Dynamic Effort Lower Body
Purple Band Squat 215x5x2
Purple Band Deadlift 242x5x2
GHR 3x20
Bk.Ext. 3x8 @ 100#s
40yds Prowler @ 50#s
This workout felt great - the squats/dl were light due to recycling my percentages. The GHR was difficult by mid-third set and it definitely did its job, hamstrings = sore. I wasn't sure how sore I would feel in my back because its difficult to push weight on a back extension before I start to feel it mainly in my hamstrings. I think I'm getting to the point where GM's are going to be more beneficial. Prowlers were "sorta" easy but it certainly caught up with me after the 3rd push.
No fancy quote today - just go home and put some Notorious B.I.G. on
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Getting Back On Track
Monday, Feb.22nd
NX Level Sports
Performance Facility
11:30-1:00pm
Dynamic Effort Upper Body Workout
Purple Band Bench Press
8x3 145lbs
2x5 170lbs
25lbs Pull-ups
4xamap 6(PR), 5, 4, 4,
DB Military Press
4x6 50-65lbs(PR)
Todays lift felt great in many ways. I went into the workout alittle tired but just kept pushing through and by the time I finshed half my bench pressing I was fine. All the benching felt good and especially my last set. Every rep on that set felt explosive and strong.
My first set of pull-ups was suprising. I managed 6 full reps with 25lbs - last year I was struggling to earn 1 rep. After finishing those out I decided to build up my DB presses alittle slower than the last time I had recorded them. Last time I worked the 50s, and then ended with 3 sets of 60s with help from my spotter. This week I managed the 50s, smoked the 60s, and locked out all 6 with the 65s so I was jacked about that.
It feels great to get back in the gym and get some good quality work done. I think the break I had was needed - I wish I would have gotten MORE activity done than just not lifintg at all but I feel fresh and ready to take these last 3 weeks to continue my progress and compete at the end of March. Bring it on!
Remember, sometimes/a lot of times progress can be hindered by over training. And training while sick is something I wouldn't recommend. It will not be the end of the world and you don't need to emotionally beat yourself up for missing some workouts. It is very important that as soon as your feeling better that you get back in the habit and keep working out and keep working hard. Consistancy and determination are necessary for success but even God rested!
NX Level Sports
Performance Facility
11:30-1:00pm
Dynamic Effort Upper Body Workout
Purple Band Bench Press
8x3 145lbs
2x5 170lbs
25lbs Pull-ups
4xamap 6(PR), 5, 4, 4,
DB Military Press
4x6 50-65lbs(PR)
Todays lift felt great in many ways. I went into the workout alittle tired but just kept pushing through and by the time I finshed half my bench pressing I was fine. All the benching felt good and especially my last set. Every rep on that set felt explosive and strong.
My first set of pull-ups was suprising. I managed 6 full reps with 25lbs - last year I was struggling to earn 1 rep. After finishing those out I decided to build up my DB presses alittle slower than the last time I had recorded them. Last time I worked the 50s, and then ended with 3 sets of 60s with help from my spotter. This week I managed the 50s, smoked the 60s, and locked out all 6 with the 65s so I was jacked about that.
It feels great to get back in the gym and get some good quality work done. I think the break I had was needed - I wish I would have gotten MORE activity done than just not lifintg at all but I feel fresh and ready to take these last 3 weeks to continue my progress and compete at the end of March. Bring it on!
Remember, sometimes/a lot of times progress can be hindered by over training. And training while sick is something I wouldn't recommend. It will not be the end of the world and you don't need to emotionally beat yourself up for missing some workouts. It is very important that as soon as your feeling better that you get back in the habit and keep working out and keep working hard. Consistancy and determination are necessary for success but even God rested!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wow - dropped the ball
Its been a week since I last blogged...that's awful! What's more awful is that this week turned into a disaster regarding working out. I trained once. Yep, you read it I said it...once!
Sunday/Monday I came down with a cold: sleep deprived, stuffy head, runny nose, aches, pains, cough & sore throat...insert violins here. I am not a big fan of working out while your sick - your body is already in overdrive trying to fight off whatever is making you sick and maintain daily function and I still went into work so adding to that the stresses of working out. That doesn't make sense to me. Plus, your creating an environment that bacteria/disease thrive in by raising your core temperature due to exercise. I'm pretty sure "flushing" your system out by squeezing in a workout while your sick doesn't work - but that's just my opinion.
With that said, I only worked out on Monday and I de-loaded so it was easy weight on everything...since then I have not lifted though. What I have done since then is finished one of my books. (I am doing well with my goal of reading more ... 2 1/2 books read with only 2 months in the year down) I read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. It was a who, what, why, and when book of the The Paleo Diet, more commonly known as The Caveman Diet.
For those of you that don't know the Paleo Diet is very simple - eat only what a paleolithic person had available to them...65 million years ago. huh?
First of all - whether you believe in evolution, creation, or a combination of the two or some other Matrix-y/Men In Black theory - Cavemen/Paleolithic people existed at some point the time doesn't matter 8,000 years ago or 800 million years ago they existed and they didn't have the processed foods that we do.
So the gist - Cavemen ate - meats, vegetables, fruits, and seeds and nuts. They ate from these 4 categories and they ate as much as they could from these. They ate until they were full and then they'd do it all over again. Some catches to this are...they ate leaner - game - meats and they were much more active than the average adult is now a days. They had to hunt their food, not drive to a store, they also had much more rigorous daily livings compared to SOME of us nowadays. They had to gather their fruits, nuts, and seeds plus gather sticks/stones/etc for building, hunting, and everything they did. There was no such thing as a finished product - they did everything themselves. But through exercise and active lifestyles or lifestyle changes we can adjust for that. So really it comes down to our nutrition not matching theirs. Hence the diet/lifestyle change.
Ground rules -
eat whatever you want as long as its a meat, vegetable, fruit, seed or nut
no fried/processed foods
no dairy ... try milking a wild animal - good luck ;) - also high in sat.fats
no/limit sugar ... I added "limit" because its just plain hard, do-able, but hard to not eat sugar - supposedly cavemen would only get sugar via honey
Limit alcohol/caffeine - Red wine/light beer encourage if consuming/keep caffeine to minimum
That's about it...the abundance of fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts (alkaline based)balance out the amounts of protein (acid based)your consuming limiting protein toxicity, the non-existent processed foods diminish free radicals, level out hormones like insulin, and greatly reduce ones chances of disease like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, multiple types of cancers plus much more. You increase your intake of good fats like mono-poly unsaturated (including omega 3/6) while decrease saturated fats/trans fats by taking out dairy, processed, deep fried, grease laden foods and focusing on lean meats/game meats for protein sources.
I'll add more to this topic once I can pull specific information from the book - plus I'll add a weekly meal plan and a few recipes I try.
I'm already starting to read Food, Inc. edited by Karl Weber. Its also DVD, but I thought I'd be the smart guy and actually read the book first. Its about the food industry and how poorly companies are regulated, managed, and run and how its effecting consumers health and making us sicker and the stockholders richer...at least that's what I think its about, I'm only on chapter 1.
People will read again! ~Thomas Tibbs (Vanilla Sky-a great movie btw)
The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. ~Bill Beattie
The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~Sydney J. Harris
Sunday/Monday I came down with a cold: sleep deprived, stuffy head, runny nose, aches, pains, cough & sore throat...insert violins here. I am not a big fan of working out while your sick - your body is already in overdrive trying to fight off whatever is making you sick and maintain daily function and I still went into work so adding to that the stresses of working out. That doesn't make sense to me. Plus, your creating an environment that bacteria/disease thrive in by raising your core temperature due to exercise. I'm pretty sure "flushing" your system out by squeezing in a workout while your sick doesn't work - but that's just my opinion.
With that said, I only worked out on Monday and I de-loaded so it was easy weight on everything...since then I have not lifted though. What I have done since then is finished one of my books. (I am doing well with my goal of reading more ... 2 1/2 books read with only 2 months in the year down) I read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. It was a who, what, why, and when book of the The Paleo Diet, more commonly known as The Caveman Diet.
For those of you that don't know the Paleo Diet is very simple - eat only what a paleolithic person had available to them...65 million years ago. huh?
First of all - whether you believe in evolution, creation, or a combination of the two or some other Matrix-y/Men In Black theory - Cavemen/Paleolithic people existed at some point the time doesn't matter 8,000 years ago or 800 million years ago they existed and they didn't have the processed foods that we do.
So the gist - Cavemen ate - meats, vegetables, fruits, and seeds and nuts. They ate from these 4 categories and they ate as much as they could from these. They ate until they were full and then they'd do it all over again. Some catches to this are...they ate leaner - game - meats and they were much more active than the average adult is now a days. They had to hunt their food, not drive to a store, they also had much more rigorous daily livings compared to SOME of us nowadays. They had to gather their fruits, nuts, and seeds plus gather sticks/stones/etc for building, hunting, and everything they did. There was no such thing as a finished product - they did everything themselves. But through exercise and active lifestyles or lifestyle changes we can adjust for that. So really it comes down to our nutrition not matching theirs. Hence the diet/lifestyle change.
Ground rules -
eat whatever you want as long as its a meat, vegetable, fruit, seed or nut
no fried/processed foods
no dairy ... try milking a wild animal - good luck ;) - also high in sat.fats
no/limit sugar ... I added "limit" because its just plain hard, do-able, but hard to not eat sugar - supposedly cavemen would only get sugar via honey
Limit alcohol/caffeine - Red wine/light beer encourage if consuming/keep caffeine to minimum
That's about it...the abundance of fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts (alkaline based)balance out the amounts of protein (acid based)your consuming limiting protein toxicity, the non-existent processed foods diminish free radicals, level out hormones like insulin, and greatly reduce ones chances of disease like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, multiple types of cancers plus much more. You increase your intake of good fats like mono-poly unsaturated (including omega 3/6) while decrease saturated fats/trans fats by taking out dairy, processed, deep fried, grease laden foods and focusing on lean meats/game meats for protein sources.
I'll add more to this topic once I can pull specific information from the book - plus I'll add a weekly meal plan and a few recipes I try.
I'm already starting to read Food, Inc. edited by Karl Weber. Its also DVD, but I thought I'd be the smart guy and actually read the book first. Its about the food industry and how poorly companies are regulated, managed, and run and how its effecting consumers health and making us sicker and the stockholders richer...at least that's what I think its about, I'm only on chapter 1.
People will read again! ~Thomas Tibbs (Vanilla Sky-a great movie btw)
The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. ~Bill Beattie
The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~Sydney J. Harris
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday - Let's Get Hyped!
This week is over and I can say I am glad ... two bad days of training, a lot due to motivation. Luckily for me I had time today, on Saturdays that usually not the case. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow will help rejuvenate me and get going into next week.
Today I managed a good focus during my DE Squats.
Hip Activation + Warm-up sets
Squats w/60lbs Chain
135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 225x2x10
RDLs
198x6, 220x6, 242x6x2
Rev.Hypers
4x10
This week has been hectic because we've had 2 trainers out for 1 or 2 days and that has put a SMALL damper on my motivation to get things done - my goals for the end of next week are to A.read 2 chapters in The Paleo Diet By Loren Cordain and give you all a summary and B. Get that info up about HIIT - both will be valuable!
Until then...
" The only limitations to your success will be those you accept and those you place upon yourself!"~ Michael Collier
Today I managed a good focus during my DE Squats.
Hip Activation + Warm-up sets
Squats w/60lbs Chain
135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 225x2x10
RDLs
198x6, 220x6, 242x6x2
Rev.Hypers
4x10
This week has been hectic because we've had 2 trainers out for 1 or 2 days and that has put a SMALL damper on my motivation to get things done - my goals for the end of next week are to A.read 2 chapters in The Paleo Diet By Loren Cordain and give you all a summary and B. Get that info up about HIIT - both will be valuable!
Until then...
" The only limitations to your success will be those you accept and those you place upon yourself!"~ Michael Collier
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Max Effort Upper Body
Today will be quick because I've have 14 mintues to shower and eat and then train clients...
foam roll t-spine/hip activation
pec/lat stretch/calf stretch
warm-up sets
barx10, 95x10, 135x5, 185x3, 225x1,255x1, 275x0
Shirt sets
295x3, 315x3, 350x1(video), 370x0
Assistance
Purple Band Pushdowns 3x20
Chin-ups 3x10
Ft/Lat Raises 3x12
I'm working on putting together a blog about High Intensity Interval Training and some thoughts on getting into military ready shape. Expect that early next week!
foam roll t-spine/hip activation
pec/lat stretch/calf stretch
warm-up sets
barx10, 95x10, 135x5, 185x3, 225x1,255x1, 275x0
Shirt sets
295x3, 315x3, 350x1(video), 370x0
Assistance
Purple Band Pushdowns 3x20
Chin-ups 3x10
Ft/Lat Raises 3x12
I'm working on putting together a blog about High Intensity Interval Training and some thoughts on getting into military ready shape. Expect that early next week!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
All AdvoCare All the Time
For all you current and future followers let me drop alittle knowledge bomb about AdvoCare.
What is it?
AdvoCare is a premier health and wellness company offering world-class energy, weight-loss, nutrition, and sports performance products. AdvoCare = Advocates who care. It is a direct sales company that pride themselves on providing everyone with the highest quality and effective products in the market.
Who is it?
AdvoCare is everyone. It is elite athlete, Drew Brees, it is every day weight lifter John Q. Taxpayer, it is on-the-go super mom, Sally A. Smith, and it is all in between. AdvoCare is me and it can be you as well!
Why should I take AdvoCare supplements and not any of the other billion brands out there?
Easy! AdvoCares attention to detail and level of responsibility simply outweighs any other companys across the market. All their products are designed from sound scientific and medical principles and are based on scientific knowledge together with current research and scholarly studies. All the ingredients are of the highest quality and the process is not only rigriously overseen by the R&D Dept of AdvoCare but also by the Scientific & Medical Board, which are all prestigous Ph.D/MD/Pharm.D in their respective fields. It is their job to make sure that AdvoCare's products are safe and effective...and they put their name on the line!
Also, with the INFORMED-CHOICE coalition you as a user of AdvoCare's product should know that its safe and free of banned substances. INFORMED-CHOICE has specialized anti-doping experience. Their WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)-experienced laboratory adheres to standards for sports supplements and has analyzed more samples for banned substances than any other lab in the world. The INFORMED-CHOICE program adheres to regulations set in place by WADA, and NCAA as well as professional sports organizations including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, ATP, WTA, LPGA, and NASCAR. INFORMED-CHOICE is an addition to the independent board of experts in medical nutrition, training and pharmacology. That's so you know its good!
Here are a few of my top products -
Spark - a fantastic source of energy, nutrition, and mental focus, 21
vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Sugar free. 45 calories. Available in pouches or canister. Cherry, Fruit Punch, Citrus, Grape, Orange.
Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink- replace lost water, minearls, and electrolytes from your workout. Rehydrate also has antioxidants, amino acids, and carbohydrates to promote optimal hydration and recovery. Citrus, Fruit Punch, Grape. Available in pouches or canister.
Herbal Cleanse- this will put your body in the position to appreciate all the ways your helping your body function better...better whole-food nutrition, better supplements, and exercise. 10 days. Helps remove toxins from your body...especially the ones that may contribute to weight gain. Peaches & Cream and Citrus.
Catalyst- helps maintain muscle mass during exercise and weight management. Its helps feed the muscles with branched-chain amino acids which helps support endurance and strength in conjunction with exercise. It also aids in post workout muscle repair and supports mental energy and focus.
OmegaPlex- pure and effective blend of mega-3 fatty acids which are important to heart, nerve, muscle, skin, bone, and immune health.
Meal replacement Shakes- only 220 calories! 5-6gs of fiber 24gs of protein plus a combination of vitamins and minerals this will help you lose fat and build muscle. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Berry 14 pouches
MNS Max 3- this is THE comprehensive system helping you by providing sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition, and all around wellness.
Muscle Fuel Pre-workout- 28 vitamins and minerals, botanicals and other energy producing components this will take your workouts to the next level! Fruit Punch - pouches
Muscle Gain Protein Shake- build solid muscle without excessive calories, fats, or carbs. 25gs of the highest quality protein will feed your muscles with the amino acids they need to grow big and strong. Chocolate, Vanilla. Pouches or Canister.
Post workout Recovery- with 30 vitamins and minerals plus other nutrients that support the muscles metabolic processes this will help maximize recovery and minimize muscle soreness. Chocolate, Vanilla, pouches or canister.
These are just some of the products AdvoCare carries! There are tons more for performance, losing weight, or staying active. Products to help joint health, prostate health, sleep, immune system, calcium, meal replacement bars...For more information click on "my advocare website" towards the upper right hand side of this webpage or copy and paste this into your web browser http://www.advocare.com/1002760
...............BOOOOOOM............that was your knowledge bomb exploding, your mind just got blown son
What is it?
AdvoCare is a premier health and wellness company offering world-class energy, weight-loss, nutrition, and sports performance products. AdvoCare = Advocates who care. It is a direct sales company that pride themselves on providing everyone with the highest quality and effective products in the market.
Who is it?
AdvoCare is everyone. It is elite athlete, Drew Brees, it is every day weight lifter John Q. Taxpayer, it is on-the-go super mom, Sally A. Smith, and it is all in between. AdvoCare is me and it can be you as well!
Why should I take AdvoCare supplements and not any of the other billion brands out there?
Easy! AdvoCares attention to detail and level of responsibility simply outweighs any other companys across the market. All their products are designed from sound scientific and medical principles and are based on scientific knowledge together with current research and scholarly studies. All the ingredients are of the highest quality and the process is not only rigriously overseen by the R&D Dept of AdvoCare but also by the Scientific & Medical Board, which are all prestigous Ph.D/MD/Pharm.D in their respective fields. It is their job to make sure that AdvoCare's products are safe and effective...and they put their name on the line!
Also, with the INFORMED-CHOICE coalition you as a user of AdvoCare's product should know that its safe and free of banned substances. INFORMED-CHOICE has specialized anti-doping experience. Their WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)-experienced laboratory adheres to standards for sports supplements and has analyzed more samples for banned substances than any other lab in the world. The INFORMED-CHOICE program adheres to regulations set in place by WADA, and NCAA as well as professional sports organizations including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, ATP, WTA, LPGA, and NASCAR. INFORMED-CHOICE is an addition to the independent board of experts in medical nutrition, training and pharmacology. That's so you know its good!
Here are a few of my top products -
Spark - a fantastic source of energy, nutrition, and mental focus, 21
vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Sugar free. 45 calories. Available in pouches or canister. Cherry, Fruit Punch, Citrus, Grape, Orange.
Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink- replace lost water, minearls, and electrolytes from your workout. Rehydrate also has antioxidants, amino acids, and carbohydrates to promote optimal hydration and recovery. Citrus, Fruit Punch, Grape. Available in pouches or canister.
Herbal Cleanse- this will put your body in the position to appreciate all the ways your helping your body function better...better whole-food nutrition, better supplements, and exercise. 10 days. Helps remove toxins from your body...especially the ones that may contribute to weight gain. Peaches & Cream and Citrus.
Catalyst- helps maintain muscle mass during exercise and weight management. Its helps feed the muscles with branched-chain amino acids which helps support endurance and strength in conjunction with exercise. It also aids in post workout muscle repair and supports mental energy and focus.
OmegaPlex- pure and effective blend of mega-3 fatty acids which are important to heart, nerve, muscle, skin, bone, and immune health.
Meal replacement Shakes- only 220 calories! 5-6gs of fiber 24gs of protein plus a combination of vitamins and minerals this will help you lose fat and build muscle. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Berry 14 pouches
MNS Max 3- this is THE comprehensive system helping you by providing sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition, and all around wellness.
Muscle Fuel Pre-workout- 28 vitamins and minerals, botanicals and other energy producing components this will take your workouts to the next level! Fruit Punch - pouches
Muscle Gain Protein Shake- build solid muscle without excessive calories, fats, or carbs. 25gs of the highest quality protein will feed your muscles with the amino acids they need to grow big and strong. Chocolate, Vanilla. Pouches or Canister.
Post workout Recovery- with 30 vitamins and minerals plus other nutrients that support the muscles metabolic processes this will help maximize recovery and minimize muscle soreness. Chocolate, Vanilla, pouches or canister.
These are just some of the products AdvoCare carries! There are tons more for performance, losing weight, or staying active. Products to help joint health, prostate health, sleep, immune system, calcium, meal replacement bars...For more information click on "my advocare website" towards the upper right hand side of this webpage or copy and paste this into your web browser http://www.advocare.com/1002760
...............BOOOOOOM............that was your knowledge bomb exploding, your mind just got blown son
Success never comes without failure
Do you remember playing basketball in the alley? You and a bunch of your friends would get together and go out to the alley, everyone would put their feet in a circle, and one person would rattle off some crazy nursery rhyme type saying in order to divvy-up everyone into teams... you'd bitch about how unfair the teams are anyways... and then you had to shoot for possession of the ball. Which ever team won possession would go to the three point line and.... what was the next thing you do? You'd CHECK the ball. For some reason, you'd yell the word "check" to your defender and pass them the ball as hard as humanly possible in order to deliver the message that you mean business. They would then pass the ball back and you'd do one of three things cut left, cut right, or pass if your skills couldn't hack it.
My point, now drawn out, is that today I got CHECKED! I tried dead lifting 505lbs, which I have done before, but instead of driving it up and locking out at my hips all I heard was "CHECK!" and it felt like getting slammed in the face with a basketball point blank range on a cold night.
Deadlift went like this: 155x5,220x3,265x1,310x1,330x1,375x1,suit,405x1,485x1,505x0
375x3x2
395x3x2
405x3x2
Bwt. GHR 3x20
45Bk. Ext 3x6
Prowler @ 140lbs
3x20yds
Back to getting owned while deadlifting. After attempting a raw PR and failing and then attempting 505lbs with my suit and failing my mood was, to say the least, not good. I expressed my disgust with a client who then answered me with some good knowledge...
So it is his words I will leave you with:
"It wouldn't be training if you didn't have a bad day" ~ Mike Hamm
My point, now drawn out, is that today I got CHECKED! I tried dead lifting 505lbs, which I have done before, but instead of driving it up and locking out at my hips all I heard was "CHECK!" and it felt like getting slammed in the face with a basketball point blank range on a cold night.
Deadlift went like this: 155x5,220x3,265x1,310x1,330x1,375x1,suit,405x1,485x1,505x0
375x3x2
395x3x2
405x3x2
Bwt. GHR 3x20
45Bk. Ext 3x6
Prowler @ 140lbs
3x20yds
Back to getting owned while deadlifting. After attempting a raw PR and failing and then attempting 505lbs with my suit and failing my mood was, to say the least, not good. I expressed my disgust with a client who then answered me with some good knowledge...
So it is his words I will leave you with:
"It wouldn't be training if you didn't have a bad day" ~ Mike Hamm
Monday, February 8, 2010
I came to the quick realization today that I am now 7 weeks in training for my 1st gear meet in Debeque, IA which is at the end of March. That means I'm just over half way, which is just flat out exciting and makes me a little nervous. Just a little.
Today was a Dynamic Effort (DE) Upper Body training. That means I was training for speed and I was bench pressing.
The picture above demonstrates the set-up and looks badass...
8x3 @ 135lbs+bands
2x5 @ 155lbs w/o bands
3x15 bwt.push-ups
3x? 25lbs pull-ups
4x6 DB Military Press
The push-ups were a failed attempt to help relieve some pain in my shoulder - my thinking was to get a good stretch through the front side of the shoulder but after thinking through it I was probably doing more harm then good. I was causing humeral extension with the push-up motion and increasing that because I was doing elevated push-ups. That is where my "stretch" feeling was coming from, which felt good, but the pressure I was putting in my shoulder due to the motion would likely cause more pain from impingement then it would cure. What I should have done, one option amongst thousands, is to stretch the front side/ant.delt/pec to help create space in the joint and then activate the back side musculature to help bring my shoulders in a better postural position and alieve some pressure and take stress out of the front side of my shoulder. That's what I should have done ... live and learn and now you know.
The pull-ups went god-aweful - I had no improvement from the last time I did them a few weeks back. I think this is going to be a much need area of improvement and that is only going to help shatter my bench records. The stronger the base the stronger the structure!
The military press went well. It was a little lighter than I'd hope for but I worked it hard and my shoulders are still feeling good.
It was a good day, and damn I feel like a gansta...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
"GFSI"
Going in to todays training I knew it was going to be a upper body max effort lift but I did not know it was going to be working up to a 1RM in my bench shirt. When I found out (by simply looking at my plan) I will admit I was a little excited.
My training has been going pretty good, a few road bumps along the way but nonetheless I've had a lot of progress and success. Here's how todays lifting went and the reasoning for the title "GFSI!"
General Warm-up: Roll-out, T-spine mobility, hip mobility & activation
Specific Warm-up: Calf & Hip Flexor Stretch
Plyo push-up + low/high rope chop x2
95lbs Bench + Face pull x1
Bench Press: 135x5, 185x5, 215x3, 240x2, 265x1 - kinda - this felt/looked aweful Shirt Bench: 295x2, 320x1, enter in "GFSI", 340x1 PR! GFSI is short for "gunna f*ing smoke it" That was my mantra for siking myself up before I pressed the 340. 340 is also now my new max, so I was pretty jacked on the inside to get this especially because my left shoulder started bothering me during my 265 attempt.
I finished out with Purple Band Pushdowns 5x25 - I recorded one of my sets to post as a demonstration of how you should correctly lock out your pushdowns. I see to many athletes "cheating" by keeping their hands together and not locking out at the hips. I'll post the video in my next blog.
External Rotation 5x10 - I wanted to emphasis the external motion to take care of the stress/pain I was feeling in the frontside of my shoulder
V-Grip Rows 5x15 - I changed this up to also help address my shoulder pain. I played with different positions, again, a future blog entry.
Finsihed with Traction + Shoulder/T-spine Mobility, another future blgo entry. Check out the video, sorry its so long - but its worth the wait! ...
My training has been going pretty good, a few road bumps along the way but nonetheless I've had a lot of progress and success. Here's how todays lifting went and the reasoning for the title "GFSI!"
General Warm-up: Roll-out, T-spine mobility, hip mobility & activation
Specific Warm-up: Calf & Hip Flexor Stretch
Plyo push-up + low/high rope chop x2
95lbs Bench + Face pull x1
Bench Press: 135x5, 185x5, 215x3, 240x2, 265x1 - kinda - this felt/looked aweful Shirt Bench: 295x2, 320x1, enter in "GFSI", 340x1 PR! GFSI is short for "gunna f*ing smoke it" That was my mantra for siking myself up before I pressed the 340. 340 is also now my new max, so I was pretty jacked on the inside to get this especially because my left shoulder started bothering me during my 265 attempt.
I finished out with Purple Band Pushdowns 5x25 - I recorded one of my sets to post as a demonstration of how you should correctly lock out your pushdowns. I see to many athletes "cheating" by keeping their hands together and not locking out at the hips. I'll post the video in my next blog.
External Rotation 5x10 - I wanted to emphasis the external motion to take care of the stress/pain I was feeling in the frontside of my shoulder
V-Grip Rows 5x15 - I changed this up to also help address my shoulder pain. I played with different positions, again, a future blog entry.
Finsihed with Traction + Shoulder/T-spine Mobility, another future blgo entry. Check out the video, sorry its so long - but its worth the wait! ...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wise words from a wise man... not my words
"one cannot dream of squatting 1,000lbs, a dream is just a dream. You must have a plan, a proven plan." - Louie Simmons
I just came across this quote of his the other night when I was reading some articles in the wee-hours of the morning because I had an AdvoCare Spark between 8 and 9pm that night. (But I'll leave that for my next blog which will come either tonight or tomorrow.) While in college I was a personal trainer and needed to have an e-mail contact for our company brouchures. I spent a little time trying to think of something clever and catchy while still making sense and personal to me. I came up with "lift smart... lift strong."
Those words bleed with depth if you really give them some thought. Lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong. If you train like a dumbass your going to set yourself up to fail. If you train correctly - if you train smart there's nothing you can't achieve. If you apply thought, theory, application, creativity, insight, history, ... to your training, in essence training smart, you will get results. You will lift strong - be strong - live strong! Going into a weight room - gym - club - whatever you call it - and working out/training should not be taken lightly but should still be fun and interesting and changing. It is something that involves dedication, discipline, hard work, sweat, a few tears, maybe some blood...and a little vomit. It takes a lot of heart and it takes a lot of brains. Lifting strong isn't just who can throw around the most weight its about learning, trying, revamping, experimenting, failing, educating, applying, teaching, helping, reviweing, and succeeding... and then repeating.
Louie Simmons has the quote "one cannot dream of squatting 1,000lbs, a dream is just a dream. You must have a plan, a proven plan."
Think about it.
Liftsmart - Liftstrong -
Peace up Mil-town and I'm out!
I just came across this quote of his the other night when I was reading some articles in the wee-hours of the morning because I had an AdvoCare Spark between 8 and 9pm that night. (But I'll leave that for my next blog which will come either tonight or tomorrow.) While in college I was a personal trainer and needed to have an e-mail contact for our company brouchures. I spent a little time trying to think of something clever and catchy while still making sense and personal to me. I came up with "lift smart... lift strong."
Those words bleed with depth if you really give them some thought. Lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong. If you train like a dumbass your going to set yourself up to fail. If you train correctly - if you train smart there's nothing you can't achieve. If you apply thought, theory, application, creativity, insight, history, ... to your training, in essence training smart, you will get results. You will lift strong - be strong - live strong! Going into a weight room - gym - club - whatever you call it - and working out/training should not be taken lightly but should still be fun and interesting and changing. It is something that involves dedication, discipline, hard work, sweat, a few tears, maybe some blood...and a little vomit. It takes a lot of heart and it takes a lot of brains. Lifting strong isn't just who can throw around the most weight its about learning, trying, revamping, experimenting, failing, educating, applying, teaching, helping, reviweing, and succeeding... and then repeating.
Louie Simmons has the quote "one cannot dream of squatting 1,000lbs, a dream is just a dream. You must have a plan, a proven plan."
Think about it.
Liftsmart - Liftstrong -
Peace up Mil-town and I'm out!
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