Becoming an Athlete

I love cleans!!!! I can't wait till I'm working with 225, but that'll take a bit of time and a lot of practice. Here is my workout from Tuesday Trap tri-set: a. snatch grip high pull: 115 x 6; 95 x 6, 6 b. clean grip high pull: 115 x 6; 95 x 6, 6 c. Bent row (with scap contraction): 115 x 0; 95 x 6, 6 (115 was too heavy for this tri-set) Power Clean from blocks: 95 x 5; 115 x 5; 135 x 5, 5 Medium grip pulldown: 140 x 10, 10, 10, 10 Upper chest superset: a. Incline bench press: 185 x 5; 175 x 5, 5, 5, 5 b. Incline dumbbell fly: 20s x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (6 seconds to lower) Dumbbell bench press: 55s x 10, 10, 8, 8 (too gassed for a 5th set. Using 50s next week)

After a week-long layoff, I'm back at it. It was simply too busy for me to find the hour a day, or the mental, emotional, or physical energy to devote to that hour. I don't often use that excuse, but I can say in all honesty that it was true of last week. Monday, 27 DEC, was my first time of doing 100 reps of squats in ages. Last time I did this, maybe a year+ ago, I used 135. This time it was 185, and I need to bump the weight up considerable next week. Here's the workout results: Leg press calves: 270 x 15; 360 x 15, 15 Standing calves: 195 x 20, 18 Back squat: 185 x 10 x 10. That's a total tonnage of 18,500 pounds !!!!! Next week I'll bump that up to 20,500!!!!! Those squats exhausted me. I didn't get nauseous so much as just generally sick feeling around set 7. I sat around the gym cooling down before I headed home. When I finally got home, all I could do was eat.

Last week of Phase 1, and I just finished Phase1-Day1 on a high note. Great numbers all around. Walking lunges: 45 x 6 per leg (just a warm-up) Front squat: 145 x 12; 165 x 10; 185 x 8, 8, 8 Hatfield bar squat: 225 x 5, 5, 5 Leg extension: 140 x 21s V-grip row: 180 x 5; 195 x 3; 210 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 60 x 6, 6, 12 per arm Hammer strength row (elbows high for trap emphasis): 180 x 12, 12, 12, 12 Bench press: 205 x 5; 225 x 3; 245 x 1; 235 x 3; 265 x 1 Dumbbell bench press: 70s x 12, 7, 8

Phase 1 is coming to and end and I'm at an all time strength peak. Everything has come together as I intended it. I am stronger through every movement pattern regardless of the specific exercise: vertical pushing, horizontal pushing, vertical pulling, horizontal pulling, squatting and deadlifting. My core is much more stable and able to support anything I demand of it. Not a bad way to end my 34th year and begin my 35th! :) I can tell that it is time for a change. My legs are eager for additional volume, which they are going to get in spades. My elbows are ready for lower loads and less variety. Phase 2 starts on 27 DEC. For Phase 2, I'm drawing on one method, German Volume Training, and just tweaking it as needed, for my particular needs. GVT was popularized by Charles Poliquin in the 90s, but has been around as a method since the 60s. Essentially, you do 10 sets of a single exercise for 10 reps each. That's 100 total reps with a reasonably heavy load. That total tonnage i...

plank: 2 minutes reach & rotate plank: 10 each Unilateral bicep triset a. concentration curl: 35 x 12, 9 b. preacher curl: 15 x 12, 12 c. preacher hammer curl: 20 x 12; 15 x 12 Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 8, 7, 9, 9 Unilateral tricep triset a. overhead extension: 25 x 12, 12 b. cross body extension: 25 x 8; 20 x 6 c. reverse grip cable extension: 20 x 12, 9 Nautilus curl: 70 x 20; 80x10-70x5-60x3 Tricep cable pressdown: 110 x 21s; 130 x 21s EZ-bar reverse cur"l: 65 x 12, 12, 12, 15

This is the 2nd to vertical push/pull workout for Phase1. I changed the order and started with deadlift. It was both exhilirating, and probably pretty stupid. I had nothing in the tank after deadlifts, but I did the press movements and pulldown movements anyway. I got the shakes bad, and had to hold back that desire to throw up. deadlift: 225 x 12; 275 x 10; 315 x 10. I had nothing left for extra sets. 1-leg dumbbell deadlift: 30s x 10 each. I only gutted out 1 set. Thought I was going to cramp up and pass out after the deadlifts. Overhead press: 135 x 5; 145 x 3; 165 x 1; 150 x 3; 170 x 1 1-arm db push press: 70 xc 6, 6, 6 each. Felt awesome! Going for 80s next week to end with a bang! dumbbell overhead press: 45s x 12; 40s x 8, 10 V-grip pulldown: 180 x 5; 190 x 3; 200 x 4; 190 x 6; 200 x 5 wide grip behind neck pulldown: 130 x 12; 10, 10, 9 I am so DONE! Gonna take the night off and hit abs&arms on Friday. Saturday AM will probably be a 5K race.

I decided to just do a CrossFit style workout since I wasn't up for running. This workout really gassed me and I'm sore as can be today. Max rounds in 10 minutes of: Clean: 115 x 10 Burpees: x 10 I completed 4 rounds and was just totally drained. Since I was done in 10 minutes, I did some jump rope and heavy bag work just to kill time till my wife finished her workout.

Man! I can't believe it has happened. It's both positive and has the potential for negative. I have reached a point where my muscular strength has increased beyond my connective tissue strength. My elbows were aching today even after a thorough warm-up, so I opted to drop the load down and just hammer away with more reps, and some cool techniques to keep time under tension high to offset the reduced load. I'm glad this strenth phase of my hybrid bodybuilding approach has worked out so well. I'm lifting heavier than I ever have before, and I'm slowly beginning to look like a bodybuilder, not just an athlete. Next week is the last week of heavy loading, which is great timing. It'll be just one week of truly gutting it out, and when I think I'm about to break, I'll shift to high volume methods, which necessitate lower loads. I'm not a fan of doing what you want when you body is telling you otherwise, but one week of "mind of matter"is e...

I changed the order since I'm starting week three. I know this is nominal change, but it'll be interesting enough for this week and next. This phase has produced great results for me so far! Today was an outstanding workout all around. walking lunges: BW x 7each; 45s x 6each front squat: 135 x 12; 155 x 10; 175 x 8, 8, 8 Hatfield-bar squat: 205 x 5, 5, 5 leg extension: 130 x 21method bench press: 195 x 5; 215 x 3; 235 x 1; 225 x 3; 255 x 1 dumbbell bench press: 70s x 12, 10, 4 v-grip seated row: 165 x 5; 180 x 3; 195 x 1, 3; 210 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 55 x 6, 7, 15 each arm some goofy rowing machine: 80 x 12; 90 x 12; 100 x 12; 110 x 12

Man! I feel; outstanding! I had a great workout, pushed into new ground (reps, weight etc.), and just generally crushed it today at the gym. I was the only one there, so maybe I was able to push harder without all the chatter or distraction. Maybe it's the diet. Honestly, I don't care. What I know is my diet, training, supplementation, and rest are spot on right now! Plank: 2minutes. EASY! 1-arm plank with rotation: 8, 8 per side. Getting to be easy also Russian twist: 20 x 10, 10 per side Unilateral bicep triset: a. 1-arm Concentration curl: 30 x 12, 12 per arm b. 1-arm preacher curl: 15 x 12; 20 x 5 per arm c. 1-arm preacher hammer curl: 15 x 12, 12 per arm Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 8, 9, 11, 9 Unilateral tricep triset: a. 1-arm overhead extension: 25 x 11, 11 per arm b. 1-arm cross-body extension: 25 x 9, 4 per arm c. 1-arm rvs grip cable pressdown: 20 x 10, 5 per arm Nautilus curl: 80 x 16, 12 EZ-bar reverse curl: 55 x 15, 15, 15 My arms are FINALLY ...

My workout was running long, so i ditched the ham isolation and unilateral work and just put everything I hand into my deadlift sets. All in all, a great workout. Strength and endurance continue to improve, and I see big differences in my size and body composition already. The warm up was solid, too! I'm getting scary-close to being able to do front splits! V-grip pulldown: 170 x 5; 190 x 3; 200 x 3; 190 x 5; 200 x 4 1-arm undergrip pulldown: 125 x 5, 6, 6 per arm Wide grip behind neck pulldown: 120 x 12, 12, 12, 12 Overhead press: 135 x 5; 145 x 3; 165 x 1; 155 x 2(FAIL on 3rd); 170 x FAIL 1-arm dumbbell push press: 65 x 6, 6; 70 x 6 per arm dumbbell shoulder press: 40s x 12; 45 x 8; 40s x 2 (wrist started hurting BAD!) deadlift: 225 x 12; 275 x 10; 295 x 8, 4

Work prevented me from making it to the RunTex group, but I still got in a solid running workout. warm-up: 2 mile walk The next few exercises I did at the basketball court in my neighborhood park: walking lunges: 20, 20 (total, so 10 per leg) Plyo-skips across court: 4 times Broad jumps to half-court: 8, 7, 7, 7 (The goal was to do it in as few jumps as possible. I am within inches of doing it in 6 jumps!!!! This is a new favorite drill of mine. It's right in the sweet spot between quantity and quality.) 1/4 mile runs: I did 4 hard runs, using what I read about POSE running. I felt fast for a run (but not a sprint). Since I'm already a fore-foot runner, it didn't hurt my feet. What I noticed is that I was expending less effort, but working more aerobically. I also felt the fatigue in my hams instead of my quads and calves. I really like how the lean makes you feel like you're gliding!!! Walk back to the house: about 1/2 mile

My wife and I are headed to the RunTex group later tonight, so I skipped abs and any form of conditioning. Just arms today. Single dumbbell skull crusher: 65 x 8; 75 x 8 Barbell skull crusher (what I normally do): 105 x 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 HammerStrength pressdown*: 180 x 12; 200 x 12; 230 x 12, 12 Barbell curl: 95 x 3, 4, 4, 4; 105 x 3, 3, 3 1-arm preacher curl: 35 x 10, 10, 10 Nautilus curl dropset: 100x3 - 90x3 - 80x4 - 70x4 - 60x4 Nautilus curl: 60 x 13

Monday was day1 of week2. I feel so much stronger than week1!!! By leaps and bounds. My wife lifted with me, so maybe I dug deeper than I might have on my own. Maybe I was just well rested. Either way, I'm happy with the workout. It was appearently "Bench Press Night" at the gym. There must have been a dozen guys huddled around the two flat benchs. I had to move squats up earlier than planned, and hit chest last, but ti didn't matter. Funny to note that there were a dozen guys on the two benches, but my wife and I each had our own squat rack. :) Warm-up: SOLID! Lots of push-ups, down dog, cobras, deep lunges, inchworms, and shoulder swings. V-grip row: 150 x 5; 165 x 3; 180 x 1, 3; 195 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 50 x 6, 6, 8 (each) HammerStrength row: 200 x 12, 12; 230 x 11, 10 Bulgarian squat: BW x 12, 12 Front squat: 135 x 12, 10; 155 x 8, 8, 8 Leg extension: 130 x 21s Bench press: 185 x 5; 205 x 3; 225 x 1, 3; 245 x 1 Dumbbell bench press: 60 x 12; 6...

I love this thing! My ghetto-bell has lasted me a year so far and shows no signs of breaking down. I may have to fit it with another 10 or 20 pounds soon, but we'll see. This picture is from my old rental house. That's my heavy-bag hanging in the background. What you see is heavy duty epoxy where the weight plate meets the neck. Swinging this thing burns my traps like nothing else. It has built up my grip strength, totally eliminated pain in my lower back, and has been just a fun thing to play with. While the t-bell has far fewer uses than a real Kettlebell, the effectiveness at what it does is awesome, and the cost is dirt cheap. If I added some tack-welding, I could use it as a throwing implement, too, but I'm no welder. I just wanted to share a picture of my favorite training toy. Enjoy.

Saturday was the hardest day of Phase 1 - week 1 and harder than pretty much any other workout in recent months. I challenge anyone who takes a casual read of my blog to do this. I know CrossFitters will crush the times I posted, but either way, this was tough!!!! Part One: Countdown From Hell. A count down is where you start at 10 rep, then hit 9, then 8, etc. all the way to 1 rep to finish. That's 55 total reps. I paired three movements as a ciircuit, doing a set of 10 for each, then a set of 9 for each, etc. 63lb T-bell (AKA Ghetto-bell) Swings 63lb T-ball Goblet squat Sprawl (similar to a burpee but with more back arch and no jump) My time: 12:55. Not good My wife CrossFits consistently at Defiant. She used a 30lb dumbbell and hit 7:09. It was awesome to watch. I'm going to do this one again in 2 weeks and see how I do. Next Saturday will be something different, but equally hard. Part Two: Bike Ride. We had lunch, waited an hour, then went for a ride. The cold...

What a great day. To be honest, training only bicep and triceps in a workout is boring, but I am starting to enjoy the excruciating pain that volume training brings. My arms are so swollen right now. Today was also great in that I exposed my weaknesses and kept the spotlight on them for the whole workout. Reach & rotate bridge: 6, 6 (per side. I'm VERY weak in this function) leg-under bridge: 5, 5 (per side. yet another way to expose my weak bridging function and instability) leg raise off bench: 20, 27 (pretty good) Unilateral tricep tri-set* a. 1-arm cross body extension: 25 x 10, 10, 10 (per arm) b. 1-arm overhead dumbbell extension: 25 x 5, 5; 15 x 10 (per arm) c. 1-arm rvs grip cable pushdown: 30 x 6, 4; 20 x 6 (per arm) Cable overhead extension: 60 x 11, 12, 11 Unilateral bicep tri-set* a. 1-arm concentration curl: 30 x 10, 10 (per arm) b. 1-arm preacher curl: 15 x 10, 10 (per arm) c. 1-arm preacher hammer curl: 15 x 10, 4 (per arm) Nautilus curl drop-set: 90x5-8...

I had a great workout today. I am really feeling the difference the "neural activation" work makes prior to the straight sets. I suprised myself with how much load I handled for sets of 12. I also like the pre-exhaustion work I am doing before deadlifts. I feel my glutes and hams fatigue much sooner than my lower back. When I start with deadlift, my lower back fatigues before my glutes or hamstrings. All in all, this is a great setup. V-grip pulldown: 140 x 5; 160 x 3; 180 x 1; 170 x 3; 190 x 5 (WOW! Gonna start at 180 x 5 next week) 1-arm supine grip pulldown: 115 x 6; 125 x 6, 6 (per arm) Wide grip behind neck pulldown: 120 x 12, 12, 8 Overhead press: 115 x 5; 135 x 3; 155 x 1; 145 x 3; 165 x 1 1-arm dumbbell push press: 50 x 6; 65 x 6, 6 (per arm) Dumbbell press: 30s x 12; 35s x 12; 40s x 10 (starting with 40s next week) 1-leg curl: 90 x 6, 6 (per leg) 1-leg dumbbell deadlift:40s x 6, 6 (per leg. VERY hard!) Deadlift: 225 x 12, 10; 295 x 8, 8, 4 (Will use same weight next ...