Becoming an Athlete

I did my normal 5-3-1 style workout, which covered horizontal pulling and pushing, with lots of arm work at the end. The dips have been a huge help on my bench press. I killed it today. Bench press: 205 x 5; 215 x 3; 225 x 6!!!! I don't think I've ever done 6 reps with 225 before. After bench I hit alll my back work and arm work, but the most noteworthy portion of my workout was 225 x 6. ROCK ON! I can't wait to start a 2nd 3-wk cycle of 5-3-1 training.

My wife ran us ragged on Saturday morning. Lots of sprint drills, but we broke into 2 teams and did them as a relay. It suprises people when they see just how competitive they are. I hadn't seen any of these people run so fast in the several months to a year that I've known them. After that was strength work using our suspension straps, dumbbells and plyos. 20 minutes of this and everyone was toast.

Another great day at the gym! Deadlift: (warm-up 225x5; 275x3) 295 x 3; 305 x 3; 315 x 3 Hatfield bar squat: 165 x 10, 10, 109; 175 x 10, 10 FBGM: 65 x 10; 75 x 10, 10 Lying leg curl: 87.5 x 12, 10, 10; 100 x 6 Standing calves raise: 95 x 20, 20, 20, 18 Wood chopper: 90 x 12/12, 12/12 Plank 1.5 min

Bench press: 195 x 3; 200 x 3; 205 x 5 Incline dumbbell bench press: 55 x 10, 10, 10 Wide grip pullup ladders: 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-1-1-1 V-grip seated row: 105 x 12, 12, 12, 12, 10 Arms superset: a. cross-body hammer curl: 25 x 12/12; 30 x 12/12, 12/12 b. Rope grip tricep extension: 90 x 12; 100 x 12; 110 x 12 Arms superset: a. Spider curl: 20 x 12/12, 12/12, 12/12, 12/12 b. Dips: BW x 7, 9, 8, 10 Arms superset: a. barbell curl: 75 x 8, 8; 65 x 9 b. skull crusher: 75 x 8, 8; 65 x 9

My buddy brock and I came back to ym house after the workout. After a quick rehydration, we headed to the garage and did: (All rounds 3min work / 1min rest) shadow boxing: 2 rnds heavy bag: 2 rnds shadow boxing: 2 rnds heavy bag: 2 rnds shadow boxing: 2 rnds heavy bag: 2 rnds Burn-out drills: 1 min Brock did 2 burn-outs, but I only did one as I have a killer push/pull workout today (17 MAY)

My wife runs boot camp classes, so my buddy and I dropped in for the 6:00 PM class. It was unbelievably hard in it's own right, but doing this after a killer squat workout made it even harder. I. Warm-up: 2 circuits of a. squat x 10 b. sprawl x 10 c. pushup x 10 d. plank x 30 seconds II. Mobility work: a. Lateral drop stance + side slide: 5 each direction b. Windshield wiper + leg raise: 10 each direction + 10 c. down dog + cobra: 5 + 5 II. Strength work: Here is where it got nasty! Density Training: Max reps in 8 mins of a. Tricep overhead extension: Single 35lb x 90 total reps b. Alternating jump lunge: 105 total reps Density Training: Max reps in 12 mins of a. Pushup: 60 total reps b. Hammer cursl: Two 35lbs x 65 total reps c. Squat jumps: 75 total reps III. Sprint build-ups. My legs were DEAD! lateral shuffle + run: 2 x 25yd + 25yd scissors + run: 2 x 25yd + 25yd Plyo skips + HARD run: 3 x 25yd + 25yd Accelerations: 3 x 50 yards Shuttle run relay: 2 x 100 yards! (50 down and 50...

Man, what was I thinking. My buddy Chris Brock and I went to the 6:00 PM boot camp my wife runs. After that, we came to my place and did some fight training. I'm too freaking tired to even get into details. Maybe I'll post tomorrow. I'm gassed, and going to bed. All told, 2 hours of hardcore effort. Not too shabby for the same day as squats. ;-)

Leg press calves: 320 x 20, 20, 20; 270 x 20 Leg press: 360 x 12; 380 x 12; 410 x 12 Squat: 155 x 8; 185 x 8; 205 x 8, 8 Leg extension: 140 x 12, 12, 12; 130 x 12, 12 Ab wheel: 1 x 15 Plank: 1 minutes Lots of stretching. My quads are swollen and numb.

Overhead press: 135 x 5; 140 x 5; 145 x 5 Lateral raise: 15s x 12, 12, 7; 12s x 10 Chin-up ladders: 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 Seated rope grip row: 60 x 12, 12, 12, 12, 9 Arms superset: a. Hammer curls: 25s x 10/10, 10/10, 10/10 b. Bent grip cable pressdowns: 90 x 10; 110 x 10; 130 x 10 Arms superset: a. EZ bar preacher curl: 55 x 12, 10, 8, 8 b. Dips: BW x 8, 8, 8, 8 Ran out of time and didn't do seated curl or cross-body tricep extensions.

Man, it feels good to lift heavy again, at least with respect to effort. This is going to be a great ride. It took a few sets to get my weights figured out. Deadlift: (warm-up 225 x 5,5): 275 x 5; 285 x 5; 295 x 8 Hatfield bar squat*: 185 x 10; 165 x 10, 10, 10, 10 FBGM: 45 x 10; 65 x 10, 10 Lying leg curl*: 100 x 12, 10, 4 Standing machine calves*: 135 x 20, 20; 115 x 15; 95 x 20 Wood chopper: 80 x 12/12, 12/12 (right/left) Elbow plank: 2 minutes felt EASY!!!! *Hatfield bar, Leg curl, and calves: I started way too heavy considering the volume I was shooting for. I have no problems handling high load, but I seldom train for higher reps and higher volume, so my loads will be much lighter than anticipated.

I suprised myself on bench press. All in all, a good 1st day of quasi 5-3-1. bench press: 185 x 5; 190 x 5; 195 x 7 Incline DB press*: 50s x 10; 65s x 10, 5 wide-grip pullup ladders**: 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-1 V-grip cable row***: 105 x 12, 12, 11, 10, 9 Arm superset: a. cross body hammer curl: 20 x 12/12, 12/12, 12/12 (r/l) b. rope grip tricep pushdown: 70 x 12; 80 x 12; 90 x 12 Arm superset: a. Spider curls****: 15s x 12/12, 12/12, 11/11, 12/12 b. Dips: BW x 6, 6, 7, 8 Nautilus curls*****: 70 x 8; 80 x 8; 90 x 6, 6 *Incline dumbbell bench press: I couldn't find 60s anywhere, so I thought I'd go up to y65s since the 50s were unbelievable light-feeling. Next week I'll stick with 55s. **Wide grip pullup ladders: The gym still has no real place to do pullups or chinups, so I use a square bar on one of the racks. It really tore up my fingers, and my grip kept giving out. Probably a good thing, as regular pullups will be easier the gym gets a real pullup bar that doesn't...

What an unusual night at the gym. A group of 6 or 8 guys were doing leg day, so the squat racks and barbells were in short supply. No big deal for me, as it was horizontal push-pull + arms day. But what was really unusual was that there were about ten or so ladies training under the head Barbie. Now granted, about three or four of these ladies have very competitive physiques, but the rest were simply skinny. Not lean necessarily, just skinny arms and legs. It's cool that they are training as a group, and it is totally cool that they are looking to a vet for (questionable) guidance. What really got under my skin was that the assembled a collection of dumbbells and barbells that seemed to just sit on the sidelines while they skipped, flapped, and posed. They used a couple barbells just as a barier for jumping over. I actually had to do machine curls since I couldn't get a barbell. At one point, one of them walked through the gym in her posing outfit; a tiny velvet thong and bra w...

Day1 of the new 9 week phase. Off to a good start. Leg press calves: 180 x 20; 200 x 20; 230 x 20 Leg press (3 second lowering): 270 x 12; 320 x 12, 12; 360 x 12 Leg extension: 140 x 12, 12, 12, 12, 12 Squat: 135 x 12; 155 x 12; 185 x 12, 8 Ab wheel: 1 set of 18 Plank from elbows: 45 seconds

Over the next 9 weeks, I'm going to focus on size and strength (with work done to prevent fat accumulation). I'll be doing Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 plan for the key lifts (deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press), but focusing on my weak areas (lower back, biceps, calves). I started off today with a 6:00 AM low-intensity cardio session. Warm up: 2 circuits of a. Squat x 10 b. Sprawl x 10 c. Pushup x 10 d. Plank x 30sec Mobility work: 1. Lateral drop stance + side slide: 5 + 5 2. Inch worm + front splits: 3 + 3 (each side) 3. Hindu pushup: 5 total Walked 2.25 miles The walk was a nice fast pace for a walk, but it was definitely sub-aerobic. It felt great to get in some caloric expenditure so early. I'll be plenty ready for my leg workout later today. Here is the rough framwork of my plan for the next 9 weeks: Monday: Legs (squat emphasis) Tuesday: Horizontal push + pull (lots of arm work) Thursday: Legs (Deadlift emphasis) Friday: Vertical push + pull (lots of arm work) ...

Nothing big. Jaime wanted to go for a run at Lake Pflugerville. I knew I wasn't up for a run, so I took the bike and rode the 3.2 mile loop twice. After that, we did about 20 minutes of stretching in the beach gravel. I feel great and ready for tomorrow's 6:00 AM run.

We started just west of M oPac bridge on Town Lake, in ATX , and kayaked 4.5 miles down stream to Longhorn Dam. We relaxed for about a half hour before starting the 4.5 mile upstream trek. My traps were on fire the whole way after Friday's back work.

I finished up my 2week re-entry phase, and start a serious plan on Monday. Since I had just done complexes on Thursday, I was too tired/sore to do them again on Friday. bike ride to Metroflex: 1.5 miles Strength complex: a. Bent row: 145 x 3 b. Clean: 145 x 3 c. Thruster: 145 x 3 d. Overhead squat: 145 x 2 e. FBGM: 145 x 1 f. Squat 145 x 6 Bat wings: 30s x 6, 6; 35s x 6, 6 Rope grip row: 90 x 10; 60 x 10, 10, 10 (better form at 60#) Prone dumbbell fly: 15s x 8, 8, 8 V-grip seated row: 135 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Wide grip pulldown: 110 x 10; 120 x 10, 10; 130 x 10, 7 Spider curls: 20 x 10, 10, 8, 8, 5 (each arm) Superset with dip: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Hammer curls: 25 x 10, 10, 9 (each arm) Superset with dip: 5, 6, 7 Cross-body hammer curls: 25 x 8; 20 x 8, 7 (each arm) Superset with Dip: 8, 8, 8 Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 5, 6, 6, 7 Superset with dip: 2, 5, 7, 8

Well, I'm all but done with my 2 week ramp-up plan, and will be tackling a high volume strength/mass phase next, based on Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 plan. I was supposed to do some fight training on Thursday, but my buddy's plans changed, so I lifted instead. Mobility work: 1. windhield wipers + back bridge: 10 each + 20 seconds 2. Down dog + cobra: 2 x 30sec + 30 sec 3. Inch worm + front splits: 2 + 2 (not sure of time held. maybe 15 sec each) Strength complex: a. Bent row: 135 x 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 b. Clean: 135 x 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 c. Front squat: 135 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 d. Overhead press: 135 x 0, 4, 4, 4, 4 e. FBGM: 135 x 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 f. Squat: 135 x 5, 8, 8, 8, 8 Weakness circuit: a. Pushup x 16, 16, 18 b. Situp x 16, 16, 18 c. Hammer curl: 30s x 14, 14, 11 Leg extension: 110x10; 120x10; 130x10; 140x10; 150x10; 160x10; 170x10; 140x12; 110x16 Hatfield bar squat: 135 x 10; 185 x 10, 10, 2 DONE! My legs were jello leaving the gym on Thursday and they still are getting to the office Friday mo...

I got my new shot put, ehhh, balls? shot?. Regardless of proper terminology, the 12lb and 16lb steel balls I ordered came in on Wednesday. I took them out to the park and did some playing. I did gobs and gobs of standing throws with just twisting motion. Then I did gobs and gobs of throws with glide technique. After that I did a few with the Olympic style throw, and I sucked at it. Then I started experimenting. I used both balls to do a variety of ballistic / plyometric throws underhand throws behind me chest pass slams diagonal throwing and swinging After that, I played on the chin-up bars, doing a variety of kipping pullups, chin-ups, and swinging drills.

I am sore from Saturday and it showed in my performance today. I also have to admit that I'm getting really bored with turkish get-ups. Turkish get-ups: 40 x 5 each side Mobility work: a. Plank step-out / Hindu pushup: 5 / 5 b. Inch worm / drop splits: 2 / 2 c. Windhsield wiper / back bridge: 10 x 20seconds Strength Complex: a. Bent row: 135 x 3, 3, 3, 3 b. Clean: 135 x 3, 3, 3, 3 c. Front squat: 135 x 3, 3, 3, 3 d. Overhead press: 135 x 3, 3, 3, 3 e. FBGM: 135 x 3, 3, 3, 3 f. Squat: 135 x 6, 6, 6, 6 Weakness circuit*: a. Pushup: BW x 16, 16, 12 b. Situp: BW x 16, 16, 12 c. Hammer curls: 30s x 12, 12, 8 Bat Wing**: 35s x 5, 5, 5, 5 (5sec isometric hold each rep) Wide grip pulldown: 100 x 12; 110 x 12, 12, 10 *Weakness Circuit: I have been wondering what to call this little circuit that I do each time I train. Well, these cover my weaknesses, so weakness circuit makes sense. I want to get better at these 3 movements, and build the muscles that perform these movements, so hitting 3 t...

It feels good to be back in the saddle, and injury free. No cold. No fever. Diet is MUCH better. Now if I can just get my sleep schedule on track, I'll be doing everything 80% right. 80% right. That's kind of sad, but when you are truly honest with yourself, you will see how much you handle as well as you should, and how much you handle half-ass at best. Right now I'm giving about a "B" level effort, when looking at the sum total of my fitness lifestyle. Sleep and diet are the real gaps for me. But on to Saturday's workout: Turkish get-up: 45 x 5, 5 each side Mobility work: a. Sprawl - 3-position leg stretch 10, 10 b. Inchworm - drop splits: 3 each side c. Dumbbell corskcrew - dumbbell swing: 30 x 10+10 each side Strength complex: a. Bent row: 125 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 b. Hang snatch: 125 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 c. Push press: 125 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 d. Squat: 125 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 e. Deadlift: 125 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 Same old thing: a. Pushups x 14, 14, 14 b. Decline twisting situps...