Training Log: Entry 1937
DB bench 105
21 reps
Notes: Using the Ironmind bench. It's unforgiving, but completely flat. Got 15, 3 and 3, and felt a pretty decent pump in the chest when it was all said and done.
Shoulder circuit
3 rounds
(3) Chain suspended bench lockouts 225+minishort bands
15 reps
Notes: Suspended the bar to the point that elbows were right at 90 degrees. Pressed every rep dead stop off the pins. This gets brutal. The first few reps aren't terrible, but as soon as your speed slows down it's a vicious grind. The bands sneak up on your, and breaking the weight off the chains is really about overcoming them. Was torn between close grip and competition grip, but comp grip seemed more comfortable.
Weighted chins 55lbs
24 reps
DB rows 105
Lots of sets of 3
1x25
General notes: Woke up at 192.2. Went a little crazier than normal nutritionally this weekend due to helping a friend move yesterday. I chose not to use a dolly and carried most objects by myself. PR was 2 marble top solid wood nightstands that I moved one after the other. They were moving literally across the street, so I was getting them out of one bedroom, snaking them through the hallway, walking across the street, then getting them into another bedroom. Feeling pretty fried now, big shock.
Going to be reducing my volume on daily training leading up to the comp. Thinking just 1-3 sets of 20 for chins and maybe capping dips at the 50 rep point. Probably still try to hammer pull aparts as much as I can.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Training Log: Entry 1936
AM training
Farmer's walks, 185 per hand
4x80'
Notes: These were definitely speed farmers, which is great considering it's competition weight. Biggest focus is on moving off the pick up. Making sure that I'm moving up and forward, rather than just straight up. From there, foot speed: really have to be basically "falling forward" the entire time. Will have to work out with my partner if I'm going first or last in the leg.
Woke up at 190.8. I think this is a decent weight/bodyfat% to maintain for now. I'm willing to let the weight climb a few pounds while training for this comp, but nothing drastic.
PM Training
(3) Mat Pulls 600+chains
13 reps
Notes: 7 on the first, then 3, then 3. Gave it my all, nothing left for dead stops. Good workout. We've had a heatwave here, and it was so hot in my garage that the sweat on my shins was actually making the bar move up and down more smoothly. I suddenly understand the appeal of baby powder. If I can keep 7 all the way to the floor, I'll be happy.
Rolling thunder 135
1x22 seconds
1x12 seconds
Squats strip set
2x460
3x410
4x370
5x320
6x280
7x230
8x190
9x140
10x100
Notes: Only rested as long as it took to switch out plates. Started with 4 plates and a quarter, and would just keep taking the quarter off or a plate off as appropriate. Great set, really tried to hammer depth, felt my quads blowing up pretty decent. Definitely need to hit a feeder workout later.
General Notes: Cheat meal today was 1 carne asada quesadilla, half of a chicken quesadilla, and a quest bar. They were huge quesadillas, and though I could've finished the second one, I knew I was going beyond cheating in doing so. I have trained everyday this week and am helping a friend move tomorrow. Been one helluva week.
AM training
Farmer's walks, 185 per hand
4x80'
Notes: These were definitely speed farmers, which is great considering it's competition weight. Biggest focus is on moving off the pick up. Making sure that I'm moving up and forward, rather than just straight up. From there, foot speed: really have to be basically "falling forward" the entire time. Will have to work out with my partner if I'm going first or last in the leg.
Woke up at 190.8. I think this is a decent weight/bodyfat% to maintain for now. I'm willing to let the weight climb a few pounds while training for this comp, but nothing drastic.
PM Training
(3) Mat Pulls 600+chains
13 reps
Notes: 7 on the first, then 3, then 3. Gave it my all, nothing left for dead stops. Good workout. We've had a heatwave here, and it was so hot in my garage that the sweat on my shins was actually making the bar move up and down more smoothly. I suddenly understand the appeal of baby powder. If I can keep 7 all the way to the floor, I'll be happy.
Rolling thunder 135
1x22 seconds
1x12 seconds
Squats strip set
2x460
3x410
4x370
5x320
6x280
7x230
8x190
9x140
10x100
Notes: Only rested as long as it took to switch out plates. Started with 4 plates and a quarter, and would just keep taking the quarter off or a plate off as appropriate. Great set, really tried to hammer depth, felt my quads blowing up pretty decent. Definitely need to hit a feeder workout later.
General Notes: Cheat meal today was 1 carne asada quesadilla, half of a chicken quesadilla, and a quest bar. They were huge quesadillas, and though I could've finished the second one, I knew I was going beyond cheating in doing so. I have trained everyday this week and am helping a friend move tomorrow. Been one helluva week.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Training Log: Entry 1935
EARLY AM TRAINING
Bumper stack run (200lbs)
4x80'
Notes: Included a picture of the set-up. Stacked some bumpers and metal plates with a loading pin to simulate a stone. First few steps are slow to start, and then I pick up speed. Gotta work on that transition. Breathing with the weight on the chest is definitely an acquired skill.
LATER AM TRAINING
2.6 mile run
20:56
Notes: Expected to be faster with the weight loss, but still better than my last time. Maybe I'll just blame it on the earlier training. About a 1 hour break between activities.
EARLY AM TRAINING
Bumper stack run (200lbs)
4x80'
Notes: Included a picture of the set-up. Stacked some bumpers and metal plates with a loading pin to simulate a stone. First few steps are slow to start, and then I pick up speed. Gotta work on that transition. Breathing with the weight on the chest is definitely an acquired skill.
LATER AM TRAINING
2.6 mile run
20:56
Notes: Expected to be faster with the weight loss, but still better than my last time. Maybe I'll just blame it on the earlier training. About a 1 hour break between activities.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Training Log: Entry 1934
Yoke
120lbs x 30'
300lbs x 30'
500lbs x 30'
590lbs x 30'
700lbs x 30'
750lbs x 8'
NG chins
1 set
Notes: Woke up at 190.8. Work scheduled our 2.6 mile run for tomorrow, so I had to squeeze in my yoke workout tonight. Wanted to see how heavy I could go for 30', since it's 60' with a partner. Goal was 700lbs, which I managed with zero set downs. It was wobbly, and combined with a wobbly yoke made it really crazy, but just means it'll be even smoother on a steady yoke.
The 8' for the 750 includes the 1' I fell backwards with it. If my life depended on it, I could've taken it the distance, but my upper back was folding all over the place and being so close to the contest, I didn't want to risk the injury.
Yoke
120lbs x 30'
300lbs x 30'
500lbs x 30'
590lbs x 30'
700lbs x 30'
750lbs x 8'
NG chins
1 set
Notes: Woke up at 190.8. Work scheduled our 2.6 mile run for tomorrow, so I had to squeeze in my yoke workout tonight. Wanted to see how heavy I could go for 30', since it's 60' with a partner. Goal was 700lbs, which I managed with zero set downs. It was wobbly, and combined with a wobbly yoke made it really crazy, but just means it'll be even smoother on a steady yoke.
The 8' for the 750 includes the 1' I fell backwards with it. If my life depended on it, I could've taken it the distance, but my upper back was folding all over the place and being so close to the contest, I didn't want to risk the injury.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
BODYFAT UPDATE
BOOM!
I'm going to be annoying and spam this a bunch I'm sure, but I'm pretty psyched about this. 8.4% bodyfat at 5'9 and 190lbs. As a former fat kid (and always a fat kid at heart), that's pretty crazy, and one great final push before I turn 30.
This puts me at a Fat Free Mass Index of 25.9 apparently. That's honestly something a little more disheartening but something I've been suspecting as well. I'm not really sure how much bigger I can reasonably expect to get, but at least I can know that all the years of training have meant something (I mean, I knew that from performance too, but give me this).
Now...I need to make sure I don't completely relapse and balloon up to 220lbs, haha.
BOOM!
I'm going to be annoying and spam this a bunch I'm sure, but I'm pretty psyched about this. 8.4% bodyfat at 5'9 and 190lbs. As a former fat kid (and always a fat kid at heart), that's pretty crazy, and one great final push before I turn 30.
This puts me at a Fat Free Mass Index of 25.9 apparently. That's honestly something a little more disheartening but something I've been suspecting as well. I'm not really sure how much bigger I can reasonably expect to get, but at least I can know that all the years of training have meant something (I mean, I knew that from performance too, but give me this).
Now...I need to make sure I don't completely relapse and balloon up to 220lbs, haha.
Training Log: Entry 1933
Axle clean and press (clean each rep) 188lbs
1x8
1x6
Axle clean and press (clean once) 188lbs
1x6
Notes: Got a contest in a month with this event/weight, so wanted to see where I stood. I really should learn how to continental, but this was all just straight up power cleans. Contest is going to be with an Ironmind axle, so that's something I'll need to factor. Thinking about breaking out my old galvanized steel pipe just to get used to an unfinished smooth axle.
None of these sets were to death. I did as many reps as I could in one shot, then rested as long as I needed to hit one more rep. The contest is a partner contest, where we alternate each rep, so I'll actually get to rest a fair amount in between reps comparatively. The final set was more a backoff, nothing major, just grooving my leg drive.
Incline DB bench 105
(5)1x8
(4)1x4
(3)1x8
(2)1x8
(1)1x7
superset w/
D ring lat pulldown/kelso shrug combo 140
5x10/5
Notes: Right elbow gave out on the second set of DB benches, and was a little pissed off through out the rest of the exercises. Still a little tender, probably up the motrin and glucosamine. May have to start culling the dips with the contest coming up. Lat pulldowns are heavier, making kelso's a little more difficult. May play around with this.
Curl dropset
10x30lbs (Hammercurl)
10x25lbs (curl)
10x20lbs (HC)
10x15lbs (c)
10x10lbs (HC)
Notes: Time crunch again, but this was a blast. Awesome pump, big fan of the powerblocks.
Miniband pushdowns
1x100
Notes: Since the elbow is pissed off, thought this would be a better choice. Might actually consider alternating each day between dips and pushdowns.
General notes: Woke up at 191.2. With a contest on the horizon, thinking about starting to up my protein intake slightly. Was planning after my bodyweight measurement to do a month of a surplus-ish and then back to the fat loss, so this might actually time out very well.
----
As for the contest I keep speaking of, here are the events for my weight class. It's a light show, which should suit me well with my current bodyweight.
1. Alternating Axle Clean and Press. Partners will attempt to clean and press an axle for as many reps as possible. Each rep will start from the ground. The bar can be cleaned directly to the shoulder or brought to the sternum in a continental style. Bar may not rest on the belt, although incidental contact may be allowed if it’s clear that the contact isn’t being used to gain an advantage. 60 second time limit. Partners must alternate reps. Knee sleeves, one belt, elbow sleeves, chalk and wrist wraps are the only protective equipment allowed unless otherwise approved by the promoter. The men’s classes will use an Ironmind axle and the women’s classes will use a Rogue axle.
Men’s LW 185
2. Farmers Walk. Partner 1 will carry two farmers implements for 25 meters as quickly as possible. Once the weight is completely across the line, Partner 2 will pick them up and head back towards the finish line. The winner of the event is the team who crosses the finish line fastest. Unlimited drops are allowed. 60 second time limit. If the athletes don’t complete the course in the time limit, their score will be their distance. Chalk is the only grip aid allowed.
Men’s LW 185/hand
3. Yoke Walk For Max Weight. Partners will choose one weight and get one attempt to carry this weight for 30ft, drop the weight, turn around, pick it up, and carry it back. Partners may choose to “tag out” at any given time between themselves as many times as they like during the 90 second time limit. Unlimited drops. So pick the most weight you and your partner can carry for a combined 60ft and let’s do this. Yoke weights will be kept top secret and will be loaded in a rising bar format from lightest to heaviest. You won’t know what your other competitors are doing until they’re doing it.
The way the event will be scored is by ranking teams who finish the course with the heaviest weight. If two teams choose to carry 600lbs, the faster team will win. In the event that a team does not complete the 60ft in the time limit, they will be scored below all the teams who completed the course, regardless of weight. So, if a team chooses 800lbs and they can’t finish, they’ll be scored below teams that finished with 400lbs. Choose weights wisely! Only the front of the yoke must cross the line. Both partners must carry the yoke; one can’t have all the fun. For the Couples Division, one team member must carry the yoke the entire way and then the other team member carries it back - no tag outs.
4. Front Carry. Partner 1 will carry an odd object for 25m, then Partner 2 will carry it back across the finish line in the fastest time possible. Drops are allowed. Object can be passed between partners; it doesn’t have to be set down. 90 second time limit.
Men’s LW 200lb stone
5. Deadlift for Reps. Partners will attempt to deadlift a barbell, one at a time, as many times as possible in 90 second. Partners may tag out at any time between themselves. Belt, chalk and straps are the only lifting aids allowed. Conventional stance only. Weight must be locked out and held until the judge’s down command before being lowered to the ground. Bar cannot be dropped.
Men’s LW – 315lb
Axle clean and press (clean each rep) 188lbs
1x8
1x6
Axle clean and press (clean once) 188lbs
1x6
Notes: Got a contest in a month with this event/weight, so wanted to see where I stood. I really should learn how to continental, but this was all just straight up power cleans. Contest is going to be with an Ironmind axle, so that's something I'll need to factor. Thinking about breaking out my old galvanized steel pipe just to get used to an unfinished smooth axle.
None of these sets were to death. I did as many reps as I could in one shot, then rested as long as I needed to hit one more rep. The contest is a partner contest, where we alternate each rep, so I'll actually get to rest a fair amount in between reps comparatively. The final set was more a backoff, nothing major, just grooving my leg drive.
Incline DB bench 105
(5)1x8
(4)1x4
(3)1x8
(2)1x8
(1)1x7
superset w/
D ring lat pulldown/kelso shrug combo 140
5x10/5
Notes: Right elbow gave out on the second set of DB benches, and was a little pissed off through out the rest of the exercises. Still a little tender, probably up the motrin and glucosamine. May have to start culling the dips with the contest coming up. Lat pulldowns are heavier, making kelso's a little more difficult. May play around with this.
Curl dropset
10x30lbs (Hammercurl)
10x25lbs (curl)
10x20lbs (HC)
10x15lbs (c)
10x10lbs (HC)
Notes: Time crunch again, but this was a blast. Awesome pump, big fan of the powerblocks.
Miniband pushdowns
1x100
Notes: Since the elbow is pissed off, thought this would be a better choice. Might actually consider alternating each day between dips and pushdowns.
General notes: Woke up at 191.2. With a contest on the horizon, thinking about starting to up my protein intake slightly. Was planning after my bodyweight measurement to do a month of a surplus-ish and then back to the fat loss, so this might actually time out very well.
----
As for the contest I keep speaking of, here are the events for my weight class. It's a light show, which should suit me well with my current bodyweight.
1. Alternating Axle Clean and Press. Partners will attempt to clean and press an axle for as many reps as possible. Each rep will start from the ground. The bar can be cleaned directly to the shoulder or brought to the sternum in a continental style. Bar may not rest on the belt, although incidental contact may be allowed if it’s clear that the contact isn’t being used to gain an advantage. 60 second time limit. Partners must alternate reps. Knee sleeves, one belt, elbow sleeves, chalk and wrist wraps are the only protective equipment allowed unless otherwise approved by the promoter. The men’s classes will use an Ironmind axle and the women’s classes will use a Rogue axle.
Men’s LW 185
2. Farmers Walk. Partner 1 will carry two farmers implements for 25 meters as quickly as possible. Once the weight is completely across the line, Partner 2 will pick them up and head back towards the finish line. The winner of the event is the team who crosses the finish line fastest. Unlimited drops are allowed. 60 second time limit. If the athletes don’t complete the course in the time limit, their score will be their distance. Chalk is the only grip aid allowed.
Men’s LW 185/hand
3. Yoke Walk For Max Weight. Partners will choose one weight and get one attempt to carry this weight for 30ft, drop the weight, turn around, pick it up, and carry it back. Partners may choose to “tag out” at any given time between themselves as many times as they like during the 90 second time limit. Unlimited drops. So pick the most weight you and your partner can carry for a combined 60ft and let’s do this. Yoke weights will be kept top secret and will be loaded in a rising bar format from lightest to heaviest. You won’t know what your other competitors are doing until they’re doing it.
The way the event will be scored is by ranking teams who finish the course with the heaviest weight. If two teams choose to carry 600lbs, the faster team will win. In the event that a team does not complete the 60ft in the time limit, they will be scored below all the teams who completed the course, regardless of weight. So, if a team chooses 800lbs and they can’t finish, they’ll be scored below teams that finished with 400lbs. Choose weights wisely! Only the front of the yoke must cross the line. Both partners must carry the yoke; one can’t have all the fun. For the Couples Division, one team member must carry the yoke the entire way and then the other team member carries it back - no tag outs.
4. Front Carry. Partner 1 will carry an odd object for 25m, then Partner 2 will carry it back across the finish line in the fastest time possible. Drops are allowed. Object can be passed between partners; it doesn’t have to be set down. 90 second time limit.
Men’s LW 200lb stone
5. Deadlift for Reps. Partners will attempt to deadlift a barbell, one at a time, as many times as possible in 90 second. Partners may tag out at any time between themselves. Belt, chalk and straps are the only lifting aids allowed. Conventional stance only. Weight must be locked out and held until the judge’s down command before being lowered to the ground. Bar cannot be dropped.
Men’s LW – 315lb
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Training Log: Entry 1932
(12) Chain Suspended SSB Squats
4x425+chains
6x355+chains
Notes: Paul Carter's article on fat loss really resonated with me, and today's heavy set showed some evidence of what was being written. I felt plenty strong on the movement, and then after rep 4 it was like someone shut off the power. I think if I were carbed up I'd be seeing a few more reps, but my base strength is doing well.
Been thinking about this for a bit now, and I think my plan moving forward after this cycle is to keep the ROM progression going by alternate each week between SSB and Buffalo bar. I'm pretty much just maintaining right now, and I think it's because I'm at a weird place weight wise with the SSB. Any lighter and I don't get the desired training effect, any heavier and I don't get the volume I want, and at my current weight I'm just spinning my wheels. I should be able to go much heavier with the buffalo bar, which will be good for my core and legs, while the SSB will keep hammering my upper back. In theory, the two should compliment each other. This will mean training in a 16 week cycle versus 8, with deloads on the 8th week.
Reverse hyper 5 plates
3x11
superset w/
Standing ab wheel
3x8
Car deadlift simulator 8 plates per side
1x14
Notes: So pleased with this, especially considering I'm just feeling beat down these days. Took a lot out of me, but got it done. Don't know if I'm going to increase the weight next time or try for 16, eventually topping out at 20.
Neck harness 45lbs
1x50
General notes: Woke up at 191.6. Weight is maintaining well. I feel absolutely fried. My bodyweight work is falling apart, but I think it's probably time to deprioritize it a bit. Just going to go for effort instead of reps for a week or 2 and see what happens. Bodyfat gets measured tomorrow. May be able to compete in October due to a schedule change, I'll see if I can work it. It'd be a light show, which is probably for the best.
(12) Chain Suspended SSB Squats
4x425+chains
6x355+chains
Notes: Paul Carter's article on fat loss really resonated with me, and today's heavy set showed some evidence of what was being written. I felt plenty strong on the movement, and then after rep 4 it was like someone shut off the power. I think if I were carbed up I'd be seeing a few more reps, but my base strength is doing well.
Been thinking about this for a bit now, and I think my plan moving forward after this cycle is to keep the ROM progression going by alternate each week between SSB and Buffalo bar. I'm pretty much just maintaining right now, and I think it's because I'm at a weird place weight wise with the SSB. Any lighter and I don't get the desired training effect, any heavier and I don't get the volume I want, and at my current weight I'm just spinning my wheels. I should be able to go much heavier with the buffalo bar, which will be good for my core and legs, while the SSB will keep hammering my upper back. In theory, the two should compliment each other. This will mean training in a 16 week cycle versus 8, with deloads on the 8th week.
Reverse hyper 5 plates
3x11
superset w/
Standing ab wheel
3x8
Car deadlift simulator 8 plates per side
1x14
Notes: So pleased with this, especially considering I'm just feeling beat down these days. Took a lot out of me, but got it done. Don't know if I'm going to increase the weight next time or try for 16, eventually topping out at 20.
Neck harness 45lbs
1x50
General notes: Woke up at 191.6. Weight is maintaining well. I feel absolutely fried. My bodyweight work is falling apart, but I think it's probably time to deprioritize it a bit. Just going to go for effort instead of reps for a week or 2 and see what happens. Bodyfat gets measured tomorrow. May be able to compete in October due to a schedule change, I'll see if I can work it. It'd be a light show, which is probably for the best.
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