(Insert Funny Title Here)

Working off of 4.5 hours of sleep. Last night was the first Friday in a while that I had to stay all night. A few interesting things I saw included a jacket with the Bill of Rights embroidered into it. I've also seen a few NASCAR jackets. The people wearing them don't exactly look like NASCAR fans. Also, at one point when I was trying to get to the beer cooler I got danced on by a young woman while her friend kept saying, "Oooh he fine! He fine!" What a country. Here is my training for today.

DE Squat: 10x2 @ 245
DE DL (chains): 5x1 @ 308 w/ 8 chains per side
Good Morning: 135x8; 185x6; 205x4
Walking Lunge: 3x20 steps w/ 110
w/
GH Hypers: 3x8 w/ 45

Squats were nothing new. I really focused on staying tight at the bottom and this seemed to help my speed. I went with chains today on the deadlift. It took me longer to set it up than it did to actually do the damn exercise. 8 chains per side is about 80 extra pounds at the top. I really liked how it felt. I could feel a lot more tension at the top. I am going to keep these in and play around with the set up and amount of chain weight.

Tomorrow I am going to be sore on my backside. Mostly from the lunges. This is what I affectionately call "lunge-ass". It's that soreness right below your ass cheek at the very top of your leg. This is the soreness that makes sitting to a toilet extremely difficult. I might need side rails tomorrow.

At some point today I am going to do some grip stuff, but it won't be anything exciting.

Dequaine out.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on. -Robert Frost

Friday Ya Dig?

Did two sessions today. AM was sprint work. I did four 20 yard starts with a pulling sled+45lbs. Then six 20 yard starts without it. I am in the consciously competent stage of my sprint development. If someone points out a technique flaw I can correct it without too much trouble, but if no one is there to point it out I'm not sure I would notice it. Giff said something about my arm swing today and I fixed it fine, but I need to think about it to fix it. Either way I got some good starts in.

PM session I really wailed on my grip. As of this typing I finished about four minutes ago and fine motor movements with my fingers are difficult at best. I started with a warmup of 20 closes on the Tr. Then did 50 total reps on each hand with the #1. I ended with one set of 40 closes on each hand with the Tr. Forearms are totally jacked right now.

Back to the earlier phrase of "consiously competent". This is the third stage in the development of a skill. The stages are 1) unconsciouly incompetent; 2) consciously incompetent; 3) consciously competent; 4) unconsciously competent. The first stage is someone who basically doesn't know what they don't know. They are blissfully unaware of the deeper levels of complexity it takes to master the skill they are attempting to learn. If they stick with it they will soon move to the consciously incompetent stage. At this stage they become aware of what they don't know and are exposed to deeper levels of complexity in mastering the skill. The third stage is the stage where a person is pretty good at the skill and has a good deal of knowledge about what they are doing. This is the stage where they will still do things wrong, but are aware of it. The fourth stage represents a barrier that is crossed where they skill suddenly becomes easier to perform. They are now better at the skill without actually putting in any more effort than they normally would. This represents unconscious competence.

I heard this speech four times in my high school wrestling career. Our coaches swore by it. It was always our goal to pick a few moves that we would become unconsciously competent at that we could do at any time. Mine was an underhook to a single leg. It was by far my go to move and it served me well, especially against bigger and stronger opponents. Most of the time they never saw it coming. They thought that they could throw me around, but with an attack, attack, attack mentality I was able to do what I wanted to do on the mat.

My question to you is, What do you want to be unconsciouly competent at?

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them. -Orison Swett Marden

Thursday Upper

Bench: 185x3; 225x3; 245x3; 265x3 (PR); 280x1
Lateral Raises: 3x10
Rope Pushdowns: 3x15
Single Arm Rows: 3x20
Gripper work: Trx20; #1x10,10

Bench was super sweet today. One month ago 265 was my max. 265 was also a weight that I missed twice in my last meet. I'm thinking my opener for my March meet is going to be between 265 and 280. I was really going for 3 on the 280, but ran out of gas. I like knowing that I could still get it after getting a 3 rep max though.

I got some new grippers in the mail today. These are going to become something I will probably do most days of the week. The Trainer(Tr) requires 100 lbs of pressure to close, the #1 requires 150 lbs of pressure to close, I also got a #2 which requires 200 lbs to close. I will be crushing pool balls in my hands like so many grapes in no time.

Last night I had trouble falling asleep again. I think I have come up with a solution. One part Jameson, one part Tylenol PM. I'm going to try it out, see how it goes.

Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. -William S. Burroughs

Wednesday

Various Sprint Drills
Ended with 5 40 yard buildups
Tennis ball squeezes: 50 on each hand
Gripper Squeezes: 20 and 5 timed holds on each hand

Had very little motivation going in to today. I havn't been sleeping well lately. Waking up a lot from midnight to when I get up. Not sure how to fix this. Oh well, no excuses, got to nut up sometimes.

If you've been following along lately I've been putting in a few Henry Rollins quotes. The more I read his stuff and listen to him talk I really like what he has to say. He would make 99% of the American population look like lazy sacks of shit with his work ethic, myself included. Here is a cool interview he did for a Dutch TV show in the 90's.



If you can't run, you're a meal. -Henry Rollins

Tuesdee

Squat: 315x3; 405x1; 455x1; 495x1; 525x1ish
Rack Pulls: 355x3; 445x1; 535x1; 625x1
Reverse Hypers: 50 reps @ #15
Glute-Ham Hypers: 2x25 @ BW
Bridge Holds: 2x:30s on front and each side

Except for my last squat today was a pretty good day. 455 and 495 felt really good. I stalled for a fraction of a second on 495. On the 525 I was about 1.5" high and came a bit forward. Nic grabbed my chest (pervert) but didn't push up. In a competition the lift would have been red lighted all the way, but in training, nothing but whites. Even though I didn't technically get the lift I know what it feels like. I have the strength to get the lift I just have to stay consistent with my technique.

625 on the rack pull felt pretty good. I had the pin set about an inch below my kneecap. It was slow to my knee but the lockout felt fast and easy. I had to quick take my belt off and walk around taking deep breaths once I put the bar down. If it were a cartoon stars and little birds would have been circling my head. Bye-bye brain cells.

I was feeling pretty spent at this point in the workout. I went and got a drink and turned off Nic's cd that was playing and turned on the local classic rock station. Two minutes later Boston's "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" came on. Brad Delp belting out his straight forward intentions to some coy co-ed ignited a fire within. I was a new man. I was like a pheonix rising from its own ashes ready to take on whatever was before me. Man, I love that song. No pretenses, no ambiguity, just straight gettin' it on. Awesome.

Reverse and Glute-Ham hypers gave me a nice deep burn in the ass and hamstrings, respectively. I really need to start doing more core work. The bridge holds weren't hard, but weren't exactly a breeze either. I just need more volume on these.

Tomorrow is going to be grip training and top speed mechanics work. Don't blink, you might miss it.

I don't wanna make excuses, I don't wanna lie
I just got to get loose
With you tonight
-from Boston's "Let Me Take You Home Tonight"

Monday 01.25.10

DE Bench: 8x2 @ 50%
Military Press: 135x8; 155x6; 175x3
Weighted Dips: BW+30lbs x40
Weighted Fat Bar Chins: BW +30 x30

Yesterday was the last day of the 100% face diet. Here is how I'm going to plan my carbs for this week. Preworkout meal: 2 oranges. Immediatly post training: recovery drink with about 30g carbs and 5g amino acids. 30 minutes later; 2 bananas. Of course some kind of protein is consumed with these meals. I will also be eating a 1/2 lb portion of green beans or broccoli during the day and spinach with my last meal of the day. I would say I'm getting about 100-150 grams of carbs througout the day on my heavy training days. On my light/off days I will only be eating the green beans or broccoli and spinach. On these days carbs will probably be closer to 25-30 grams. As long as I keep getting stronger I will stay on this. If I feel that my lifts are suffering then I will swith things up. Only one way to find out. That is to do.

Had a nice restful weekend. Didn't watch too much of the AFC game, but I did watch most of the NFC game. Saints had some viscious hits on Farve, which is what needs to be done to rattle him and get him off his game. I tip my cap to the Saints. They played well when it mattered and took advantage of the opportunities presented them. It should make for a fun Super Bowl to watch.

Everyone has a plan until they get hit. -Mike Tyson

Saturday

Started today with 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, and a pound of Jennie-O Turkey Ham. I don't exactly know what "Turkey Ham" is or is not, so let's just move on. Last day of the deload and it went pretty damn well. Sorry I'm not sorry for the gratuitous swears.

DE Squat: 5 sets of 2 @ 275 with no accommodating resistance
DE Deadlift: 5 sets of 1 @ 308 with no accommodating resistance
RDL: 2x15
Leg Curl: 2x15
GHR Situps: 2x15
Tabata Burpee Cleans: x4 min

Squats and deadlift went well. My depth on squats was a non-issue. Deadlifts were buttah. Rest of the stuff was just to get some blood flow going to the back side. Tabatas were hard as they should be. My first set of :20 sec I got 9 reps. The last set I got 6 so I was happy with that. By the time the fourth set rolled around I had to keep my eyes closed and go to my happy place. There are some weird things in my happy place. Don't ask.

In other news, I got asked to chaparone the Winter Trip for the Wunsch Family Foundation/ Circle of Friends. This a great charitable foundation. Every winter Jerry Wunsch and other former NFL players bring a group of kids, whom all have fought or are still fighting cancer, ranging in age from 7-14 to Wausau during the winter. While they are there the kids get to go tubing, downhill skiing, snowmobile riding, they go on a sleigh ride, and get to just be kids for a few days. Many of the kids have never seen snow let alone ski or ride snowmobiles, so this is always a great trip for them and they end up having a lot of fun. So if any of you are ever looking to do some donating, I got your hookup.

Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, when I give I give of myself. -Walt Whitman

Friday

No training today. I will probably do some foam rolling and stretching at home tonight, but other than that, nada.

My friend and fellow strength coach Matt Gifford had a great post today on his blog. You can check it out here. I highly recommend it. The kid has a great outlook on the strength and conditioning field and life in general.

Tomorrow is the last day of the deload. As per usual I'm itching to get back to lifting heavy again. Face diet is still going well. I'm down about 8 pounds. Again, some of that is water. Next week I will be adding in carbs around my workout. Got to fuel the machine. BEEFCAKE!!

I want to be all used up when I die. George Bernard Shaw

Chesticles

Bench: worked up to 250x1
Lateral Raises: 2x15
Band Tri Pushdowns: 2x25 (purple band)
Lat Pulldowns: 2x20
Med Ball Pushups: x50

Still deloading this week. I just wanted to hit a single at about 85-90% of my 1rm. Other accessory was just to get a pump and get some recovery going. The medicine ball pushups I felt all through the chestal region.

A friend asked me the other day what my diet was like before I started on my face diet. Here it is.

Meal One (6:30ish): 3 whole eggs, 3 egg whites or 5-6 oz. sirloin steak, 1 apple, 1 orange
Meal Two (1 hr pre w/o 9:30ish): 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, one apple, one orange
Meal Three (post w/o 12:30ish): one scoop whey protein, 2 bananas
Meal Four (2ish): 10 oz (2 cans) tuna, 1/2 lb green beans or broccoli
Meal Five (4:30ish) 1 scoop whey, 1 scoop casein, 1tbsp peanut butter
Meal Six (7ish) 5oz. grilled chicken breast, 1/2 lb green beans or broccoli
Meal Seven (9:30ish) 5-6 oz. sirloin steak, 2 cups raw spinach, 2 cups frozen blueberries

It may look like a lot but remember it's all over the course of 15 hours. On non heavy training days, the two meals around my workout are replaced by another shake of 1 scoop whey and 1 scoop casein. As of right now this diet works for me. If/when I want to gain or lose weight, I will either add starchier carbs, or decrease my fruit intake. Simple as that.

Keep your blood clean, your body lean, and your mind sharp.
-Henry Rollins

Grippy Longstockings

Today I did some sprint work. Allison and I are in the works of organizing a race between us. Probably either a 40 yard dash or 100 meter dash. I can tell she is nervous. She went out of her way to critique my mechanics. I don't know why she's nervous, she is a former Div. 1 heptathlete and I am a 220 lb. former defensive lineman. Anyways, the race is probably going to be sometime this summer. Stay tuned.

Various sprint drills culminating in 2 20yd sprints, 2 30yd sprints, and 1 40yd sprint.

Hammies started to feel tight after the 40 so I shut it down. There are definitely things that I can fix in my mechanics which will help my speed.

Ended with some grip work. Blob for a bunch of sets. CoC gripper for a few sets.

No I want to get something off my chest. Actually I'm going to talk about something that I regularly put on my chest. That's right I'm going to talk about Old Spice Cologne: Original Scent.
I have and always will be an Old Spice man. It didn't take me long as a teenager to discover that Old Spice was the best deodorant and antiperspirant and it hasn't taken me long as a young adult to realize that it is the best cologne. It has that certain smell that triggers something in your brain that reminds you of your youth. That's because your grandfather more than likely wore Old Spice. Mine did. And if it's good enough for our grandfathers, by George, it's good enough for me.

The reason for this rant is I am getting real sick of these Axe Body Spray deals. If you had walked around with that garbage in the 50's you would've had a real tough time. I can see it now, you're walking down the street smelling like last nights whore and you get stopped by someone you don't want to get stopped by. "Now hold on there Mary," he says. "Your pungent perfume is playing piddlywinks with my sense of smell. You'd better scram before I give you what for."

While he is saying this he is raising his dukes. The knuckles are scarred and bruised because he made mince meat of someone like you not long ago. My point is it's time to grow up. My grandfather wore Old Spice, I wear Old Spice, and one day my son will wear Old Spice.

Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good. -Henry Rollins

Party Tuesday

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little foggy today. That's ok because it was totally expected. When on an extremely low carb plan days 1-3 or 4 are usually the worst. After this your body becomes accustomed to using fat for fuel and energy levels remain steady. Due to my wavering energon (very few will know this reference) my lifts didn't go exactly as expected. The plan today was to work up to a single at 85% of my 1rm and squat and deadlift. Here's how it went.

Squat: worked up to 455x1 Knees came forward at the bottom causing my ass to shoot back on my ascent. Just need to take more time to open my hips in my warmup and trust myself at the bottom.
DL: worked up to 493x1 Went ok except I felt my back get loose and round. Just need to stay focused and controled while still jacked up from adrenaline. Belly needs to stay tighter as well.

Finished with reverse hypers and glute ham hypers. For abs I did weighted bridge/plank holds.

In the end I wasn't happy with the way my lifts turned out, but can't be discouraged. At the same time I can't use my nutrition as an excuse for my poor performance as it is much more than that. My morning wasn't planned out very well and my lifts suffered. I have no one to blame but myself. On a positive note though, even though this is a deload week I feel like I'm still getting quality work in and progressing nicely towards my goals for March. Just need to keep on...keep truckin'.

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. -Benjamin Franklin

Moonday

DE Bench (deload): 5x3 @ 60% 1rm
Dips: 50 reps in as few sets as possible (25, 22, 3)
Pull Ups: 30 reps in as few sets as possible (10, 8, 7, 5)
Prowler Jogging: 40 yards; 50 lbs; 6 trips

Deloading this week so I didn't use any extra resistance on my bench and lowered the sets a bit. Stayed all body weight on my assistance and went for high reps. Prowler was tougher than I thought it was but it was good to get a good sweat rolling and breathing heavy.

Tomorrow on my ME lower I will probably hit singles at about 80-85% of my 1rm, do some light posterior chain work and call it a day.

Face Diet is going well. No bad carb cravings or hunger. I am already a few pounds lighter. This is probably 95% due to water loss. When carbs enter a muscle they pull water with it. When carbs are used the water is also taken out. I am going to be taking in as much sodium as I can to offset this. Water retention in the muscle is an often overlooked aspect to strength. The fuller your muscle is the more leverage you will have. Thus, when your muscles are full you have a higher strength potential. I say potential because there are obviously numerous other factors that go into how strong one is in a particular lift in a particular training session. Physiological and mental aspects are also at play.

It's science, it's boring, but it's a part of my life. -Ron Burgundy

Lazy Sunday

I got up today at about 10 am and I've been sitting on my couch ever since. I've been experimenting with all kinds of different positions. Side, back, sitting upright, leaning to the left, feet up on the back rest, you name I've done it. I'm trying to watch football, but without an invested interest the games are hard to pay close attention too. Although I would like to see a Chargers-Saints Super Bowl. Lot of good story lines and two teams that are playing good football right now.

Today is Day 1 of the Face Diet.

Meal 1: 6 oz. Sirloin steak, 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites.
Meal 2: 3 whole eggs, 5-6 oz chicken breast
Meal 3: 3 whole eggs, 10 oz tuna
Meal 4: will be 1 scoop whey, 1 scoop casein, 3 whole eggs
Meal 5: will be same as meal 1

It's going good so far. No real big carb cravings. By day four or five that might be a different story though. I am planning on doing this for only a week or so. I am going to deload next week so the no carbs wont be as big of an issue for my training sessions. After next week I will add carbs back into my pre and post workout meals. In the third or fourth week I will add carbs back into my first meal or two of the day. All the while I will be assessing my strength levels. If I feel I am losing any strength then I will switch up the diet. I just want to lean out by 4 or lbs and continue getting stronger. This way I don't need to worry about cutting going into my meet in March and I can then afford to not be as strict with my diet.

I have completely forgotten to come at you with more songs that I love to train to. Today's selection is "Loudmouth" by The Ramones. I have been a Ramones fan since my early days of high school. The Ramones to me are the epitome of what punk rock is. They are simply music stripped down to its basic elements and played at loud levels. A guitar, a bass, a set of drums, and a vocalist. A few chords played in a catchy rhythm over and over with similarly catchy and minimalist lyrics that give you a picture into the artist life. Loudmouth almost sounds like the beginning of a playground fight between a couple of twelve-year-old kids. Nothing fancy, no metaphors, yet strangely poetic. Loudmouth becomes an anthem of shutting the hell up, doing what you got to do, or suffering the consequences. The Ramones are best listened to when the thinking caps are off and the energy is cranked to eleven. Coincidentally this is also when some of the best training is done.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. -Winston Churchill

Saturday Saturday Better Wear a Hat 'er Day

DE Squat: 8x2 @ 270
DE DL: 8x1 @ 375
RDL: 264x8; 308x6; 328x6
Leg Curl: 12,12,10
Rope Crunches: 3x12
Sprints: 10x20yds

Squats and Deadlifts were feeling good today. Squats I still need to really focus on my technique. It wasn't until the second rep of my fourth set when I remembered to push my elbows forward on my ascent. Deadlift felt fast. No one wants to read about my accessory stuff.

Since I was feeling so fast I decided to do some short sprints. 20 yards is right about where I would come out of my acceleration and transition in to my top-end mechanics. I came to the realization that teaching and doing are very different things. I had to remind myself of a lot of little things when I was doing these. Even still I am a lot faster than a lot of people might realize. I am even faster than fellow performance coach and former D-1 track athlete Allison Schnelle. One day she was talking big game and I challenged her to a race. It was a simple 10 yard dash. Long story short, she started early and I still beat her. She has not and will not hear the end of it. I go out of my way to remind her and anyone within earshot of the fact. Schnelle, you have been officially called out.

On another note, I've decided to go on a "face" diet. This diet consists of eating only things that at one point had or were well on their way to having a face. In short, no carbohydrates. I will make an exception and have some green veggies throughout the day. This is for fiber reasons only. This will last only a week and then I will add carbs back into my pre and post workout meals. I am doing this to front load any fat loss that might need to happen before my meet in March. Right now I'm about 3-5 lbs over and it would be nice to not have to cut any weight. I also wouldn't mind looking better without a shirt on. Sue me. That's all I got for today. Have a great weekend.

Know how sublime a thing it is To suffer and be strong. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Burpee Snatches and Syuch

Normal Warm-Up

Burpee Snatch: Tabata Style

Bike Cool Down: 6 mins.

Instead of trying to explain burpee snatches I drawed a picture.

Tabta Style means I did 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for four minutes. It doesn't sound like much but at the end of the four minutes I was sweating hard and breathing heavy. Its about 45 minutes after the fact right now and I am still warm with just shorts and a t-shirt on. The bike was just to cool down and keep me from crying in front of everybody. I have a reputation to uphold.

The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest. Albert Einstein

ME Bench

Went off of a 2-Board today.
225x3; 270x1; 285x1; 300x1; 315x0; 305x1 (PR); 315x0
Lateral Raises: 3x12
Rope Tri Pushdowns: 3x20
Seated Row: 3x20

2-Board went great today. I wanted 300 and ended with 305 which is a 5 lb. PR for me. The first 315 miss my lats got lose about an inch away from the board and I had no pop off the board. The second miss went "better". I stayed tight to the board and got it about 2" off the board but my triceps had had it by then and I couldn't finish the lockout. Normally I don't like to miss weights in training, but with getting a PR the last two heavy training days I can't be too upset.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed, but I may be going to Vegas in May. Insert your Hangover joke here. Speaking of which, I finally saw The Hangover this past weekend. It felt like I had already seen it with everyone and their cousin quoting it. Regardless, it was still wicked funny and I am looking forward to a second viewing.

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

A Little of This and a Little of That

Grip Work: Blob and Fat Bar hangs
Tire Hits: 5x10 hit on each side
Tempo Sprints: (~35 yds sprint/ ~35 yds jog)

My grip/ forearms were still a bit sore from deadlifting and fat bar chins. Being so I didn't push the grip too much. Thinking back to my failed attempt at 593 I think my grip done me wrong. Would I have gotten it with a stronger grip? Maybe, maybe not. But it was definitely a limiting factor.

I had some stuff on my mind so I decided to consult the tire...with a hammer. I used the 10 lb. hammer which allowed me to swing a lot harder and faster. I think these would be a lot more satisfying if I wasn't hitting a big rubber tire. If I was beating on an junk car, or some Precious Memories figurines, or some priceless artifacts in a museum I would do these every day. Fuck history. I don't really mean that.

Sprints went well. Hammies felt a little tight. Need to start stretching them more. Other than that hips have felt pretty good lately. No IT pain. No problems with my squatting technique. All good in the hood.

Tomorrow is How Much Ya Bench Day. I need to emphasize two things: Brad Pitt needs a beatin', I'm not on steroids. Classic. (If you don't know what I'm talking about watch the "How Much Ya Bench video from a recent post.)

Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error. Andrew Jackson

ME Lower

Squat Deload: 3x5 @ 275
DL: 525x1; 573x1(PR); 593x0 missed at shins
Reverse Hypers
GH Hypers
Abs
Prowler

Got a deadlift PR today so I'm pretty happy with that. I'm not sure it would have counted in a meet since I hitched it. Speed from the ground was pretty good but once I got passed my knees my technique broke down a bit. I'm glad Nic was lifting at the same time today because I was pretty on the fence about the prowler and he challenged me to do it and I did it. Good training partners will do that to you.



Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. Abraham Lincoln

Monday

"I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed."

Nothing stung more as a kid than hearing those words. Not even a spanking or a jabbing of an index finger into my soft chest. It stung as a kid and Packers, I hope it stings now. So much potential, so much promise, all washed away in the desert sands. But as disappointed as I am, I am already looking forward to next season. This team has some very bright young stars. Rodgers, Jennings, Finley, Matthews, you guys are on baller alert. I have a feeling this game will leave a very bitter taste in the hearts, minds, and mouths of my favorite team and its fans. I also have a feeling that, like a phoenix, next years team will rise from the ashes of this years team and return to glory. You've been to the playoffs and now you know it is a whole other ball game than the regular season. Green Bay Packers...today is the first day of the next season.

There, I've vented and I'm done. No more about last nights game. I'm moving on. Today was a DE Bench day. Break it down:

DE Bench: 8x3 @155
Military Press: 3x6 @ 150
Weighted Dips: 3x10 w/ 25#
Weighted Fat Bar Chin Ups: 25 reps w/ 25#
Prowler: all low handle
8x20ydsx90lbs

Bench felt smooth and easy today. I felt like my setup was staying a lot tighter when I unracked the bar. Maintaining tightness in your whole body is key to benching success. MP went well. It's been a while since I've done these. Dips and chins went well. Also been a while since I've done these. What can I say about the prowler that hasn't already been said? It is what it is. It's not my favorite thing to do but I always feel better having done them.

I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. George S. Patton

Sat- DE SQ/DL

New kid, fake head butt!

Dynamic lower body today. I was feeling a bit unmotivated going in, but once I got the virtues flowing I was good to go. Sometimes just getting to the gym can be the hardes part of the workout. Once I am there some Pavlovian shit happens in my brain and I have no problem getting going. Just being at the gym seems to be like a trigger that gets me ready mentally to train. Enough talk. I'm not here to talk. I'm here to imform (clap) you about my workout. Lets get going.

DE Squat: 8x2 @ 235

DE DL: 5x1 @ 330

RDL: 220x8; 286X6,6

Abs

I tried a different band set up today. The bands were hooked about 4-6 inches lower than I normally have them. This gave me about the same tension at the bottom, but way more at the top. Once I found my groove with the squats they flew up. One thing I need to work on is pushing my elbows forward without letting the bar roll on my back.

Deadlifts felt fast and easy. I used a purple (average) band this week instead of a black (monster mini) and I couldn't tell a difference. I'm getting excited about Tuesday's deadlift max out.

Got to say congrats to my buddy Lance. He got a job this week at the Mokena Park and Rec Department. He is basically Mike Donnely from the movie Black Sheep.

If you've never seen this movie, go watch it. I'll wait. When you are done I will be the guy saying, "You're welcome." Awesome movie even though it is more or less Tommy Boy Part II. Anyway Lance is going to building an army of after school kids to do his bidding. I'm really excited about the possibilities. Guerrilla warfare, small explosives, grilling techniques, the differences between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defense, Lance will be teaching it all.

On a final note I want to say, "Dah nah na Duh nuh nanana GO PACK GO!"

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi

Thurs- ME Bench

Bench: 185x3; 225x3; 245x1; 265x1; 280x1; 290x0 (miss)
Lateral DB Raise: some sets, some reps, varying weights
Band push down: 3x25
Chest Supported Row: 3x15
Band Pull-Aparts: 3x20
Conditioning:
Prowler: 90 lbs x20 yds
w/ Tire Flips x 4
6 Sets

Bench went well today. 265 flew up a lot faster than I was anticipating. As soon as I started my descent on 280 I knew I had it. On the 290 I came too far down on my chest and couldn't recover.

I had a little elbow pain from the odd object carrying I did last night. I got a new washer and dryer and moved them into my basement by myself. They are not as heavy as one might think, but they awkward to carry. There was also very little wiggle room getting them through door and down the steps. There were a few close calls, but I got them down there. Tonight I get to hook them up...hopefully.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Helen Keller

ME Lower

Awesome training session today. I was feeling strong in my rolling out and dynamic mobility stuff. Here is how the day broke down.

ME Squat (3rm): 315x3; 405x3; 425x3; 455x3; 485x3 (10 lbs away from tying PR)
DL: 405x1x5
Reverse Hypers: 3x12
GH Hypers: 3x15
Abs- Bar Rollouts: 3x12
w/ Landmine Rotators: 3x10 each side

The 455x3 felt really good. Nic said the bar slipped a bit on my first rep so I chalked the bar and my back. When I unracked the 485 it didn't feel as heavy as I thought it was going to. I knew I had it. Reps one and two went well. Two was kind of slow but got it without much difficulty. On rep three I get down and came out of the hole well. About half way I stalled a bit and started leaning forward. I threw my elbows under the bar and finished the rep. A fewe months ago I would never have had the awareness to push my elbows forward if someone wasn't yelling it. This is just one more step on my way to mastery of the lift.

I deloaded my deadlift somewhat today. Next week I am going to deload my squat and go for a heavy single on the deadlift. The 405's felt easy and fast. I'm thinking somewhere in the 570 range next week. We shall see though.

Tomorrow is going to be more sailor arms work and probably some conditioning.

If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do… the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”-General George S. Patton

Monday DE Bench

DE Bench: 8x3 @ 150
Skull Crushers: 3x8
DB MP: 3x6
Weighted Chin Ups: 30 reps with 35#
Prowler: 90 lbs; 20 yds; x6

Nothing too special today. Dropped the bench weight a bit. I'm going to start cycling the load on my DE bench days. I'll use three week cycles and go 55%, 57%, 60% of my most recent 1rm. Used heavier weights on all my assistance stuff which felt good. Had no motivation to do prowler pushes but I did them anyway. ME squats tomorrow. Going to work to a 3rm. I'm thinking around 475ish...maybe more

I am certainly not one of those that needs to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod. Winston Churchill.

Saturday- Two-a-Days

I had two training sessions today. The first one was at NX Level Waukesha. Broke down like this:

DE Squat: 6x2 @ 265

DE DL: 8x1 @ 318

Good Morning: worked up to 300x1

Glute-Ham Hypers: 3x8 w/ purple band around neck

Squats felt good. I felt I was getting low enough. Speed seemed to pick up as the sets progressed. DL's felt fast and easy, as they should. Good mornings were hard. I trained earlier than normal and my back felt a little stiff. Glute-Hams were Glute-Hams. On to the second training session.

This session took place at Golden Corral Waukesha. If you are unfamiliar with it it is an all-you-can-eat-buffet. We had a good group come out. Myself, Allison, Jake, Dom LaFace, Giff, and Nic. During the summer Dom, Giff, and I had a discussion on who could eat the most. We all talked a big game and now it was time to put up or shut up. We weighed in before and after and whoever gained the most was the winner. Here are the weigh-ins:

Troy: 224.9

Dom: 226.6

Nic: 231.9

Giff: 205.8

Jake: Decided to be a baby and not compete

Allison: 142.1

My strategy was to eat as much meat as I could before I moved to desserts. Meat doesn't expand like starches and fiber does. Dom and I were sitting across from each other and eyeing each other the whole time. I'd come with a plate, then he'd come with a plate. I knew he had it when I went for my second dessert plate and he came back with a steak. Straight up machine-like. Here are the weigh-outs. Weight gained is in parentheses.

Troy: 230.2 (5.3)

Dom: 232.6 (6.0)

Nic: 235.5 (3.6)

Giff: 209.4 (3.6)

Jake: Baby

Allison: 144.7 (2.6)

The Troy Dequaine Courage Award goes to Allison. Not only did she come and sit through our gluttony, gain a solid 2.6 lbs, but we car pooled and she rode with all of us except for Jake. There were some bombs getting tossed around that car. Great job today Allie.

The Girl Scouts of America Least Valuable Eater Award goes to Giff. He talked a big game before hand, but called it quits because he "didn't want to puke." Nic and him tied, but Nic was never "in it to win it." He just wanted to watch the show. We called Giff out and he said some stuff about forgetting to drink water or something. But we know the real deal. He just can't hack it.

The Marlboro Man "Man-Up" Award goes to Dom. I was flat-out impressed with his appetite. When we were all breathing heavy and getting blurred vision he was calm, cool, and collected. He didn't really seem too uncomfortable when he was done. He just put down his spoon and said, "I'm done." He was never in doubt as to the victory. Here we have a post gluttony belly shot.

All in all a great training day. Next time we might do weight gained and belly circumference. But I'm sure that's a few months into the future.

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. ~Mark Twain

Happy New Years

I got home from Envy this morning at 6:45 am. Last night I did about 50 sets of stair climbs in about 7.5 hours. My knees and feet were definitely a little achy when I went to bed. I normally don't sweat at all during a night at Envy, but last night was packed and I was busy from about 11:15am all the way to 6:15am.

My night started off with me being the Champagne Bitch. I had to walk around with big trays full of small champagne toast cups and let people take them. My boss said one per customer. He obviously doesn't get it. First off, you could give these people nail polish remover and they would drink it if it was free. Second off I had both hands full with the tray so all I could do is say, "One per customer ma'am." Yeah, listen to some honky? Not gonna happen.

Then I was busy with normal bar backing duties. Empty garbage, clean up puke, stock ice, grab bottles of liquor, clean glasses, etc. Glamorous, I know. I did get to see a few things that made the night. I saw a Scarface Jacket. Always a classic. Plenty of grills for me to judge. And to top it off our not-altogether-there security guard prevented our 5'5" 155 lb. male bartender from going into the female bathroom with a 5'9" probably 230 lb female. In his words, all he wanted to do was to say, "Hi." Paul is not a fan of bartenders going hoggin'.

As the night progressed I got more and more irritated by the amount of ignorance that runs through that place. This may sound bad- many of the other employees feel the same way- but when I work at Envy the money that is taken out of my taxes at NX Level comes full circle. My tax dollars go to the government, the government give it to them, they spend it on the dumbest shit out there which includes tipping bartenders and buying alcohol at outrageous prices. Seriously, $200 for a bottle of Grey Goose. I am not saying that everyone on public assistance spends there money in this way, but the ones that do need to have some kind of policy in place so they can't reproduce. I only half mean that. I just wish these ignorant people wouldn't pass their ignorance on to their offspring. I'll bust my ass so a single mom with a few kids can feed her family while she's between jobs, but I'm sick of busting my ass so dumb people can take advantage of a system that is designed for them to not have to live that way.

I'm just annoyed. I needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for reading. If you feel differently, or the same way as I do let me know. Leave a comment. I appreciate any and all feed back. Thanks, and have a great start to your new year.