Rope Pull/ Heavy Bag Drag
25 yards each way x6

Only had a half hour so I had to get this one in quick. Suprisingly after eating like crap and drinking heavily Friday night I am still under 220. 220 is my weight limit for my upcoming meet on Dec. 12. After this meet I will decide if I want to try to move up to the 242 class. I'm not sure how I would feel at 242. I get the feeling I would be fat and out of shape. Moving from 200 to 220 was easy as far as the gain and I don't think I got too out of shape, or too much fattter. I'm thinking it would be a much different story going from 220 to 242. This change would require lots of peanut butter and cheese. We shall see though.

Squats tomorrow. Heavy singles this week. Based on how my singles go this week I will plan out my openers for the meet. I am going to stay conservative for my openers and then go for broke on my second and third attempts.

I don't fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is saying, "Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?" - George S. Patton

Saturday

Not going to lie, I felt like ass this afternoon walking into the gym. I went to Midlothian, IL and imbibed more than my fair share of beer last night with some college buddies. Always good to see those guys. Anyway, my head didn't hurt but was definitely foggy and there was a little thunder down under if you get my drift. That being said, today ended up being one of my better lifts as of late. The weights didn't feel light, but there were no reps that were in any doubt. To make it better Josh Mohr came and trained today as well. He trained at NX Level in high school. Josh wrestles at the US Air Force Academy and is currently #2 on the depth chart at his weight class. He is one of those kids that knows how good he is, but will still take any coaching you give him. All he cares about is getting better at whatever he is doing. He has built himself to what he is today and I couldn't be more proud. On to the workout...

Power Clean: 5 sets of two at 242
Standing Press: 5 sets of three at 165
Deadlift: One set of three at 500

Here is a video of my second set of cleans and my work set of deadlift.

What I'm Thankful For

Bench: (240x3)X5
4-board: 225x15
V-grip chins
Chest Supported Rows
Fat Bar Shrugs

Bench felt smooth. Bar moved very well. I am still pausing the first rep of each set to train for the meet. Towards the end of my sets my elbows tend to flare a bit early but I'm not too concerned right now.

A few things that I am thankful for: My family who I got to see last weekend; my friends who make my life fulfilling and definitely interesting; athletes like Josh Mohr who came and trained with us today; my coworkers (Jake, Brad, Nic, Matt, Jason, Allison, and Chris), who I consider friends; last but not least I am thankful for all the men and women who are responsible for me being able to live in the country that I do, believe the things I believe, and do the things I do. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Cardio and Motorhead

Sled Sprints x10
Incline Treadmill x10:00

Today's selection of my favorite training songs is Motorhead's Ace of Spades. This song opens up with simple yet highly kick ass bass riff with lots of distortion and drums that quickly build into a cresendo. Lemmy's ragged voice then starts screaming into your ears about gambling and losing and the ace of spades. Various gambling cliches populate the lyrics with the clincher being "You know I'm gonna lose/ And gambling's for fools/ But that's the way I like it baby/ I don't want to live forever." Lemmy's devil may care attitude permeates into your being and you give up all the shit that brings you down and just go for whatever you are going for, whether it's a max effort deadlift, telling someone where to go and what to do when they get there, or whatever. This song kicks ass from the first to last second. I would also highly reccomend the album Ace of Spades by Motorhead. Lots more ass kicking is contained inside the record.

On a final note Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! Enjoy the day, enjoy the company, and enjoy the food!

Squat Videos

Ya girly-man, here is a treat for your girlfriend- Franz, from Hans and Franz

First set of 450x3

Here is 605x1 with briefs on. As you can see in the video I'm not real comfortable walking out any more than this. With a monolift things are different since my feet never move, but walking out anything over 600 is risky business.

11.24.09 Squats

I gotta squat like this/ I can't wear skinny jeans cuz my ass won't fit -Jay Z

Squat: (450x3)x5 Briefs on: 515x3, 605x1
Accessory and then Abs

Squats went pretty well today. I tried brining my stance in just a bit to try to get rid of my depth issues and this seemed to work. After my raw work sets I put my briefs on. I should really say that Nick, Matt, and I put my briefs on. Today was the hardest they have ever gone on. Getting the briefs over my Christmas hams made me sweat a great amount and left me out of breath. It's a ombination of bigger/fatter thighs and my legs being pumped with blood from my raw work. The cliche` of trying to shove a certain amount of shit into and inappropriate sized bag was the joke of the day.

If you are unfamiliar with briefs, they are basically a thick canvas pair of underwear. As I sit into them they stretch a bit and give me tremendous strength at the bottom of my squat. They will literally add 150 or so pounds to my squat max. I don't use them in competition but I do use them in training. They allow me to put more weight on my back and give me tons of central nervous system strength over the course of a training cycle. I will post a video or two later tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to bring you another installment of my favorite training songs. Which song? You will just have to wait.

11.23.09

Today's: Prowler; 90 lbs; 25 yards
w/ overhead slosh pipe walks; 50 yards
All for six rounds
Incline treadmill: 20 mins

Still feeling the effects of the weekend. I didn't gain as much weight as I thought I would have. I felt kind of full and out of breath most of the day. Sudden movements were out of the question. Conditioning went well. I didn't pass out so that's a plus. Squatting tomorrow. Should be interesting. It has been a while since I've had this weight on my back, but I'm sure it will go well.


Not for delectations sweet,
Not the cushion and the slipper, not the peaceful and the studious,
Not the riches safe and palling, not for us the tame enjoyment,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Do the feasters gluttonous feast?
Do the corpulent sleepers sleep? have they lock'd and bolted doors?
Still be ours the diet hard, and the blanket on the ground,
Pioneers! O pioneers!
-from Pioneers! O Pioneers! by Walt Whitman

Time to get back to work and do some hard stuff. No more soft living.

The Best Day of The Year Pt. 2

More stuffing? No thanks, I'm driving.

I got to Green Bay at about 1:30 pm CST looking like this. In neither of these pictures am I sucking in my stomach.

Attending the festivities were myself, my sister Stacy, her boyfriend Manny, my mom Cindy, my stepdad Pete, Pete's friends Gary, Kraig, and Jeff, my aunt Patti, my uncle Matt, Matt's friend George, and his daughter Nancy. I didn't let the fact that non-family members were in attendance affect my gluttony. Having all those people there was great for the conversation and atmosphere and I feel helped me in my quest.

My game plan was to try to take it easy on the appetizers and then really attack it at dinner. The key word in that statement was: try. I ended up eating a lot of appetizers. I made some tortilla roll ups with turkey and cheese, which were pretty good if I may say so myself. I also brought some trail mix that I assembled with banana chips, mixed nuts, rasins, craisins, and Reese's Peices that was also pretty good. At about 3:30 I started with the drinks. I stayed with liquor to save room in my stomach as beer tends to fill me up. Jameson and water on the rocks is a tasty combination. At about 7 we sat down for dinner. The spread was very traditional. Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, fruit salad, and green bean casserole. I had my fill of all the items especially the turkey and stuffing. These two have forever been my favorites. For desert there were five pies and one cake. Two apple pies, two pumpkin pies, one lemon meranguie pie, and one pumpkin cake. I finished my meal by filling in any cracks in my stomach with a peice of the pumpkin pie and cake.

After it was all said and done I felt extremely uncomfortable. I don't particularly enjoy this endpoint, but I loved every second of the journey to get there. Here is what it looked like.

In neither of these pictures am I pushing out. It felt like I shoved a seven pound medicine ball in my stomach. The uncomfortable feeling lasted well into the night. I was unable to sit up while talking to family and had to periodically lie down saying my back was sore. I was sweating and had to open windows. And to top it off I had those awkward burps that are 95% burp and 5% throwing up. Nothing of any value came up but was enough to leave a burning feeling in the back of my throat. Days like this push any desire I have to gain a lot of weight for powerlifting out of my mind. Starting tomorrow I am cutting out a lot of calories, mostly from cheat meals and peanut butter (sad day), and going to slim down a bit. If I feel that I am losing any of my strength or not getting stronger I will reasses my diet. But until then, I am going to be eating less.

To wrap up the weekend I went to the tailgate party for a bit. As I was walking to my truck to go meet my dad for lunch a saw the fly over by two military jets that occasionally happen before Packer games. I could watch that happen every day for the rest of my life and still get goose bumps and be amazed every time I see it. Had lunch with dad, Packers win, great weekend.

The Best Day of The Year Pt. 1

WABB

Trained at WABB (West Allis Barbell). Ambient temp wasn't too bad this morning, but those bars stay cold. Weights felt heavy this morning. I'm definitely not a fan of lifting right away when I wake up. I feel stiff and lathargic. I like to give myself about 3-4 hours before I start moving some weight. Can't use that as an excuse though. On the press and deadlift I wanted to do sets of five, but due to my weakness I had to settle for getting total reps. From things that I've read from some different authors either way is a horse apiece. I still wanted sets of five though.

PWR Clean: 3x3 @ 85%
Standing Press: 25 total reps @85%
Deadlift: 5 total reps @ 85%

Now for the real deal. I'm heading up to Geebs in about 10 minutes. I will spend the car ride getting my head right for the battle that is about to be waged. I will try to post before and after pics from Green Bay but I'm not 100% sure I will be able to. If not I will recap and post pics tomorrow. I don't have access to a scale so I won't do a before and after weight. Gotta go. It's game time.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti

Friday

You know what's awesome? Chicks with grills. I'm not talking Weber grills either. I'm talking about gold or platinum implants that go over the top front teeth. I saw no less than three last night at Envy. What a joke. It is all I can do to not laugh in their faces.

No training today. Eating less food and drinking a ton of water in preparation for tomorrow. I'm thinking about doing before and after pics of my bloat. I'm a little scared of what might transpire. Anyways, happy Friday and check back tomorrow for updates.

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

11.19.2009

Bench: 5x5 at 85%

5-board lockouts: 275x4, 295x1, 225x10

V-Grip chins: 8,8,6,6 with added chains weight

Kroc Rows:90x10, 120x12

Fat Bar Iso Hold Shrug:185x10,10

Bench felt ok. Paused the first rep of each set. Just trying different stuff with my accessory.

The Thanksgiving countdown has begun. As I recently posted I am going home this Saturday to celebrate with my family. Here is my itinerary for the day:
1pm-start eating
5-5:15- short bathroom break
9pm- finish eating
9:05pm-2pm(sunday)- putting myself into various positions on the couch to try to alleviate the pressure that has built up in my abdomen; feeling sorry for myself.

I can't f-ing wait.

F+(Pb)or(Ch)=Y

Todays: Prowler; 20 yards; 90 lbs; 8 high handle + 8 low handle
Stretching and foam rolling

F+(Pb)or(Ch)=Y

It's a simple equation. It is also the key to making food delicious and/or gaining weight. It breaks down like this: Food + Peanut butter or Cheese = Yummy. The theory states that the addition of peanut butter or cheese to any food will make that food better than it being by itself. Bored of chicken breast? Add some cheese. Like fruit? Add some peanut butter. I've been at the very least husky and, at times, fat my entire life. These are the things that I think about.

Want to give that ice cream a sweet-salty flavor but the peanut butter gets hard when you try to mix it? Melt the peanut butter in a microwave for about 30-40 seconds and drizzle it on top of the ice cream. The peanut butter will return to its original consistancy once it cools from the ice cream. Hi, I'm Troy. I create solutions.

Like Manna from Heaven

Now, for whatever reason whenever I posit this theory to people they take it as a challenge to think of a food that disproves the theory. I bet you've already tried to think of one. Have you got one? No? Do you know why you havn't thought of one yet? Because that food doesn't exist. And even if it does, I sure as hell am not going to eat it. People have thrown all kinds of weird food at me, but I put them in their place by explaining the theory. Let's use worms as an example. I'm not saying worms and cheese (or peanut butter) tastes good, but it sure as shit is better than just worms. Bam. That sound you hear is your mind being blown.

There have been a few close calls though. I was worried about citrus. That was until I tried oranges and peanut butter. For that combo I almost had to change the equation to F+(Pb)or(Ch)= IJCAL (I Just Came A Little). Gummy products were also thrown into the fire (figuratively). One: there are peanut butter jelly beans. Two: Gummy bears are used to top ice cream, just like peanut butter. Three: Tried GBs with Pb. Awesome.

Even I will admit that this theory is just that, a theory. If someone can come up with a food that tastes better alone then I will change my thinking. For all you steak purists: Grow a set and eat some cheese dammit. If you can think of a food that would taste great with the addition of peanut butter and cheese, you're my best friend. If you are a girl, can you make this food? Yes? When can we get married?

The way steak should be

In closing I want you all to experiment and try different combinations. Be curious. Live a little. And for Pete's sake, eat something. You're too skinny.

11.16.2009- Squat

So far today has gone extremely well. I got about 10 hours of sleep last night. I can barely remember the last time I got eight. Squats today went a lot better than I was thinking they were going to go. My depth and overall technique is a little inconsistent. I need to stay tighter at the bottom and push my elbow forward on the way up instead of leaving them back or setting them forward on my descent. Here is a video of my last set.



Tomorrow I am going to spell out the Dequaine Theory of Peanut Butter or Cheese. Until then, HOLD FAST

SABOTAGE!!

Listen all of Ya'll This is Sabotage


When I was a kid my cousins, my sister, and I would go to our Grandma and Grandpa's house during the summers. We would only do a few things. Eat (extra sugar on Frosted Flakes? Mmm, boy), go to the pool across the street, and watch music videos back when VH1 and MTV still played music. One such video that I remember vivedly was the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage". Being young I didn't quite understand what was going on, or if it was real or not. I just remember the 80's cop look and the way over-the-top stunts and camera work. Flash forward to high school. I hadn't really listened to the Bestie Boys that much when my friend Greg borrowed me Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys. I was hooked. I started listening to everything they made. This included "Sabotage". The distorted to all hell bass and the screechy guitars draw you in. Then Mike D's voice comes in with his high pitched wail. The lyrics remind you of someone who gets fed up with all the shit around him and breaks loose in a burst of fury. This song is like a primal yell that builds and builds until released into a rush of adrenaline and endorphines and spittle. With this song blasting through a weight room you can't not set some serious PR's.

Sunday

No training today but Jake and I did start to put our exercise index on video. I did a bunch of snatch variations and squat variations. Jake did clean and pressing stuff.

Reaction to the Packer game: It looked they were a team with a sense of urgency today. They knew they had to come out and prove who they are. They are a good team when all three phases play well. They can play with anybody when they put a complete game together and they showed that today. Charles Woodson was by and far the MVP. 9 tackles, Int, sack, and two forced fumbles. He was a man among boys today. Offense and the whole team penalty wise still has a few kinks to work out but they are going in the right direction.

Going to start a new feature tomorrow with my favorite songs to train to. Up first is the Beastie Boys' "Sabatoge".

So it goes...

Last Deload and Groceries

Deload clean, military press, and deadlift. Set x reps went 5x3, 5x5, 2x5, respectively. All sets done at %50 of one rep max.

I wanted to check out the local winter farmer's market at State Fair park this morning. I got about a block away and not only was there a waiting line of cars to get into the parking lot, there was a waiting line of people to get into the building. So I just went to Pick N Save. I'm looking for a store that sells grass fed beef or buffalo. If anyone knows of one in the area, let me know. Here is a pic of how a usual grocery trip shakes out.



In this picture you will find 10 cans of tuna, 3 packs of eggs, 1 can of chili powder, 1 bottle of fish oil tabs, 1.5 bunches of bananas, 6 bags of veggies, 2 bags of spinach, 3 bags of frozen blueberries, 5 pounds of chicken thighs (12), a 3.3 lb sirloin roast, 2 3lb packs of hamburger, 1 bag of apples, and 1 bag of oranges.
All but one of the packs of hamburger will be gone by the end of the week.

Eat big to be big.

Blog Title

No training today. Rest and recovery were the only items on the docket. Nothing of consequence at Envy last night which is a bit disappointing. Usually something happens at least once per night that will leave me chuckling to myself for about an hour. Whether it's a fat girl falling down the stairs or hearing a young man tell a young lady with all the sincerity in the world that he likes all her "extra shit" there is usually something that will power me through the night. I'm working tonight and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

A couple of people have asked me what the title of the blog means. It is a quote from an article written by Henry Rollins. The link is here. I can't relate to all of Henry Rollins' life but I certainly agree with the conclusions that he makes at the end.

Last day of the deload tomorrow. I'm getting antsy in my pantsy to move some real weight.

I have also really been looking forward to Thanksgiving. More on that later.

And now a parting quote from the great Mark Twain.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Bench Deload

I really don't like deload weeks even though I know they help. I always look forward to them but then when they are here I say to myself, "This is it? This blows."
Fat Bar Crazy Bell Bench %50 for 5x5
BW Inverted Fat Bar Rows 50 total

My make up conditioning work out was a 20 yard prowler push with 140 yds paired with 20 yards of tire flips on the 500lb tire. Four rounds and I was breathing fire. I am kind of out of shape right now.

ENVY TONIGHT! If it goes well I will have a few humorous stories to share. Here is a quick one that was told to me, but I didn't actually witness. One day our Bar Manager Max was trying to get Paul, a security guard that is playing with a few cards short of a whole deck, to make conversation and tell everyone a story. Paul proceeds to tell a story about how one day he ate a quarter and then waited for it to come out the other end. Everyday he looked and sure enough 2 weeks later he got his quarter back. He claims he reused it without washing it very well.
My first question is how did he go about "looking" for his quarter. Knowing Paul he probably wasn't shy about getting his hands dirty. My second thought that made me laugh to myself for about an hour afterwords was imaging Paul looking at a quarter with a child's curiosity in his eyes and finally making up his mind and swallowing the thing. Always a good time at Envy.

Maybe this world is another planet's hell. ~Aldous Huxley

Veteran's Day

First off a salute and a thank you to all Veterans past and present. Thank you for making the sacrifices you have made in your lives, and volunteering for what many of us are unable or unwilling to do. You have shaped this country and deserve to be honored.

Didn't get done what I wanted to get today which was some conditioning work. I got caught up doing some work stuff and ran out of time. Stacy (my sister) and Manny (her boyfriend) stopped by the gym today so it was nice to see them. I will make up the conditioning tomorrow after my bench deload. I'm thinking some prowler and tire flips are in order.

"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards." Theodore Roosevelt
Amen, Mr. President. Amen.

Squat Deload

Trained at West Allis Barbell (aka my garage) this morning. Going to deload this week. I am going to do 5x5 at %50 for all my main lifts with one or two accessory antagonist lifts.
Todays went: Squat 5x5 @ 250lbs
Glute Ham Back Extension 3x15 w/ 25lbs
Gulte Ham Seated Abs
Training for the December 12 meet will look like this:
Week 1: 5x5 @ %85
Week 2: 5x3 @ %90
Week 3: 5x1 @ %95
Week 4: Deload/Meet

Ending with a favorite poem

"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We are afraid"
"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We will fall!"
"Come to the edge."
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.
-Guillaume Apollinaire, French Poet, Philosopher

Happy Birthday I'm Not Special

Well today I turned 25. Hard to believe I have been alive for a quarter of a century. To celebrate I bought myself a crock-pot and a bottle of Jameson. Thanks Grandma and Patti and Matt, respectively. Now on to the piece of shit Packer game. O-line and Special Teams should have been wearing orange the way they were playing. Congrats to Ahman Green for becoming the all-time Packer career rushing yards leader. As painful as it is to watch they are still my team and I will continue to support them. They sure make it hard on me though. For training today I did 30 mins on the treadmill this morning. This afternoon I did this four times.
Prowler had 25's on each side. Each length was 25 yards for a total of a hundy for pulling and pushing. Deload starts tomorrow with squat. In tomorrows post I will map out my training leading up to my December 12 raw powerlifting meet. The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of the pants. Theodore Roosevelt

"Cardio" and the best movie scene of all time

Went for a 30 minute walk this morning when I got up. I picked up the new NOFX album this week and the first sound on the record is a snipit from quite possibly the best movie scene EVER. For sure it's Alec Baldwin at his best.



Breakfast was 3 whole eggs, 3 egg whites, orange, banana, and 2 tbsp peanut butter.

Time for football. Go Packers.

Inaugural Post and DL PR

Hey Everyone, welcome to my blog. My name is Troy. I live and work near Milwaukee, WI. I train where I work, NX Level Sports Performance, and in my garage gym. This blog is going to be mostly about my training with a few random thoughts thrown in. I am currently training for a raw power meet at the end of March in Iowa.

Today I tested my max deadlift to see where I am at. It went 265x3; 375x1;485x1; 529x1; 549x1 (PR). Here's a video

The rest of today went like this

GH Hypers- 3x10 w/ #45

Chest Supported Row- 65x10, 70x10, 70x10

Abs

Palermo's Italian Sausage Pizza x1

Thanks for visiting the blog and check back often.