the core lift.
Monday, March 21, 2011
How to rehab a pulled hamstring: Deficit Deadlifts
Yesterday morning around 10am, our house alarm went off. My wife and our two children were upstairs when we heard it. I turned to run downstairs and investigate, and somewhere in my first few steps, my hamstrings went up on me. The left was much worse than my right, enough that I couldn't fully bend or extend my leg. To walk up or down the stairs I had to use the rail as a crutch. I immediately started the tried and true RICE treatment, along with some vigorous, albeit painful, massage on both legs. I just knew that Monday's planned deadlift session was out. I didn't even think I'd be able to go to work.
Fast forward to Sunday night: I'd self-diagnosed the injury as a grade 1 pull. The treatment worked well. I was mostly pain free, and much of my range of motion had been restored. Work was back on, but I planned to push the deadlifts back a day. But while I was walking my route sometime on Monday, this thought came to mind:
"You don't love your job, but you love training. If you were willing to test the leg doing something you don't love, test it doing what you love".
So once I finished my work day with 2 intact legs, it was off to the gym for my first session of this cycle based around deficit deadlifts.
Training Recap
Bodyweight at start of session: 199 1/2 lbs
Warmed up with some romanian deadlifts with the empty bar and 115 lbs.
Working max = 505 lbs
1. Deficit deadlifts - I use 35 lbs plates and wear flat soled shoes for deficits.
115/5
190/5
260/5
(65%) 330/5
(75%) 380/5
add belt: (85%) 430/7 - I had my Versa Gripps on my wrists, but didn't use them until the very last rep. The bars at the gym I went to today are fatter than normal Olympic bars.
2. Front Squat - I haven't done these in at least a year. Used a clean grip while holding onto straps around the bar.
135/6
225/6
add belt: 315/1 - The bar rolled forward on this one, so I re-racked it after I came back up. I could have done another 1-2 if the bar was more stable.
225/6
The rest was done as a circuit. 12 reps of everything. Minimal rest between each exercise.
3a. Flat DB fly
30's, 30's
3b. Standing lateral raises
15's, 15's
3c. Face pulls - cable with rope attachment
110, 110
3d. Standing calf raises
230, 210
Total time: 1 hr 3 min
Oh, by the way: the alarm at my house was a false alarm! No intruder, just a glitch with the phone. I'm glad that no one was in the house, but I would really be upset if I'd been more seriously injured over that. But I'll just be grateful that everything ended in a good way.
Fast forward to Sunday night: I'd self-diagnosed the injury as a grade 1 pull. The treatment worked well. I was mostly pain free, and much of my range of motion had been restored. Work was back on, but I planned to push the deadlifts back a day. But while I was walking my route sometime on Monday, this thought came to mind:
"You don't love your job, but you love training. If you were willing to test the leg doing something you don't love, test it doing what you love".
So once I finished my work day with 2 intact legs, it was off to the gym for my first session of this cycle based around deficit deadlifts.
Training Recap
Bodyweight at start of session: 199 1/2 lbs
Warmed up with some romanian deadlifts with the empty bar and 115 lbs.
Working max = 505 lbs
1. Deficit deadlifts - I use 35 lbs plates and wear flat soled shoes for deficits.
115/5
190/5
260/5
(65%) 330/5
(75%) 380/5
add belt: (85%) 430/7 - I had my Versa Gripps on my wrists, but didn't use them until the very last rep. The bars at the gym I went to today are fatter than normal Olympic bars.
2. Front Squat - I haven't done these in at least a year. Used a clean grip while holding onto straps around the bar.
135/6
225/6
add belt: 315/1 - The bar rolled forward on this one, so I re-racked it after I came back up. I could have done another 1-2 if the bar was more stable.
225/6
The rest was done as a circuit. 12 reps of everything. Minimal rest between each exercise.
3a. Flat DB fly
30's, 30's
3b. Standing lateral raises
15's, 15's
3c. Face pulls - cable with rope attachment
110, 110
3d. Standing calf raises
230, 210
Total time: 1 hr 3 min
Oh, by the way: the alarm at my house was a false alarm! No intruder, just a glitch with the phone. I'm glad that no one was in the house, but I would really be upset if I'd been more seriously injured over that. But I'll just be grateful that everything ended in a good way.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The 2011 Arnold Sports Festival and Beyond
From March 3-6, 2011, my wife and I attended the Arnold Sports Festival for the 4th straight year. This was the 2nd straight year I was blessed to compete in the USA Powerlifting Raw Challenge. My training leading into it was going great, until a 5 weeks before the meet. I was hit with a sinus infection, followed by a simultaneous bout of flu and strep throat, followed by minor injuries from a car accident. Needless to say, my health and confidence both took a hit. However, I rebounded with a performance that included 2 PR lifts and I tied my PR total! Plus we got to meet Baltimore Ravens linebacker and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, plus many more inspiring athletes. It was one of the best weekends ever!
Rather than take a lot of time and effort writing a recap, I'll invite you to watch this 4 minute video that tells the story of the competition and weekend. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!
I plan to compete again in August, at the USAPL Raw Nationals in Scranton, PA. I hope this will be my last time competing in the 198 lb weight class. I need to gain some more weight if I'm going to realize my true strength potential. I took a week off, then started training again on March 15. For a few reasons, I've returned to 5/3/1 programming, which I last used in preparation for Raw Nationals in 2009. 2 years ago, I used the program as written in Jim Wendler's original book on the subject. This time, I'll modify the program a bit. Most of the tweaking involves adding heavy singles as has been discussed on many boards and forums. I'll also do more than one set with the heaviest weight for the day, but not necessarily more than one set with as many reps as possible. I can see time constraints becoming an issue in the next few months because of a few things going on in real life, and these workouts tend to take less time. By the way, the last time I ran this program, I hit a PR squat, deadlift, and total at Raw Nationals. We'll see if lightning can strike twice.
Here's how the first week has gone...
Tue. 3/15, Core lift: Overhead Press, 5's, Working max = 170
warm-up: OHP/bar/15 reps + pulldowns/50/15 reps
1. OHP
70/5; 90/5; (65%) 111/5; (75%) 128/5
(85%) 145/9, 5, 5
120/9 - failed a 10th rep
Never felt like I hit the right groove for any of these.
2. Pullups - wide, overhand
pulldowns/100/8
BW/8; 25/6; 45/6; 25/8
BW/4 + 3 + 2 - this turned into a rest pause set. I didn't realize how tired I was. I had no gas left.
3. Dips
BW/10; 45/10; 50/9, 8
BW/12
4. Curls
DB Hammers: 45s/6 each
DB pronating: 40s/7 each
barbell: 85/6 + 65/6 - sort of a rest-pause-drop set by accident.
Total time: 1 hr 23 min
A decent first session. I could tell I'm weaker on these lifts. It could be because I haven't trained them in over a month, and it could be due to my recent weight loss. Probably a bit of both, but all that will change with time and effort. I was just glad to be back in the gym.
Thu. 3/17, Core lift: Squat, 5's, Working Max = 425
Warm-up = walking my route (I'm a mailman for my 9-5) plus overtime
1. Squat
bar/5; 135/5; 225/5; (65%) 276/5; (75%) 319/5
add Rob's belt: (85%) 361/10 - This wass an all-time 10 rep PR! I worked for it too. Reps 7-10 were preceded by 3-5 deep breaths for each. I felt like my muscles could take 1-2 more, but my lungs were cursing at me. Before the set, my buddy Rob saw my belt laying on my bag and said it looked "flimsy". He offered to let my try his Inzer Forever 1-prong that's 2 weeks old.
add my belt: (85%) 361/5, 5 - Rob was right about my belt. Huge difference. I'll be replacing mine soon.
2. Barbell Glute-Hip Thrusts - I'll probably abbreviate these as GHT's from now on.
135/8; 225/6; 315/8, 8, 8
3. 1-arm flat DB bench press - I'll do some pressing at every session, not always heavy
35/12 each; 50/16 each
4a. Calf press - on Cybex machine
150/15; 210/10
4b. Leg press - on the same Cybex machine
250/10; 310/13
Total time: 1 hr 43 min. I know this flies in the face of my desire to save time, but I had nothing pressing to do and ended up using the gym as a place of refuge. I was very liberal with rest periods for the whole session after that 10-rep squat set.
Fri. 3/18, Core lift: Bench Press, 5's, Working max = 265
Warm-up: mailman GPP + empty bar OHP, BB rows and BP
1. Bench press
95/5; 135/5; (65%) 172/5; (75%) 200/5; (85%) 225/6, 5, 4
This was pathetic. I expected to be somewhere in the 8-10 range on the "5 or more" set. There may be a few contributing factors: 1) I didn't sleep enough the night before. 2) I hadn't recovered from the previous day's squat workout. 3) I need to eat more. 4) My bench is doomed to suck. Who knows, but I intend to figure it out.
2. Seated cable row - Separate handles. Turned hands from pronated to neutral during each rep.
70/16; 110/13; 150/10; 190/10; 170/17
3. Seated calf press
135/15
4. Standing calf press
200/11
5. Incline DB press
70s/13; 80s/10; 90s/6
Time: 53 min
If you made it through all that, I thank you from the depths of my heart! But now you're all caught up with me as far as what I'm up to in this part of my life. I hope you'll continue to keep up with me.
Rather than take a lot of time and effort writing a recap, I'll invite you to watch this 4 minute video that tells the story of the competition and weekend. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!
I plan to compete again in August, at the USAPL Raw Nationals in Scranton, PA. I hope this will be my last time competing in the 198 lb weight class. I need to gain some more weight if I'm going to realize my true strength potential. I took a week off, then started training again on March 15. For a few reasons, I've returned to 5/3/1 programming, which I last used in preparation for Raw Nationals in 2009. 2 years ago, I used the program as written in Jim Wendler's original book on the subject. This time, I'll modify the program a bit. Most of the tweaking involves adding heavy singles as has been discussed on many boards and forums. I'll also do more than one set with the heaviest weight for the day, but not necessarily more than one set with as many reps as possible. I can see time constraints becoming an issue in the next few months because of a few things going on in real life, and these workouts tend to take less time. By the way, the last time I ran this program, I hit a PR squat, deadlift, and total at Raw Nationals. We'll see if lightning can strike twice.
Here's how the first week has gone...
Tue. 3/15, Core lift: Overhead Press, 5's, Working max = 170
warm-up: OHP/bar/15 reps + pulldowns/50/15 reps
1. OHP
70/5; 90/5; (65%) 111/5; (75%) 128/5
(85%) 145/9, 5, 5
120/9 - failed a 10th rep
Never felt like I hit the right groove for any of these.
2. Pullups - wide, overhand
pulldowns/100/8
BW/8; 25/6; 45/6; 25/8
BW/4 + 3 + 2 - this turned into a rest pause set. I didn't realize how tired I was. I had no gas left.
3. Dips
BW/10; 45/10; 50/9, 8
BW/12
4. Curls
DB Hammers: 45s/6 each
DB pronating: 40s/7 each
barbell: 85/6 + 65/6 - sort of a rest-pause-drop set by accident.
Total time: 1 hr 23 min
A decent first session. I could tell I'm weaker on these lifts. It could be because I haven't trained them in over a month, and it could be due to my recent weight loss. Probably a bit of both, but all that will change with time and effort. I was just glad to be back in the gym.
Thu. 3/17, Core lift: Squat, 5's, Working Max = 425
Warm-up = walking my route (I'm a mailman for my 9-5) plus overtime
1. Squat
bar/5; 135/5; 225/5; (65%) 276/5; (75%) 319/5
add Rob's belt: (85%) 361/10 - This wass an all-time 10 rep PR! I worked for it too. Reps 7-10 were preceded by 3-5 deep breaths for each. I felt like my muscles could take 1-2 more, but my lungs were cursing at me. Before the set, my buddy Rob saw my belt laying on my bag and said it looked "flimsy". He offered to let my try his Inzer Forever 1-prong that's 2 weeks old.
add my belt: (85%) 361/5, 5 - Rob was right about my belt. Huge difference. I'll be replacing mine soon.
2. Barbell Glute-Hip Thrusts - I'll probably abbreviate these as GHT's from now on.
135/8; 225/6; 315/8, 8, 8
3. 1-arm flat DB bench press - I'll do some pressing at every session, not always heavy
35/12 each; 50/16 each
4a. Calf press - on Cybex machine
150/15; 210/10
4b. Leg press - on the same Cybex machine
250/10; 310/13
Total time: 1 hr 43 min. I know this flies in the face of my desire to save time, but I had nothing pressing to do and ended up using the gym as a place of refuge. I was very liberal with rest periods for the whole session after that 10-rep squat set.
Fri. 3/18, Core lift: Bench Press, 5's, Working max = 265
Warm-up: mailman GPP + empty bar OHP, BB rows and BP
1. Bench press
95/5; 135/5; (65%) 172/5; (75%) 200/5; (85%) 225/6, 5, 4
This was pathetic. I expected to be somewhere in the 8-10 range on the "5 or more" set. There may be a few contributing factors: 1) I didn't sleep enough the night before. 2) I hadn't recovered from the previous day's squat workout. 3) I need to eat more. 4) My bench is doomed to suck. Who knows, but I intend to figure it out.
2. Seated cable row - Separate handles. Turned hands from pronated to neutral during each rep.
70/16; 110/13; 150/10; 190/10; 170/17
3. Seated calf press
135/15
4. Standing calf press
200/11
5. Incline DB press
70s/13; 80s/10; 90s/6
Time: 53 min
If you made it through all that, I thank you from the depths of my heart! But now you're all caught up with me as far as what I'm up to in this part of my life. I hope you'll continue to keep up with me.
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