Thursday- How Much Ya Bench

2-Board Press: worked up to 285x3
Front Plate Raises: 3x15
Band Tricep Pushdowns: 3x25
Face Pulls: 3x15

Bench felt good today. I wanted 285x5 but I'm happy with three. In my last cycle I was doing 285 for one or two off of a 4-board. This video sums up my lift.


How much ya bench?
by Shakey74

Finished today with 12 prowler pushes with Nick Zek. We had very little rest time. Pretty much the amount of time it took us to walk 20 yards. I then caught a bad case of the prowler flu. Lots of coughing, sweating, and staring into the middle distance in a trance-like state.

My New Year's Resolution is.......nothing. I don't really beleive in New Year's Resolutions. If there is something in my life that is negative or is keeping me from reaching the goals I have set for myself, I'm not going to wait until a new year to change it. A woman I used to train once told me her soon-to-be-ex-husband's new year's resolution was to be a better father. Are you shitting me? Be a better father? What a douche. Why even have kids? Obviously this is an extreme example but it goes for any new year's resolution. Waiting for some seemingly arbitrary day to clean up your act is asinine to me. If you want to lose weight, quit eating like shit. If you want to spend more time with your family, scale back your work hours. If you want to be nicer to other people, find a charity you like and get your ass in gear. My main point is, don't use the new year as excuse to extend your bad habit/behavior. Start the moment the thought to change enters your head. As a football coach of mine used to say, "You don't like it? Get better."

Sailor Arms

I did a bunch of grip work today. Rack pulls were difficult yesterday and I think my grip might be holding me back some. Here's what I did:

Blob: bunch of sets of about 15 secs. each with two hands
Fat Bar pull up holds: Put the fat bar on top of the rack and hung on for as long as I could for 4 sets
Tennis Ball Squeezes: 50 each hand
Sand Squeezes: 50 each hand

My hands and forearms were pretty fried after this so I didn't do anything else. Tomorrow I am going to lay out my New Year's resolution. It's going to kick your resolution's ass.

The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues. -Elizabeth Taylor

Tuesday ME Squat

Squat: 135x5; 225x5; 315x5; 365x5; 405x5; 455x5
Rack Pulls (6" high): 265x3; 375x3; 465x3; 555x1
Reverse Hypers: 3x15
GH hypers: 3x12
GH Sit-ups: 3x12 w/ 35#

Squats felt strong today. My plan was to work to a 5rm and 455 is right there. I video taped a couple of sets and I noticed that my knees tend to come forward towards the end of the sets. The first 2-3 reps are usually good, then the knees creep forward on the descent. This is something that I will definitly keep an eye on.

The rack pulls were a little lower than last week. I was pretty beat from the squats so they felt pretty heavy today. That being said once I got the weights past my knees the lock out came fast.

Reverse and Glute Ham hypers really killed my posterior chain. I will be lucky to get through the day without one or both hammies crampping up.

All in all it was a great training session. Tomorrow will either be light cardio to shake out some soreness or completely off. I think prowler pushes or tire flips may be in order.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong. Winston Churchill

Monday DE Bench

DE Bench: 8x3 @ 160
Skull Crushers: 3x8
DB MP: 3x6
Wide Lat Pull Ups: 5x3

Bench went well. I tried some new stuff with my technique which seemed to help. I focused on keeping my wrists locked and my forearms straight up and down. We'll see on Thursday how everything transfers.

Went to the Packer game yesterday with Matt, Allison, and my good friend Tyler. Awesome game to go to. Not too cold, Packers kicked ass and locked up a playoff spot. After the game Allie, Matt, and I rode home with my stepdad Pete, my uncle Matt, and my aunt Patti. The elders in the car were pretty lit up as they did not have to work in the morning. On the ride home someone had the idea to stop and take pictures by a water park in Green Bay. After a few left turns we were in the parking lot of the water park. Once we were out of the car I was challenged to hop the fence. In the past I have not been a strong fence climber and I was wearing large boots and Carhatt bibs so I tried to talk my way out of it as I wasn't feeling too cat-like. I told the person issuing the challenge that if he did it I would do it. The challenger then successfully climbed the fence. At the top instead of swining his leg over and lowering himself down he did a barrell roll over the top and fell back first on to two inches of snow on top of two inches of cement. I then climbed over to help first and show up to the challenge second. Some teeth were chipped, prides were hurt, we were all nervous about what my mom was going to say/yell, but all is well that ends well.

I also want to say congrats to fellow NX Level strength coach Jake on being invited to compete in the Arnold Classic Amature Strongman Showcase. This is a big deal because it recognizes Jake as one of the top amature strongmen in the country. Keep up the good work Jake and we will all be cheering for you.

Great ideas originate in the muscles. Thomas A. Edison

Frohe Weihnachten!!

Frohe Weirnachten!!

Christmas was great this year. Here is the low down.

Christmas #1: Dad's Side

Went to my aunt Lori's house for Christmas like we have the last couple of years. Lot's of people, lots of food, lots of kids, lots of dogs. We ate a Christmas Brunch. French toast, eggs, bacon, ham, cheesy hash browns with baked corn flakes on top, toast, and fruit. There were probably 5 or 6 different chefs in the kitchen preparing the meal. My Uncle Scotty has always been toast boy, but this year my cousin Geoff's wife Kelli releived him of his duties. There were also ffour young girls under the age of five there. It has been a long time since I have been a part of or watched little kids opening presents on Christmas. It was very nice to see how excited they got over the presents. My fraternal grandparents were also in attendance. I have a belief that they are both going to live forever. My grandpa Duke has sliced his neck open on barb wire while sledding, been hit by two cars, served in the European theater during WWII, was a letter carrier for many years, and from what I hear was somewhat of a badass in his more spry years. My grandma Bev has survived breast cancer, a burst stomach ulcer, and has lived with her right side being paralyzed since she was 11 among other things. My grandma has alzheimer's disease so she doesn't really recognize anybody, nor can she feed herself. But yesterday she was an absolute ninja about stealing cookies from the tray. She probably ate at least half a dozen yet nobody saw her reach for the cookies. At one point she was even eating two cookies stacked on top of each other. I don't get a chance to see this side of my family all that often, so it is always good to see them .

Christmas #2: German Christmas

This year we decided to have a German themed Christmas. On the menu was roast goose and duck, potato dumplings, beer boiled brussel's sprouts, steamed red cabbage, a mushroom dish my grandma made, and brote (rye bread). My contribution was the braunschweiger pate` and pumpernickel cocktail bread.
We opened presents before we ate as we always do. And again we all over gave. From my mom a got a collage of pictures in a poster sized frame. Very cool.
As soon as I got to the party I started with the Jameson and waters. I felt good after the first one, and a little drunk after the third one. I made a sixth one for dinner but couldn't finish it. Too much food. Due to my alcohol consumption and lack of sleep the night before I almost fell asleep and definitely passed out right after dinner. Because of this I missed the exchange game that we play. The theme this year was unusual kitchen gadgets. I gave a strawberry huller and got a thing that takes corn off of the cob. I also missed the charity reports. We all did something charitable at some point this year and we reported on it. I was filled in on others and filled in on mine in the morning. After I passed out on the couch my sister took it upon herself to embarass me to the rest of the family. She put bows on my head, bells around my ankles, and some red stuff over my eyes. Revenge is a dish best served cold...not this year. My aunt helped me to bed and before I fell asleep Icould hear my grandma talking downstairs. I hung my head in shame that my grandma stayed up later than I did and probably drank just as much as me. I'm proud of her though.

Got up this morning and trained at the YMCA were I spent my formative training years. I could write a book on the stuff I saw,but I will save that for another time. Here's how it went down:
DE Squat: 8x2 @ 255
DE Deadlift: 6x1@ 285
Goodmornings: worked up to 275x3
Hamstring Curls: some sets, some reps
Abs

Squats went well. On made an ass out of myself on the first set. The J hooks come away from the rack to move them. When I went to take the weight on the first set the J hook got stuck on the bar and made a loud screeching noise. I recovered though and made no other scenes the rest of the day. Now it's time for a nap, shower, and a high school friends wedding. Should be a great time.

Dei Aufhebung ist wunderbar. (The lifting is wonderful)

Thursday ME Bench

Bench Press: 135x8; 185x5; 205x3; 225x1; 240x1; 250x1; 265x1;
Plate Front Raises: 45x12; 55x12; 60x12
Band Tri Pushdowns: 3x25
Face Pulls: 3x15
Pronated Lat Pulldowns: 2x12

Bench went ok. All reps done with an index-finger-on-the-ring grip I didn't use a spotter so I think my confidence was somewhat affected. The 265 went really slow and almost not at all. Something to build on. I think I figured out my problem(s) with my bench. When my weights are 90% and less than my 1rm my technique feels really good from my point of view. When the weight gets closer to my max I'm not trusting my technique. My elbows flair and I push the bar straight up. I feel this intense need to get the bar off my chest and I throw my technique out the window. More mental than physical.

Josh and Russ came in today and I had them do some strongman circuits. They were both feeling the effects of the bottle flu. The circuits got them to sweat at least a little bit of it out. It says a lot about their character that they came in. A lot of kids their age wouldn't think twice about skipping the workout. But, they are both very committed to getting better and I am all the willing to help them, even on an off day (although all I did was open the door and write the program. They didn't need any coaching or motivation.).

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little. Epicurus

Conditioning Wednesday

Heavy Bag Rope Pull/Bag Carry: 30 yds each way x6
Tempo Runs: 65-70% sprint/walk 40 yds each way x10

Almost wasn't able to get this one in, but my schedule opened up a bit. A client brought in some Godiva chocolates today. Normally I don't like/trust boxed chocolates. I usually get stuck with the one that tastes like rancid lemons or toothpaste, but I couldn't go wrong with the Godiva's. Delish.

Back to real training tomorrow at NX. Might have a nice little crew. I invited some peeps to come over and train while I'm there. Should be a good day with a really good energy in the gym.




I'm not sure about other people, but I've become very neurotic about my training. If I have a planned lift or conditioning session I need to get it in. I can't accept not doing it or doing it another time. This may work well with others, but not me. On second thought I don't think that works well at all. I hear a lot of excuses in this industry about why they can't do this or can't do that and it's all b.s. My mom works full time and still finds time to train towards her goals. More often than not that is five o'clock in the morning before she goes to work. We did a triathalon this summer. She trained hard for it, I didn't train for the events, just kept lifting. She finished thirty seconds behind me. She's 52 and if she hadn't had to stop for a bathroom break she for sure would have beaten me. Last month she ran a half marathon in the same time she ran when I was a baby. She's 52. My point is that if you truely have a goal, whatever it is, you will find the time to do the things you need to do to accomplish it. If you don't, you never really had the desire to do it.

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. Dion Boucicault

Tuesday ME Lower

ME Squat: 135x8; 225x5; 315x3; 385x1; 455x1 (little high); 455x1; 485x1; 505x1
Rack Pulls: 265x3; 375x3; 485x3; 575x2
Reverse Hyper: 3x15
GH Hypers: 3x12 BW
GHR sit-ups: 3x10 w/ 25#

Squats felt good today. The first 455 I was a little high and cam forward out of the hole. Once I knew what to fix the next three sets went well. 505 was a little slower than I would have liked, but I'll take it. It's been mad long since I rack pulled. I am going to put these in to get some heavy deadlift work without taxing myself too bad. Every three weeks or so I will deload my squat and pull some heavy singles from the floor. Jake and I talked about this on Friday and it seems like a good idea.

People have been bringing in various holiday treats the last couple of days. Normally I would abstain from these, but since I am not being too strict with my diet at this point I am going to indulge. I am going to eat probably 85-95% clean, the rest dirty untill the middle of January and then bring it to 95-100% clean. Until then, time to enjoy life and being alive.

Clay lies still, but blood's a rover;
Breath's a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad: when the journey's over
There'll be time enough to sleep.
-from Reveille by A.E. Houseman

Monday- DE Bench

DE Bench against red bands: 8x3 @ 60% 1rm
Skull Crushers: 3x8
DB Mil. Press: 3x6
Pull/Chin ups: 20 of each

Speed bench went well. I am experimenting with my grip during the sets. I am doing a few sets wider, narrower, and at my current grip width. It felt like I had the best speed with the wider grip. Thursday is my heavy bench day so I will see if there is any carryover.

It is now 3:11 pm and I have heard Paul McCartney's "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" three times today. I'm all for holiday music but there needs to be a threshold with certain songs. The jingle bells song with the cats and dogs making their respective noises should not be played unless you are interrogating murder suspects or terrorists. If you happen to like that song don't tell me because we'll have problems. For my feelings on other "certain" Christmas songs here is Patton Oswalt's take on the sappy side of the spectrum.



Why is it that we are only kind to others during this season? If we got rid of our religious guilt and cared for and respected everyone regardless of what time of year it is I think everyone involved would be a little happier.

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? Douglas Adams

Saturday 12.19.09

Last night we at NX Level had our staff Chirstmas Party. I'd like to thanks Brad and Stacy for hosting and providing the food. Everyone in attendance had a great time. Here are some of the highlights (all times approximate):

7:00 pm- I arrive; Brad is still sweating after getting out of the shower.
7:03 pm- I open my first beer.
7:10 pm- We start eating the appetizers. I remember there being a lot of dead animals and different cheeses. Thanks Adam.
8:15 pm- We start the white elephant gift exchange. I got The Clapper. Allie's collage of photoshopped images of all of us is a hit.
9:00 pm- After a lenghty dissertation on the rules of the game, we start playing Catchphrase.
9:07 pm- My uber-competetiveness comes rushing back in the form of empty threats, chauvenism, and bitter arguments over minor details of the rules of the game
9:53 pm- Three wins later the males team gets bored. Order of the genders is upheld. Males:1, females:2.
10:36 pm- Who invited McGill?
10:47 pm- Skee-ball is just another game for Allison to lose at.
11:10 pm- I find out I don't have to go to Envy.
11:11 pm- I crack open the Grey Goose.
11:53 pm- We start playing Categories, a simple yet extremely fun and interesting game. My idea.
12:47 am- Massive pee break ends Categories
1:38 am- A passed out Brad is still capable of eating cupcakes that are handfed to him.
2:12 am- I lose to Giff in a contest to eat a slice of Michelle's cheesecake in one bite. Apparently chewing isn't allowed. Whatever. Dumb rule.
4:35 am- I fall asleep on the couch with Molly's (Brad and Stacy's dog) butt in my face.
6:45 am- Giff leaves for work.
7:35 am- Nic and I leave for NX Level. I shouldn't be driving.

In the end I had too much to eat, too much to drink, and an awesome time with my co-workers. I feel extermely lucky to work with a great group of people.

I actually started to feel better as the morning went on. I think this is because of the Grey Goose. High end vodka apparently doesn't give too bad of hangovers. Duely noted. After work I trained.

Speed Squat: 10x2 @ 235 with a double black band
Speed Deadlift: 5x1 @ 264 with a black band
Good mornings: 135x8; 185x5; 225x5
Weighted Glute Ham: 3x8 w/ 50# db
Rope Pulldown Abs: 3x10

Dynamic Lower Body day went well. I was concerned going into it. Not much else to report. Have a safe and fun rest of the weekend.

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented. Edith Sitwell

A1: Hang Snatch: 5x2

B1: 45 Deg. Back Ext: 3x12

B2: Tire Hits: 3x10 each side

C1: Black Band Pull Aparts: 3x15

C2: Medicine Ball Pushups: 3x12

Hear me now, believe me later: I was really sore today from yesterday's farmer's walks. My upper traps, delts, erectors, and hips were all feeling it this morning when I got up. And my hips don't lie. Today's was just a total body pump day to get some blood flowin' and the recovery goin'.

I figured out what I am going to bring to my family Christmas dinner. I'm going to get a Braunschwieger sausage from Usinger's and make a cheese and beer spread to go with it. This year we are doing a German Christmas, since we mostly hail from mostly German anscestry. This is the first time in my life that I can remember celebrating my Bavarian roots other than my Grandpa Duke saying, "That's the Belgian in you." when someone did, said, or resembled something "Belgian". Needless to say I'm pretty excited.

On a similar note I was asked if I had a bucket list over Thanksgiving. I didn't, but I have been giving it a lot of thought. The first item is to experience every continent. I say experience because I want to go off the tourist path and really see and do what that area has to offer. First off of that list would ideally be Germany and the rest of Bavaria with the rest of Europe at a different time. Second on the bucket list: fly in a fighter jet. Hopefully I can get this one done. I've written about Josh Mohr before. He is the Air Force wrestler. His goal is to become a pilot. I will keep my fingers crossed.

What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print. Isadora Duncan

Wednesday- GPP

Farmer's Walk: 150 lbs each hand; 20 yards; x20
Fat Bar Curls: 3x8

Just some conditioning today. I have probably said this four or five times in the past, but I am going to start putting more strongman events into my training. I like doing these much more than spinning my wheels on a treadmill or exercise bike. They help my conditioning and strength at the same time. I will probably stick to farmer's walks, plate carries, and tire flips since these are the easiest to set up. I forgot to post another PR I set on Saturday. I blew out my first pair of pants on my quest for size. I was happy and sad at the same time as they were my favorite pair of jeans. They now belong to Al's garbage. Oh well, these are the sacrifices I make for hugeness. BEEFCAKE!!

Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

ME Bench

Bench against mini bands: 8x3 @ 60%
EZ Bar Skull Crushers: 3x8
DB Military Press: 3x10
Pull Ups: 3x8 BW

Today was supposed to be a deload day but I said "the hell with it" and did a full dynamic bench day. It has been a long while since I benched against bands. I really feel this will improve my speed off of my chest and pushing through my lockout, my two problem areas. My assistance exercises for all my lift days are going to play out like this: heavy lower rep assistance on DE days, lighter and higher rep assistance on ME days. Today was a good day, but I've got a long way to go.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

Meet and Weekend Recap

First off I want to say congrats to all of the lifters at the meet. There were some strong dudes there. A couple 700+ squats, 500+ benches, and 700+ deadlifts. Those kinds of numbers are impressive for a geared competition, let alone a raw one. Also congrats to Nic who I'm pretty sure set a PR or two on Saturday as well. Here is how my day went:


Squat:
450-good lift
485- good lift
507- no lift (depth)



Bench:
250- good lift
265- no lift (started my press early and try to catch my self which completely threw me off)
265- no lift (couldn't lock left arm)



Deadlift:


501- good lift
562- no lift (didn't lock out at the top)
562- good lift PR

Total:1297

Saturday was a mix of good and bad. My squat is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. My bench continues to be my weakest lift. I think my next training cycle will help this as I will be doing two bench workouts per week. One being a heavy lift, the other being a lighter speed day. Personal Record on the deadlift, so I can't be too upset. After the first attempt at 562 my face felt blown out. It felt like my face was stuffed with gauze and I could see tiny bruises under my eyes. I was already mad about the squat and bench so I went into the third attempt with a little fire in my gut. I think this may be one of my drawbacks. I have always been somewhat even-keeled when it came to competitions. I do this so I don't get too worked up and burn myself out. I need to learn to be able to turn it on and off at the right times in training and competitions. In summary some good, some bad, but I have a better feeling of what I need to do to accomplish the goals I have set for myself.

You gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet- Charlie Kelly

Weekend Recap

On Saturday Eric, Lance, and Al showed up as I was warming up for deadlift. My day was going rather shittily up to that point, but when I saw these guys it didn't matter. Hanging out with these guys is one of the things that makes my life worthwhile. I am always looking forward to the next time I see these guys. Anyways, after the meet we went back to Al's house so I could shower and change. We then went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Troy likey, Troy want wingy. After BW3's we went to the grocery store to get stuff for the Sunday tailgate and then back to Al's. Tim showed up a little bit later. At Al's we kept it farily low key just drinking some beers and watching episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia. This is one of the absolute best shows on TV. If you have a chance to see it I highly reccomend it.

Sunday we got up early to go to Soldier Field to tailgate. At the tailgate it was us five, our buddy Joe, and Lance's dad Doug and his sister Kelly. The game obviously went well for the Packers, in that they won. I feel they left some points on the field and made some mistakes that they can't make come playoff time. My opinion of Soldier Field is that it is everything that Lambeau isn't. It is very maze-like and crowded inside, and getting out after the game is nothing but bottlenecks. I sarcastically asked Lance if there was only one exit when we were leaving and a random Bear's fan commented that I've got it good up in Lambeau. He said it was state-of-the-art and very easy to get around in. Soldier Field also feels very class segregated. There is one side that can go into the Caddilac Club which is a big heated area under the east side of the stadium. Lance even commented that commoners like us aren't allowed.

After the game we went back to Al's, got some wings, and Lance drove me back to Stallis. All in all a great weekend with great friends. Now it's time to get back to work.

Thursday-2 days out

Today more hip mobility, rolling out, and stretching. I did 35 minutes of unexpected cardio last night digging my truck out of the snowbank that was created by the snowplow. Oops.

Today's selection of my favorite training songs actually only recently came into my collection of music. NOFX's "The Quitter" is off their newst release, Coaster. This song rocks on many multiple levels. First off a kick ass bass line starts the song off (you should notice a trend here if you've been following), second the lyrics have a great upbeat tempo, third the way Fat Mike and Melvin harmonize gets my competetive juices flowing, and fourth the lyrics themselves play to a lifter's "no quit" attitude. The song is actually about keeping up the hapbit of recreational drug and alcohol use, but I relate more to the previously stated "no quit" attitude that it takes to be successful in any endeavor. The second to last lyric "you're famous and you're rich/ quit acting like a bitch" drives home my point. It doesn't matter where you come from or who your daddy is, you have to prove yourself to no one but yourself. If everyone "quit acting like a bitch" (in the sense of being whiny and counterproductive) everyone would be able to accomplish more in the weight room and in life. Have a listen.



On another note, it has been confirmed that this weekend will be one of the better of all time. Meet Saturday afternoon, drinking at my good friend Al's witha bunch more great college friends Saturday night, tailgating and Packers-Bears game Sunday. It doesn't get much better than that.

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world. Thomas A. Edison

Snow Day!

No work today due to the weather. I'm going to catch up on some cleaning, laundry, and sleep. Today for training only rolling out, stretching, and hip mobility. I've been talking to my great friend Lance lately and this weekend is shaping up to be awesome. After the meet on Saturday we are going to find something to do that involves imbibing alcoholic beverages with our friends Al, Eric, and whomever else wants to come. Then Sunday there is a good chance we will be going to the Packers v. Bears game at Soldier Field in Chacago. If we do go this will be my second Packers-Bears game at Soldier. The first one was on New Year's Eve in 2006. After the game Lance, Eric, and i went back to Eric's apartment and I passed out before midnight. HARDCORE. Anyways if you are covered in snow be safe and have a great Wednesday. Tomorrow more of the same as far as getting ready for Saturday and I'm going to come at you with another of my favorite songs to train to. Stay tuned.

4 Days Out

Worked up to my last warmup sets on bench and squat today. My squat form is looking and feeling much better. One thing that I saw that I need to be consious of is my knees coming forward on my ascent. I can keep them beack on the way down but they crept forward on my warmup of 315 shown here.

On bench my last warmup is going to be 225, with my opener being 250. No real problems here other than a lack of strength.

Everything is difficult before it is easy. Thomas Fuller

Mostly rolling out, hip mobility, and stretching. I am going to do another round of this tonight at home. My hips are starting to open up some, but are not all the way there. Tomorrow I am going to work up to my last warm-up set for Saturday on bench and squat. I am not a fan of deloads-I get restless- so this will let me do something. It will also let me get some blood flow going. The main reason I want to do this however is to test out my technique with some heavier weights. I want to know if my form is going to break down with weight on the bar. If it does it may be too late for Saturday, but will let me know where I need work for March. Either way come Saturday it will be time to SMASH F-ING WEIGHT!

Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil. J. Paul Getty

Saturday 12.5.09

My day started a little earlier than I would have liked but that's ok. Work in the morning, lecture by Dr. Jay Hoffman on supplement use in adolescents in early afternoon, then lifting.

Power Clean: 5 sets of 1 @ 252
Standing Press: 5 sets of 1 @ 175
Deadlift: Worked to a single @ 525

Nothing too special today. Cleans and presses went well. Weight seemed to move pretty easily. I probably didn't warm up the best for my deadlift. 525 felt very heavy and I know my form was way off. I think it ended up being more of an RDL. Anyway today was the last heavy session. Early next week I will work up to my openers for the meet and do a lot of stretching and hip mobility stuff.

Envy tonight. It was a freak show last night. A woman who was easily 250 plus wearing a zebra print dress that would have looked scandalous on someone half her size was dancing like no one was watching. But there were people watching...and laughing.

Friday

Last night was Scarface Jacket Night at Envy. Not really, but I think I literally saw two or three. What the hell is the deal with Scarface? I own the movie and have watched it a number of times, and I understand the attitude of "The world is mine", but the fashion just looks awful. Case in pont:

WTF?!

Anyway, today I did a bunch of stretching, foam rolling, and hip mobility drills. My adductors are like piano wire right now, but after some mobility stuff I was able to get into the squat stance that I have been the strongest at (wide). Hopefully this hip mobility isn't too little too late for my meet. I also hope it doesn't throw me off if I try to go to my wider stance. I think if I commit to it over the next 9 days I should be fine.

If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month. Theodore Roosevelt

Thurs- Bench

Bench: 5 singles @ 250
3 board: 275x3, 295x1, 225x15
Back/lats
Fat bar shrugs

Bench felt smooth today. At the meet I will really need to remember the "rack" call at the end of the lift. I matched my reps and weights from last week on board presses. I used a 4 board last week and a 3 board this week. I hope this means my lockout is getting stronger. I fell that this is my weakest of my weak links on bench.

Started thinking about my programming for my next meet in March. I am trying to decide between a linearish program outlined in Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore's book Practical Programming for Strength Training, and a Westside template. After the meet I will assess where I need work and will choose the program the best addresses my weaknesses.

Also be sure to check out my other blog at nxlevelsportsperformance.blogspot.com. This is a training blog for my fellow NX Level trainers and me. Thanks.

Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory. George S. Patton

Wednesday

Lots of stretching, rolling out, and power plate action
Incline Treadmill: 20 mins
More rolling out and stretching

Today was nothing special. I'm going to try to do lots more corrective work. I have always fallen into the trap that when my mobility is good I don't need to stay on top of it. Then I get tight and have to start all over.

Something that has been on my mind lately is this low calorie beer crap. One thing that many people don't understand is that alcohol has 7 calories per gram. There are only so many carbs that can be taken out of the beer to reduce it's caloric load. The calories that are then taken out are from the alcohol. To me this is useless. This is probably due to the fact that alcohol companies are not required to place nutrition labels on their products. If they did then people would be able to compare different nutrient and alcohol values.

If the alcohol content is reduced then people will just drink more beers. Here is a dialogue from two friends, Lance and Morgan, in college. At the time Lance was thinking about dropping some Lbs.




Bullshit


Lance: I'm going to start drinking Michalob Ultra. You know, drop some pounds.
Morgan: Lance, you defeat the purpose of low carb/calorie beer when you drink 22 in one night.
Lance: You're right. Fuck it.

Not only is it crap that alcohol is taken out, but the taste is also reduced. I can't speak for everyone else, but I would rather drink full flavor/ calorie beer then watered down reduced claorie swill.

Tuesday Video

"Don't talk, watch!" -Mastadon

Here is the video compilation of my squats from today. The musical selection is Mastadon's "Cut You Up With a Linoleum Knife". This song appeared in the opening credits of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie.

As you can see I'm right about parallel. I feel I'm strong enough to handle heavier weights, I just need to get my depth issues worked out. Judges may call my depth and say no lift. I'd like it to be indisputable, but we will see how it plays out.

Tuesday

Squat: 6 sets of 1 @ 475
Sumo DL: 308x6, 352x5, 419x4
GH Hypers: 3x10 with 35#
Pull down Abs: 3x7
Prowler: 90lbs; 20 yds; x10; total time: 4:57
Prowler Flu: x1

I'm not wholly unsatisfied with my squats today. A few of the reps may have been high (I will post a video later). I also need to really focus on my technique. A few times I either float forward or relax at the bottom. This isn't a strength issue, just a focus issue.

I have now realized that my mobility is not where it needs to be to handle heavier weight. Specifically my hip flexors and adductors (groing). I need to spend more time on mobility drills, stretching, and rolling out.

The prowler difinitely humbled me today. I wanted to get the ten pushes in under 5 minutes, and I did, but it was harder than I thought it was going to be. I am going to be doing more finishers at the end of my workouts to bring my conditioning up and try to keep my weight in a holding pattern just under 220.

Wake: the silver duck returning
Up the breach of darkness brims,
And the ship of sunrise burning
Strands upon the eastern rims
-First stanza of Reveille by A.E. Houseman