Wednesday april 7th Squat day, Things were feeling heavy Im achey. Time to back off. I figured it out when I got to my work sets and what wa...
Monday, November 30, 2009
I am back on the mandatory half gallon whole milk, half jar of peanut butter, and dark chocolate on top of other food I eat diet. I have been losing weight and getting achey etc. and with it strength. I was making great progress and feling good when I was doing this so back on it.
YTA’s 3 sets trying to make these habit
Bench, close grip with tendo unit and Dbl over red bands Bar x 10 x 3 95 x 5 x 3 135 x 5 x 2 185 x 2 225 x 1 245 x 2 x 5 sets Speed = 1= .50/.38. 2 = .46/.34, 3 = .38/.32, 4 = .44/.36, 5 = .40/ 30
First set fastest then a drop off second rep a lot slower all were paused
These felt safe. Small bit of discomfort in shoulder not pain but could tell I better not go heavier today. Using all close grip for a while lay off shoulder and I am MUCH weaker here have to bring triceps up
db rows 4 minutes with 90 lb DB Total = 41
DB Press 110 x 9 x 3 sets
Alt DB press ( hold resting DB at lockout) 1 set 90’s 1 set 70’s These got hard to hold the lockout good for my girly tri’s
Squat is pissing me off the bench I can handle despite a rotator cuff injury I have bounced back well and hit a nice PR in a meet and am making progress. The squat damn thing is UP and down for year and all dependent on knee and hip health from the way my hip is duct tapped and bailing wired together. I was making great progress hit some all times Prs and shit got to hurting and its like ive taken 15 steps back but Ill keep chipping away and I will figure this out and will be squatting in the 600’s raw.
Thinking of getting an MRI of the left hip structure soon to finally see just what kind of things we have in there. It should be interesting from looking at my xrays of when I was a lil tike they were pretty neat and patch work. All these lil bones taped and wired together and all the extra non human looking bone structure that formed LOL
Im upping it 5-10 lbs a week and will do what it takes to get a meet PR come February. May not get the 1700 I was hoping for unless I have to wear wraps which give me a LOT due to taking pain away but we will see. Id rather go without if I can
Squat 145 x 5 x 2 235 x 2 x 2 325 x 2 x 2 415 x 1 435 x 1 455 x 1 465 x 1 475 x 1 485 x 1 405 x 2
SSB supported squat 445 x 5 515 x 4 565 x 2 445 x 5 no wraps
These feel safe and helpful ill stick to them and at least do a set or two each week
Been fighting some kind of sickness only got like 3 hours sleep last night and havent been eating so no real mission today just put some work in not miss anything
Jerks Bar x 5 40kg x 5 50 x 5 64 x 3 70 x 2 80 x 2 90 x 2 95 x 1 102 x 1 105 x 1
Push Press 231 x 1 x 2 243 x 1 254 x 1 265 x 1
Snatch grip push press 70 x 8
Clean and strict press 70 x 5 75 x 5
Clean and push press 90 x 5
Dbl KB clean and push press 25kg x 5 x 2 32 kg x 5 x 2
Suspended reverse pushup row with supine hams string and hip extension under variable tension LOL
Back is highly fatigued and I’m a bit run down so I only went up to the 615lb which is my base line warm up load to hit every day and then skipped the rack work this week and did some clean pulls.
135 x 3 225 x 3 315 x 2 405 x 1 495 x 1 585 x 1 615 x 1
Clean pull 255 x 3 x 2 305 x 3 x 2 355 x 3 x 2 Thats it
OK had to go close grip so shoulder wont hurt and had to drop the load as well so shoulder wouldn’t hurt and Id stay retracted and depressed hardly use any chest or should all triceps YTA’s 3 sets
Bench with tendo unit and Dbl over red bands Bar x 10 x 3 95 x 5 x 3 135 x 5 x 2 185 x 2 225 x 2 275 x 2 x 2 The first rep would fly the second Id get shoulder pain trap would shurg and id grind it out, dropped the load and went FAST 225 x 2 x 2
Close grip floor press 225 x 6 x 6 This fried the triceps and shoulder felt great
db rows warmed up with sets of 3 with 50 and 70lb db during the above then 110 x 3 x 8 sets
yta's 2 sets
Couple curls and push downs. While talking to Josh
Looks like I will go close grip for awhile and add in some DB pressing a few sets to still hit the chest and shoulders some after ward lighter to keep that up to par. In the long run it will help. Its allowing me to heal and attacking my weakness. I can pres 50+ lbs more just by moving my hands out 4 inches
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Friday, November 20, 2009
OH press day.
Whole body is aching so motivation on a ten scale was about a 2 went and and did what I could
press outs up to 215lbs OH BB tri extensions Rows band pull aparts few tri band push downs and curls thats about it
then sometimes i get a lil carried away but his below is just ridiculus
We live in a society that now more then ever wants to have their pudding without first eating their meat - to have their cake and eat it, too. In other words they want all the accolades with none of the work. Even worse, they somehow have this notion that they deserve it; that by some unidentified force they have been born with a right to expect to be blessed with any trait or possession those who came before them have had and more, with none of the work that was required to earn it.
This is possibly never more true then when it comes to training and nutrition. We are now more then ever in a society, as it pertains to every aspect of life, but most certainly the physical realm, of weak willed, impatient, weaklings that feel that they deserve the same accolades and accomplishments as those of us who bust our butts every day, day in and day out.
They feel they have a God given right to all their hopes, dreams, and desired abilities just due to the fact their Mommy and Daddy had a few drinks in the back of a sedan 19 years ago and nine month later they were blessed to waste some of our precious oxygen. A population who feel they have a right to everything, and when they don’t get it with only an inkling of the work needed put forth, piss and moan that, “The man's getting me down.” or “I don’t have the genetics, your so lucky” etc. etc., blaming anything and anyone but their own feeble efforts.
We live in a world full of people who have a keen eye for seeing athletic or physique accomplishment, achievement, and possession, while at the same time seemingly having a pair of blinders on that block out the work, struggle, and sacrifice imparted by those they champion to reach extreme heights.
I touched on this in-part in my article “Champion The Journey Not The Destination” as a broad explanation of where people are going wrong in what traits they look up to in those they place on pedestals. Now I go bit further and flesh out just a few quick examples from my own life that I hope will clarify this a bit further and serve as a wake-up call to a growing population of those in search of, and worse, in expectation of, the “easy” way, to their wildest dreams.
Food/Eating: Now I'll be honest, I get a pleasure of nearly daily posting on my face book page what I call my “Food Porn” series.
I purposely post pictures of the most dense, calorie crammed meals I can for others to view and comment knowing I’ll get responses running the gamut from lust to disgust. One comment that never fails to rise, whether it be in person or on my food porn series is, "Man if I ate like that I'd be a blubbering fat pig! Your soooo lucky! You must have the genetics of a Greek god!"
Um??? Not unless THIS is a Greek god:
Yhea, that’s me at roughly 20 years of age prior to me topping the scales at around 315lb of untrained adipose tissue. What did it take to make a transformation then? How can I now eat what then made me look more like the Goodyear blimp then a muscled pimp, if not my supreme genetics? Hard work, dedication and a love of the journey.
Everyone wants similar results and champions me for transforming my body from what it was to various forms of slender, svelte, ripped and rugged. They all want the magic recipe, but when laid out in simple plain speak, none of them want to face the music and believe reality. Instead they travel from expert to guru, pill to potion, in search of the “one” that will assure them they can get what they want with no back-breaking, will-wearing effort.
Where do they end up? The same damn place as they were prior or worse. Wake up people. Yeah, I can eat a ton of calorie dense foods, none of which are or should be labeled, “Evil” as many do, they are simply fuel. Fuel that the body I have built in years of sweat, and the activity I demand of it, requires.
They neglect to see the years of low carb living, the plates of salads and greens, chicken breasts, and olive oil or the now mounds of food I don’t GET to, but MUST eat to keep my progress inching ever so slowly forward; the calorie bombs I have to eat, not get to, to maintain the weight and performance I demand.
They see me deadlifting 725lbs for a new PR, a new record, and champion the accomplishment, and desire to reach it themselves, or even better yet hate on it for “poor form” which always makes me smile...
What they fail to see is, of course, the big picture. Everyone loves the glamor, the flashes, lights, and dreams of a great accomplishment. They all want to desire it, and have it given to, or imparted on them - blaming my success again on superior genetics.
What they blind and plug their ears to is the truth. The truth of a man who fought from the age of 7 for even his life. Having had his leg ripped off, pelvic shattered in 17 places, the main artery in his leg severed, and the leg as a whole hanging by just a thread of an adolescent hamstring; while the ambulance rushed him and his mother to the ER explaining along the way how he would not survive the trip let alone be able to save the leg.
They don’t want to see the hours in surgery, months in bed rest, and years of recovery. They blind themselves to the tears, the fighting, the never taking “you can't” for an answer. Always pushing more, proving himself and others wrong. The years and reps at 135, then 225, then 315, all well prior to reaching 500lb let alone 725lb accomplishment. The aches, the pains, the timeless hours spent laboring in sweat with a smile on my face. Knowing only where I will be, not a clear path of how to reach it. Guessing sometimes right, sometimes wrong but always pushing on the path closer to the goal.
People love to ogle at my paintings, drawing sculpture, and state how they only wish they had such a gift.
What they fail to see is a kid who dropped out of high school drawing. A kid who struggled, and hell still does, to make a decent stick figure. They fail to see the years of formal and informal training. The all-nighters reading, learning, and practicing his craft. The weeks and months of drawing, painting, paperwork and preparation to get into graduate schooling all of which came prior to the moment in time they champion as a gift.
Why? Why do they fail to see such things? It proves the only thing they have to blame for their lack of reaching their dreams is their own neglect of living the life and actions it takes to grab them. That they don’t have the spine to live in the joy of ever pushing forward to something greater than themselves all the while being kicked in the gut and knocked down many more times then they reach new pinnacles.
People live only in the minute, and seemingly don’t have the mental capacity to recognize the journey. They see only the snap shot and not what comes many year prior or after the action. They don’t see or want the sacrifice, the work, or the repercussions of the actions, only the prize with none of the sacrifice before or after.
It’s time to wake up. Accomplishment ain't easy, so you better learn to enjoy the ride and to champion and enjoy the journey, yours and those you look up to. No one is going to give you a thing in this world you don’t earn through actions. You were not born with the rights to great achievements, traits or possessions and furthermore nothing you have done yesterday gives you the right to them today.
Achievement, accomplishment is a constant journey from first to last breath, so you better learn to love and learn to live it or learn to live without it.
I am going to go back to the triples I used a month or so coming up to the 725 pull I think they really had a lot to do with me getting the 725, using the lower load and getting the volume in going to bump it about 10lbs from where I was then and work up My back needs a break from the limit loads.
DL Conventional 135 x 5 225 x3 315 x 3 405 x 3 495 x 1 555 x 3 x 5 sets 635 x 1
SLDL 315 x 10
I said screw the hurt shoulder LOL It feels much better today
1A) Dbl Over red bands with Tendo Bar x 10 95 x 10 135 x 5 185 x 3 225 x 2 275 x 1 x 10 second set best, then 3, 4and 5 were close to 90% then dropped like a rock 52%, 52%, 41%, 47%, 35%
1B) For the sets above DB Rows 50 x 5 x 5 70 x 3 x 5
Sometimes training kicks us in the gut, knocks us down, and piss us off. It is those that turn that event and emotion into fuel and use it against itself to better their situation that make progress and succeed. Training isn't always a bowl of cherries. It's about what you consistently make out of what your served day to day that tastes so sweet.
Yhea today pretty much licked balls, But I took what was there today and did what I was capable and maybe a bit more. The use of knee wraps to help my knees heal has helped (that’s the positive they felt perfect today) but they in ways have made me weaker. I have hit 575 with them and prior 545 without. Today everything was heavy as hell only on the lower body hips down. 455 was feeling like max effort which SUCKS it should be candy I was doing 465 for 5 triples a few weeks ago. It could also be the whole back half of me is worn out and beat to hell from all the 700lb plus pulling
Anyway onward and upward I have a bit over three months to get the strength back and think a lot will come quickly just getting used to not squatting with the wraps again I know I have been pushing things hard in them its just a matter of learning to express that strength without them
-Squat with double over orange bands paused on box for a second This was roughly 250lbs of tension at the top as it was lifting 125 lbs DB’s Bar x 3 x 3 95 x 3 x 2 135 x 3 155 x 3 175 x 3 205 x 1 x 2 225 x 1 x 2 245 x 1 These were hard but good had to fight the whole way and my weakness is not getting out of the hole but a few inches up
Squat 315 x 1 , 3 365 x 1 405 x 1 x 2 455 x 1 x 3
Squat with double over orange bands not paused 225 x 1 225 x 5 x 5
Strict Press 40kg x 5 x 2 50 x 5 60 x 5 70 x 5 77kg x 5 x 3
Jerks 77 x 1 80 x 1 90 x 1 95 x 1 100 x 1 105 x 1 110 x 1 115 x 1 x 2 120 x 1 All were pretty good left (good shoulder feeling a lil goofy and triceps were done)
Behind the neck push press 100 x 3 Yhea triceps shot
Behind neck snatch grip PP 90 x 5 Yhea they are done stopping now
Neutral grip Pull Up = 16
that’s it, really need to keep working the weak triceps. It was weird going totally strict on the pressing I wanted to bend the legs if even just a tad, it will take getting used to
We all know by now, or should know we cant be the summit year round. That every peak has two valleys. That progress is anything but linear. Its full of ups and downs, times we push it hard as well as times we deload in order to reload for another push.
I have been asked by several clients and friends of late if I would write an article on deloading. Not so much the scientific benefit behind it’s use, as that been covered by people much more qualified then I in those fields, But more specifically the how to’s and general reasoning’s for the types of deloads I employ on myself and my clients.
In my world, two primary reasons and ways that I tend to use deloads...
The first, the event deload, is most easily scheduled and performed is that of deloading for a meet or, event of some sort. This is particularly easy for strength, or meet type athletes who have specific events they gear their training toward. My recommendation for those trainees who are not in a sport or activity that requires then to peak for several events a year is to fabricate their own events. 3 to 4 events a year with specified goals of your own choosing that you peak and deload for, or 3-4 scheduled weeks off to allow for rest and recovery. This could be placed around your life schedule, holidays, vacation etc.
For those who those who are seasonal athletes etc deloading is a bit different and more complicated and we wont even touch on that hear as it is more broken down to in and off season training rather then a specific deload for the purpose of peaking for a single event, though they can incorporate this type of schedule into their off season training protocol.
The event deload plain and simple is to allow you full recovery at which end you will then have the ability to express the full potential of the weeks and months of hard work you have put in. It is not until you are fully recovered that this will be possible. Many new to this worry and fret over getting weaker if they don’t train, I assure you if you have been training hard you need it, and even if you have not pushed your self hard enough there is Nothing you can do in the final week to make yourself stronger, the best thing you can do is fully recover so you can again express the strength you do have.
Some people take a full week and become a slug. If their weight class allows it cramming their pie whole with as much dense food as possible, usually in the form of carbohydrates etc, some have to watch it and make weight. None the less this method on no activity does have its merit and I have used it with some success but I find no activity lead me to yes recover but actually get a bit sore in the joints etc .
What I have found the most beneficial is as many calories as one can allow, increased sleep and rest, as little unneeded activity as you can muster with the exception of a very light and brief session of training each day for about 30 minutes. When I say Light I mean under 25% of your max on any given exercise and only a few reps. 5-10 nothing taxing but just working the full range of motion you have get some movement in and blood flow.
I personally like to break this into some kind of complex usually to kill a few birds with one stone. I may load say 40k on a bar and do a few rows, then 3 DL’s. Then I will clean the bar and do a few front squats, then push press the bar a few times and lower it on my back, do a few back squats, then a few GM’s and ditch the bar, rinse and repeat. Something like this for a few sets. Go in and don’t tax your self at all just a very relaxed session of getting some moving in. I find this in myself ,and those I coach, works best. By the end of the week we have greater recovery, joints feeling like butter and we are itching to rip a house down and put some loads on the bar.
The second , is a deload mixed into your training or event preparation to halt stagnation, and aid further progression. Progress, training again is anything but linear and in order to keep continued progress and not burn out one needs to have weeks where we deload or lower the training stimulus and allow some of the accumulated fatigue to dissipate in order to keep our training at a level we know is required to reach the progress we have set as our goal. If ones performance drops and they continue to PUSH it, over force the required training load son yourself or an athlete in your hands you are asking for nothing but problems that can lead to a greater time down to fully recover or an injury. Don’t kick the dead horse.
Instead I do one of two things:
-Pre schedule a deload every 4-8 weeks, err on the side of caution. Most elite performers don’t halter due to not enough work its due to not enough rest. You must evaluate you, or your client honestly to see which they fit in. If they/you are the type that lives on the razors edge all the time, schedule one every 4 weeks. If you or they are the type that has to be pushed consistently and does give their 100% then more sessions/time will be needed to create an event that will trigger adaptation / progression go 8 weeks for somewhere in between.
-Go by instinct. This is the method I prefer and use but it takes a bit of mastery and maturity and I honestly falter at times. It is tough, more so with yourself, then others to back off. For this method you must evaluate how you feel, your level of energy, enthusiasm, sleep, weight loss, appetite, and most importantly performance on a daily and weekly schedule. For each athlete I have to take it on an individual basis of course, for my self I am getting better at realizing what I need. If I am cramming my pie whole, losing weight, enthusiasm starts to consistently be low and most importantly performance is off on two consecutive sessions its time. I have done enough work to be considered an event that I need to recover from to make progress.
Unlike most of gym population you don’t train MORE, again kicking the dead horse, when you cant reach your usual expected progress,. Do the opposite. Deload. Recover and come back for round two.
For this method there are as many ways to accomplish this as there are ways to make someone scream out your name, but the two I use are as follows:
1: Keep the intensity High and drastically drop the volume.
- this is the method I prefer to use most often. For when I or an athlete is just a bit ran down. When enthusiasm is still there but performance has dropped for a few sessions but not much else has been effected. Sleep is still good, there are no excessive aches, weight loses, etc. Just a nice little recheck to get the ball rolling again.
-For this I simply drop everything but the few foundational exercises, or max effort exercises and we go to one single set for those at 90% of the intensity we have been . All the assistance work, rep work, sweat work etc is dropped in order to lower the volume and aid recovery.
- If last weeks workout was for example was Squat for 5 triples at 500lbs, zerchers for 3 sets of 10 and step ups for 3 sets of ten and a set of heavy ab work. This week we would simply warm up and do 1 triple at 450 and walk away. Do the same for all other session that week get plenty of rest and food.
2: Have Fun and work at about 50-70%
- this method I use for when I or we are zapped. Something happened and got away from us and a few very hard but productive sessions really took their tool. Performance has dropped, we are as enthused as Hugh Hefner at a convent, appetite is shot / or we are losing weight despite our eating big, and sleeping has been effected.
- For this I have tried a vast array of things but the one I found that works better then any, better then even taking a week of is GO have fun. Come to the gym and do what ever it is you find enjoyable and fun. Do things you normally do not do in your training. Play around with machines, Maybe go play a game of basketball instead, or go hiking or kayaking, go play dodge ball. Get outside in the park and throw things and get some fresh air. What ever.
-Get the picture? Train but do something you will have fun with, laugh, smile . You will find that even though you are training technically, just the novelty and the choice of doing what ever activity you will enjoy on a given day instead of doing your usual training you have lost the usual enthusiasm for. will aid your recovery. FUN is a huge recovery aid for you whole body, mind, nervous system, muscles and more. Get out have fun, don’t push things much over 70% and see how you feel in a week. More then likely you’ll be refreshed and ready to roll. If not in an extreme case your not 100% then take another like week and note this for future reference and adjust training accordingly or take a second week like the one I outlined above and then get back to your regularly scheduled program.
That’s that. A look into what I employ, and the reason for it, as far as deloads go. The things I have found to work. Give them a whirl and let me know how they work and by all means, let me know what has worked for you and your clients. I am always looking to learn more.
DL day 10 days removed from the comp and a chest cold I’m anything but recovered and running at 100%.
I went in to just do what I can lift what’s heavy today and man it wasn’t much
135 x 3 225 x 3 315 x 2 405 x 2 495 x 1 585 x 1 615 x 1 Felt better then last week but I wasn’t getting all the slack out of the bar and pulling my self down
Rack mid shin 635 x 1 675 x 1 695 x 1 715 x 1 ( way hard) Not bad this is the worst damn spot to start a DL from, Harder then the floor for me. I was thinking way to damn much and not just letting it rip. I shut the hell up and just ripped the 695 easy. The 715 I was thinking again and it sucked.
Nov 2nd 2009 Pressing shoulder stabilization / volume
I slept good but alarm woke me at 5:15, feel a lot better somewhat human and weight back up. Not 100% but much better and the weights felt a little better
Shoulder not right still taking it slow 365 felt better just slow again
Bench 1A) 95 x 20 135 x 10 185 x 5 225 x 5 275 x 3 315 x 1 365 x 1 x 3 played with grip width and footing 185 x 5 sets 3 minutes rest. Total of 68 reps 135 x 18 Triceps were fried and the right side died
1B) DB row each arm 50 x 5 x 3 70 x 3 x 12 sets
2) DB row 110lb DB 15minutes EDT PR 5 = 7 4 = 2 3 = 2 2 = 4 1 = 7 Total = 64 + 9
8 minute EDT Hammer curls and tricep extensions high rep 20lb db 40lb tri 10 = 4 8 = 1 6 = 1 5 = 5 Total 79 reps Right biceps gave up its still much weaker from the blow tendon
My pussy hurts at times to. But while you were whining and rubbing vagisil on your sore clitoris, I was getting stronger
I am a coach, national record holding competitive strength athlete in power lifting, strongman, and Highlander. I am the founder of Lift for Hope (http://www.lift4hope.org) I am also a working artist and have my masters degree in oil painting (http:www.philstevens.com)
ANY choice or goal has negatives and positives, accept them and move on. I don’t want to hear your bitching about your life, you picked your own path, if you don’t like it change it.
The only thing we can truly control is ourselves. Pass on, educate, and lead by example.
Live life for the real stuff, not a bunch of "You Shoulds". Find out what you love, what you enjoy, and LIVE this life. It Very well could be the only one you get so don’t waste it, Live it. The only thing you might be able to keep is the memories from the experiences you took the chance to take part in.
Id rather live 100 years worth of like in 50 years then live to be 100 and only live 50 of them.
I DID It Folks
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It has been about 10 months since I last wrote a blog, how crazy is that
considering I use to write in my blog all the time. I actually miss writing
I’ve b...
