Lift Smart - Lift Strong

Say a little something into the camera...alittle someting into the camera

2011-10-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

Because of recent hounding and building upon my previous blog about consistency I am writing todays insert.

Todays entry will be an outline of future blogs..not in any specific order

1.Addressing scapular positioning
2.Hip Positioning
3.Groin strains
4.Large group training(In-season hockey prep)
5.Training log updates

As stated, not in any specific order, I will touch on these 5 topics in the comming posts.

Training in a snapshot -

Front Squat 315x1; Bench 280x1; Deadlift 441x1/436x1

Lets try getting back into this again...

2011-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today was an awesome lift to start back up blogging a little.

I've been training my front squat for the last few weeks. I set a goal of being able to front squat 315x3. At the time my current best was approx.255-265.

I have since then hit 275, 295, and today 315x1.

I am proud, but at the same time, there are still stronger people in this lift, even in my gym. I must keep training because this is just a road stop. I have more to learn and more to lift.

Consistency goes a long ways

Update: Tough Mudder

2011-06-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Its been 9 weeks of training, I'm in phase 3 of my tough mudder training and I think it's progressing very well.

I am up to running 50minutes on Tuesday and Thursdays. I still lift lower body on Mondays with 20minutes HIIT. On Wednesdays I get the upper body in and a easy 10-20minute jog. Fridays I do a full body lift and some more HIIT. Saturdays I am up to 6 miles and that will keep building.

Todays lift: Deadlifts 3x5 @ 264 (light but little rest)felt great and a good segway into getting back into things. BUT follow that up with 95# front squats, ass to grass, for 3x10 plus 3x8 bwt lunges and what do you get...?

Nic rolling around on the ground due to multiple leg cramps as soon as I stepped into my first lunge on my 3rd set. So cx that last set and rolled out for a little bit, came into the office and re-hydrated, and finished with a brief HIIT set that consisted of heavy bag slams, evil wheel abs, and tire hits---than a 15-20 minute jog around the neighborhood.

I definitely have seen a huge improvement in my overall work capacity - which is great - and to be expected. These last two weeks I have really been noticing it. My ability to just keep moving and internally pushing myself has been growing. The long distance runs have been getting easier while getting harder - once I get about a mile in I can actually keep a good clip for about 2-3miles after but then I peter out. In about 3-5minutes I recover and am able to kick it into gear again and run the rest of the route.

I am really enjoying this training cycle but it is taking a toll and I am looking forward to a little more strength based lifting after the challenge...July 23rd in case you forgot.

Better Late than Never

2011-05-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Below is a video I promised from a long time ago. When I first started my tough mudder training and was beginning my running program I randomly maxed out on power cleans. The result was dropping 264 but getting it to the rack position - enjoy my failure

Blue October Pics

2011-05-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

Phase 2 and Blue October

2011-05-16T08:22:00.001-07:00

Phase 2 of my Tough Mudder training goes a little like this:

Mondays-Zercher Deadlifts + 20 Min conditioning circuit
Tuesdays-40 minute run
Wednesdays-FAT Bar Bench + 20 minute run
Thursdays-40 minute run
Fridays-Stone lift + 20 min conditioning circuit
Saturday-Long distance run

Zercher deads are considerably hard and awkward. I thought I'd be able to do a lot more weight than I have done in the last two weeks. Although the weight is close to the lifters COM the lifters hip height needs to be low in order to get into position. This position, along with the bar placement, make the lift difficult. I am using the Zercher deadlift, with a fat bar, to help develop grip strength, pulling strength, and "functional" (I hate using that word here) strength. When moving anything in life your not going to be able to get into a perfect deadlifting position, the Zercher, along with the Atlas Stones, has a little carry over into that world. Now, just because you train in unorthodox positions doesn't mean your any less susceptible towards injury. When you change an angle of lift you change the way a muscles effected. Fat Bars to Texas bars: stones to trap bar: 4in. lift to a 2in lift or different heights in a rack are all different exercises and are going to work the grip or posterior chain in different ways: more erector/low back less hamstring more hamstring more glute less glute some lat.activation and trap or none...So in point the Zercher changes the angles, provides a more challenging obstacle, and takes a lifter out of an ideal ROM - same thing with Stones.

40 minutes are getting very easy - I am pushing 3.5+mi in 40minutes and now that the weather is getting better I am definitely loving running again.

Upper Body days are going well, I hit 250 for a solid single on the fat bar plus 230 for 3. My overall strength is definitely diminishing but considering the fact I am running 4 days a week plus doing a lot more conditioning I dont think its been to huge of a loss. This is where I need to really keep up on my nutrition and supplementation. Its really hard on a budget but whats harder is the discipline. I am constantly having to re-focus myself.

Strongman days suck - I've been doing stones for the last two weeks and I hate it. It just pisses me off. ...Now I hate it for two reasons - 1.Its just hard 2.I end up whining about how much I hate it, which only makes me hate it more. All I can do is suck it up and keep trying to get better at it.

Long distance runs - not so bad. As long as I warm up properly the long distance runs are easy but recently I totally have been preoccupied with something else and randomly decided that I need to go run...therefore I put my shoes on and took off-bad idea for the first 1.5miles. Otherwise, I think the runs are going well.

Overall Phase 2 is rapidly closing and I think its gone well but I re-assess in 2 weeks so we'll see what that says.

Blue October came to the Pabst Theater on May 5th. They are currently on tour called Ugly Side-An acoustic evening with Blue October. I've seen these guys about 5-7x and this was THE best show I had ever seen. The music sounded awesome, we had great seats for the price and time we got to the event, and the vocals were studio quality. It was really an awesome experience and the Pabst theater is a sick venue. The best part wasn't even the show - it was the hour after the show were we were able to get Hillary's ticket signed by Ryan (the violinist), Matt (the bassist), and Justin (the lead signer.) On top of those signatures Ryan saw and signed my recent tattoos and was very impressed by them. Justin also saw my tattoos .... signed them AND THEN TOOK HIS OWN PICTURE OF THEM! That's right! I had a band member take a picture of me - as he took his pictures of my tattoos he said, and I quote, "this is the type of thing that would be cool to have in the next album."

Whaaaaa?

I'd like to think I gave my best poker face at the time but inside was jumping up and down after hearing that so I do not know what my actual reaction was...all I can say is I will be lined up at the door to buy the next album!

I will get those pictures up asap...but will leave you with a Blue October Video

Tough Mudder 2011: Wisconsin

2011-05-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Tough Mudder Wisconsin is the next B.A. event I am training for. For those of you unaware of said event here is brief description:

H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Mission Accepted.

I typically describe it as a adventure race. The Wisconsin event is a 10 mile course through Devils Head Ski Resort. Along the route are 20 obstacles to overcome. These road blocks consist of natural hills ( its is a ski resort ), muddy slick hills, low wire forcing you to crawl through the mud, greased monkey bars over freezing water, fire you have to run through, electrical fields you have to run though ( no joke ), and lastly a surprise obstacle they don't release until the day of. Oh yeah, our (Wis.) race in July - so its going to be hot! Muy caliente!

When contemplating to do this I was thinking of exactly how to train for it... the race itself requires strength, power, aerobic capacity, and lots and lots of fortitude of all kinds - testicular...mental...

So - I am doing it all in hopes of not burning out to soon

3 (4) week phases

Phase 1
3x wk -lift
3x wk - run
1x wk - rest

Mon, Wed, and Fri - Lift
Mondays are lower body, Wednesdays are upper body, and Fridays are full body. On Mondays and Wednesdays I am using a modified 5/3/1 template for front squat and incline bench. My core lift on Fridays are going to be of strongman nature and I started with Farmers Walks. For 3 weeks I kept the total distance the same but each week increased the weight per hand. I actually ended up walking 230 per hand for 20yds. Not bad for me seeing that I use to train with a buddy in La Crosse and I had to do timed holds with 200 a hand, I could barely walk with that then. Thanks Lance ;)

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I would run for 30min on the treadmill about approx. 5.0-5.5mph. I was getting anywhere from 2.5-3.0miles. The reason for running on a treadmill was weather related as well as postural. The last time I tried to start running I was running on the side of country roads that were banked. Not so good on the outside leg due to the uneven ground. So I developed my base on a flat controlled surface. For those of you that are still reading this your probably saying to yourself that's only 2x per week and you said 3x earlier. That's because on Saturdays I would run outside back at home. On Saturdays I am doing a distance run. For the 1st phase I have just been doing 3 miles. Now that I am in phase 2 I will bump of the mileage every other week. (4,5,6,7; phase 3 8,9,10,5; competition)

So far phase 1 has been successful. I have not burned out after 4 weeks. I still feel my strength has diminished to much and the most improved are my lungs. One definite draw back is that my body comp sucks even with improved nutritional habits (but not ideal). I need to be more consistent...ps I totally just ate 6pc of pizza a client brought it. Running is becoming a lot easier and it doesn't hurt AH much. Now that I am into phase 2 my times are increasing in my weekly runs, my distance on the weekends are increasing, plus on my lifting days I also have some extra HIIT and shorter steady state (10-20min).

I will take the time graph it out a little better in the upcoming posts but that is it for now. An updated graph and more info on phase 2 to follow. plus some video from phase 1.

Lift smart Lift strong

Whats new....

2011-05-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

A very quick post for a very special friend...MANDO WILFURZUR

What to expect from liftsmart-liftstrong in the coming weeks.

1.updates on training - awesome event coming up
incl. video, pic, nutrition, cardio program, and lifting program

2.updates on current topics of training philosophy that i am currently interested in
incl. info on anatomy trains, Olympic lifting, and blog info that i read

3.update of social occurrences - visited Orlando, moving to a new apt

these are all things you have to look forward to! sorry its been so long

One last time...for now

2011-02-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Since my last post I've had 4 training days. My week started out with deadlifting which I previously discussed. After that Monday, I had a upper body rep-day, a lower body speed day, and finished with a max effort upper body. The latter is the day in which I will debrief you all on...

This was last Friday, my training called for some benching in my shirt. Typically I have been working up to a RAW max and then going into my shirt work. I warmed-up to 285# and it completely buried me. I was pretty disappointed that I had nothing to give. Way to soon, I think I was just getting Max effort happy. I shouldn't have even tried it and I think the next thing I'm changing for my next cycle is where I work my max effort days into my program. I've placed them in the beginning of my last two cycles to get a number for the following training. I know I will be pretty honed-in on my numbers for whatever I do next, so I am sure that will be one change up from this cycle to the next.

After my abmissmal raw lifting I hit a new PR in my shirt. I worked into the shirt with a couple of lighter singles and double and then made some slow jumps up...whamo ...5# PR(lesson learned from previous training!)

New Shirt Max - 350lbs

I worked in 48 total pull-ups afterwards and thing some Kroc Rows and Face Pulls.

The added volume on my heavier days has really been a blessing. I was periodically getting ridiculous pain in my AC Joints + the lateral line of my upper arm (between Bi/Tri). I would do tons of soft tissue work and stretching to alviate the pain but now I add in some extra assistance and 5 weeks in pain free!

I've been going pretty hard latley and have been doing pretty well. This week is the first week of percentage training and its going pretty good so far. My day 1 was a lower body day where I pulled sumo again. Everything felt good except my warm-up single at 375. My actual working sets were strong but I was getting some hip pain that went away after my first 4 sets. I think I need to get back UNDER the bar and not OVER it. It will be good to squat Thursday and Monday.

Deadlifting

2011-02-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Today I came to the club with a little surprise. I assumed I would be starting my first week of squatting heavy but I was pleasantly surprised that I still had one more week of testing - Conventional DL Max effort.

Which also means I have one more max out session on upper body - SHIRT MAX - vera naaice!

Today went something like this...

132x10 398x1
198x8 418x1 PR - felt smooth
264x5 428x1 Miss - picked it up....and put it right back down
309x3
352x1

I PR'd at 418 and it felt great. It didn't FEEL heavy - my speed felt good and my lockout felt strong - I think I just need to keep smashing weight in order to get stronger.

One additional surprise is that my max out sumo-pulls was pretty much the same. I don't know how to interpret these results. I don't see it as a bad thing, good thing, just an odd thing. I thought for sure my sumo would have been stronger.

My goal for the end of this phase is going to be a lockout with 428. Like I mentioned, I got if off the floor. "So, I got that going for me."

One last tid-bit. I have recently been exposed to the documentary Food Inc., Food Matters, and The Beautiful Truth. I highly recommend these documentaries in hopes they inspire you as they did me. Besides all the little factoids and anecdotal proof/testimonials which absolutely blew me away. Watching these documentaries have shed a little light onto my perspective of the pursuit of knowledge. After viewing these peoples opinions on the topics they discuss I wouldn't say I am would just drop everything and "drink the juice." But there are it helped me see that there is so much more the world can offer us, how much we take things for granted, and that there is so much more hope for everyone if people just took the time to educate themselves. All three documentaries just had a huge underlying theme, laziness. Whether it is diet/nutrition or other forms of medicine (topics covered by these films)we just accept one's professional opinion as the end all be all truth. I say, watch the films, read up on the materials covered, investigate, seek answers on all ends. Then form your opinions.

The word of the day: Self-educate

Wake - up World, Stop be lazy, investigate, learn, analyze & assess, ... take action

If I can quote a movie(pretty much the opposite of these above mentioned documentaries) National Lampoons Van Wilder.

"Apathy is the glove in which evil slips its hand into. -- Write that down."

Continuing to smash weight

2011-01-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

The new training phase has been going pretty well. I'm liking the splits, what I am getting done, the overall length of each training day isn't ridiculous. Things are going well. I'm still early in the progression but so far I have started out with a DL PR, a bench PR, and most recently I tied my front squat PR. I might have been able to break it but I was to anxious to hit 300#. I attempted it twice and hit the bottom both times... FAIL

BUT

Lesson learned. Even though both attempts felt good going down with the weight and I came out of the hole fast the first time I should have been more patient. I singled 275# pretty easily, tying my max, and jumped to 300. I should have tried to hit something around 285#. I would most likely be writing a different story had I done that...lesson learned. Be patient. Be smart with choosing your next attempt. Good things come in time. So next time I work up my front squat, or any lift, I'll be sure to heed that advice and hopefully I'll crush an old max weight and push a PR.

Lifting smart really does equal lifting strong

WEEK 2 DAY 1
Front Squat 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x200, 235x1, 275x1, 300xFail, 300xFail

45 degree back ext 3x10 60# + straight bar sit-ups 3x15 50#

Prowler 90# x 40yds X6

Day 1 Day 2 of new cycle

2011-01-18T13:55:00.001-08:00

Day 1 will almost always be my max effort lower body days -- that way I get the job done right off the bat. I started out with a max effort sumo pull. After some warm-ups and activation I started my pulls.

154x10
198x8
264x5
308x3
331x1
352x1
384x1
419x1 Raw PR
462xmiss- completely stapled to the floor

My assistance for that day was 3x10 GHR w/25# + some core work

To keep my work capacity up I am going to finish all my lower body days with Prowler pushes.

90# X 6

Tuesday

Upper body conditioning day/rep day

Same warm-up
3 cycles with 3 exercises per cycle 3 sets per exercise different reps
This was a great workout-I'll go into it a little more next time but it was hard, challenging, changing, and I felt great...still feel great afterwards. The push-ups were alittle humbling though.

2 days into the new cycle (12weeks) and I'm pretty much loving it. I am excited about my next two training days and even more excited about the next 2 weeks and the next 10 weeks after that. We'll see how it all goes, I've made some changes to this program from my lessons learned in the previous one --- and this new one has some difference than the last one.

Word of the day: excited

Previous Training Cycle

2011-01-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

Okay -- So, I spent the last the last 10 weeks training 4 times a week. Mondays was a max effort upper body lift + variations of pull-ups. I always kept the total tonnage higher on the pulls than on the pressing, which led to doing quite a bit of pull/chin-ups. I mixed the grip on the pull/chin-ups in order to break the monotony and utilize different grips/different muscles etc. One thing I really liked about this is that I definitely got my absolute back-side strength higher than ever. I think my max was about 7 sets of 2 reps at 35-45#. It also helped keep my shoulders healthy, for the most part.

I was experiencing some AC pain but I tracked it down to my 5's weeks. I kept changing my press each week in order to keep lifting heavy, but every week I would do heavy sets of 5 reps I would experience pain for 3-4 days later. Most of my working sets were in the 70-77% range of my max. If I worked sets of 3's in the 80+% I would not get the pain, so I'm leaning to that fact that volume was just to high for that training weight. In my next training cycle I am going to do a lot more triples.

My second body day was more upper body work, but instead of horizontal pressing it was a variation of vertical presses - MP, DB MP, Jerk. This was also the time I did my assistance work on this day. I did some variation of db pulls, some shoulder work, and then tri's. I definitely liked this set-up. It helped keep my time down per workout and still allowed me to get the necessary training in. I am going to keep this set-up in the next training cycle. Except this time I am going to add a little more pulling on my max effort day and my second upper body day is going to be more upper body circuits in order to keep my work capacity up, still target the backside, and help somewhat with body comp.

.... As far as the upper body training goes I think I was able to learn a few things about myself, so I am gunna stick with what works, and change what needs changing...I'll report back in a few weeks.

Did I run today....response to Fbook

2011-01-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Nope. Was actually planning on it, but I did not have time due to some important work. I have had some good success with the first 2 weeks of my new program but I have missed my fourth workout every week, lower body conditioning day 2.

That is all I really would like to say for now.

And again... its been awhile!

2010-12-14T12:24:00.001-08:00

Its been since August since my last post...therefore my motivation, demonstration, etc has not been the best.

So, here is my plan: I am finishing up my 10 week cycle and once its completely over I will summarize my successes and setbacks. Then I will divulge what I plan to do next and I will update that as I go.

So with that said - here's looking to the future!

Train hard

Ouch!

2010-08-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Family Guy Classics

2010-08-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Brian:Do you want some ice cream?
Stewie:(crying)ah-uh
Brian:Do you want some McDonalds?
Stewie:(crying)ah-uh
Brian: Do you want to go take a dump in Mother Maggie's Shoes?
Stewie: (crying)uh-huh
Brian: Okay, let's go take a dump in Mother Maggie's Shoes.

Last night around 8:30pm I got the urge...the urge to crush weight & fix my shoulders. So, that's exactly what I did. Introducing....Waukesha Barbell!

The apartment complex I recently moved into has a small weight room in the bottom of the club house. Upon entering I was slightly surprised to see a squat rack! Niceeeeee. And more weight than just 10# plates. And whats in the corner...dumbbells up to 80# - score!

I flipped on the two tvs they have down there, one to family guy and one to football. It was pretty much the second greatest thing ever - crushing weight - family guy - and football. God Bless America.

I had two goals for my workout A.Get some work done B.Alleviate the pain in my shoulders. Here's how I accomplished those two things...

A.
Deep Knee Bends 3x10 @ 135
pair w/
RDLs 3x10 @ 135
pair w/
mixed grip pull-ups 3x5

Lat.Pull-down AMAP @ 150, 130, 110
pair w/
Straight Row AMAP @ 150, 130, 110

Leg Curl 3x15 @ 100
Leg Extension 3x10 @ 100

Triceps Ext 2x15 @ 35,50
pair w/
Overhead Tri Ext 2x15 @ 35, 50

YTW's 3x10 @ 2.5
pair w/
Oblique Bends 3x12 @ 65

This took me exactly an hour, and after seeing it written down it looks like a lot more than it actually felt. And yes, you did read it all correctly... I busted out some Lat pull downs and leg extensions! And you know what, I loved it! Every second.

That checked off goal A.

At the same time it checked off goal B, here's why.

Most of my pain was at the AC Joint (Acromimonclavicular) and was most likely caused by the pressing work I did on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. (Heavy bench Tuesday night/high rep dumbbell bench Wednesday). The pain was similar to intense tendinitis. I spent a better half of the day rolling out my shoulder with various types of balls - lacrosse, softball, physio... That allows any inflammation to subside because your literally flushing the tissue out as well as promoting blood flow to the injured area bring in nutrients to the muscles and surrounding tissues, as well as creating length in the tissue by breaking up any adhesions/knots.

Then in the workout - hopefully you noticed - there was no pressing but a lot of pulling. The intention was to activate the musculature to open of the shoulder joint. By working the lats, rhomboids, traps, and the stabilizing muscle of the scapulae, and working some thoracic mobility, you can improve the position of the scapulae to reduce tension/impingement of the biceps tendon, pec.minor, etc. on the front side. Results = Friday morning no more shoulder pain! Success!

Keep ya' head up

2010-08-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

So - I have been pretty busy. With my responsibilities at work and my personality type I have been putting my workouts on hold. Today I squeezed one after work but with little preparation and planning.

Warm-up
SMR/GBM

Sumo Deadlift 154x5 198x5 264x5 309x5
pair w/
Chin-ups 4x5

Bench Press 135x5 175x5 200x5 215x5 230x5

Chest Supported Rows 80x10 80x10 80x12
pair w/
Reverse Hypers 12x10 12x10 12x10

Double Leg V-ups 3x10

All in all I'm glad to get a good full workout in. I'm looking to do some more legs - some single leg variations - and some upper body assistance tomorrow.

That's all for now, extremely distracted by River Monsters: Unhooked on Animal Planet

Farts!

2010-08-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

today was day uno of my uno's - day 1 of singles in my main lifts. Power cleans and benching was the topic of the day and one went well and one went hilariously aweful.

As previously posted I warmed up properly first starting with some smr on the foam roller and then led into some hip/t-spine mobility. I stretched a little bit and did some p.chain/glute activation and began with some light warm-up sets on power cleans.

complexes x 2 154 x 3 198 x 1 218 x 1 230 x 1
p.clean 5x1 @ 242 (95%)
set 1 - miss
set 2 - good
set 3 - good
set 4 - miss
set 5 - miss
extra set 6 - m...i...s...s
extra set 7 - MISS! Hopefully with troys help I'll load the video

Here is why I take these many many misses light heartedly. A. I successfully completed the task, twice. B. I left it all on the table - so I have no regrets. As the video will hopefully show I fought my last rep for a good 3.5-4 seconds. The pull was decent, catch was okay, I just couldn't muster it up. I was mad that I wasn't getting my 4th and 5th and 6th attempt but once I dropped my 7th set I wasn't mad at all. I laughed. I fought it, and this week, it won. Until another Mr.Red-Blue, we shall meet again!

Bench was great. 255 for 5x1.

All my sets felt good, controlled, good pause at the bottom, fast on the way up, no sticking points. Bench is feeling strong right now...said that its 10# heavier than my power clean but it just means I need to focus and I know where I need to build my strengths in - while continuing to build my bench.

Just watch Fight Club...dang broke the first and second rule - I'm out.

What? Why? ... That's just plain stupid

2010-08-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

I got up on Saturday morning a little later than I had expected to but I think it was well deserved and needed rest. Either way, I got up and went to the gym with the expectation of working out, getting some work-work done, and also getting my most recent Advocare delivery which contained some fruit punch & pink lemonade Spark.

I arrived at the facility at 9am, turned the lights on, the music on, and checked my e-mail. Did some e-mailing and worked some things out and after about 40 minutes decided to get going on my lift. After a brief warm-up I started out with MP.

MP: 135 for 5x3 with wrist wraps

This was difficult for me, I think I might have over estimated my actual max. I have a rough estimate of where my squat total is at as well as my bench so determining the weights I've been working with for those two lifts has been easy. It has been ahWHHile since I've done any OH pressing - so I ball-parked my max. Bad choice. Last week 120 for 5x5 (75%) was do-able. This week called for 5x3 at 85%, 135. Like I said I made it through but not very "do-able." Difficult-able. After that I did some upper body accessories work with some light p.chain...dizz-ang...I forgot to mention on Friday I put up a big number for me, 405x10 pin rdl with no straps. That was a big lift for me. I was pretty jacked about that.

I am looking forward to this weeks lifts. It'll be the first time doing single work with my rep scheme. I have a feeling power cleans are going to be atrocicious. The key to successful attempts are going to be a proper general warm-up and good warm-up sets.

It is time for a walk with my beautiful wife on this beautiful day!

Mugot

2010-08-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

One word to describe today. Mugot. Muggy + Hot = Mugot. The gym wasn't horrible, it's been warmer but today was a pretty sweaty day. It probably took most athletes 2 drills in the agility ladders to start sweating.

My workouts have been...different... this past week. Things have been busy. It's my job to organize our Baseball Off-Season Rental and that is time consuming and I am also organizing our Jr. Admirals Off-Ice Programs. So my hands are full and my time is short.

Here's how its going this week...
Monday - Bench 235x3 X5 Fat Bar Pull-ups 6x5
Tuesday - P.Clean 218x3 X5 w/upper body assistance
Wednesday - Blk. Snatch 4,3,3,2,2 finished w/145# - Bk.Squat 310x3 X5
Thursday - Off - Swam in the pool!
Friday - will be Lower Body Assistance
Saturday - will be full body & will probably crush the legs

So this looks like a lot but its worked out nice for me because it hasn't been to much at one time. My body feels good - its not terribly sore - I'm sleeping well (due to my Part B of my new general goals) and overall I feel good going into my workouts and I'm excited to get them in and although not getting everything in at one time spacing it out has helped me still feel like I'm getting stuff done. I don't mind this. Once I'm done with this cycle, I might consider modifying the splits and coming up with something similar to this but with different rep schemes and splits. That way it'll allow me to get more work done but still get my necessary lifting done.

That is all for today.

A lot has happened

2010-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

Its been about a week and a half since my last blog and tons of blog worthy things have happened since then.

I've managed to get back to my zone and get my workouts in. I've also come to really like my rep/set scheme that I've been playing with. I have also discovered that I don't need to get all of my workout done at one time - if I have an hour here or half hour there I can get some of it done in chunks. Now, that might not be the best but at least its time under the bar.

Other things blog worthy would be the fact that we are getting swamped with athletes plus outside projects are really picking up - baseball rental & hockey camps start soon. Both of which I have a big responsibility in and are getting busier by the day.

I am still working on my Advocare business - I'm still taking their products and still love what they are doing for me. Once I have a free minute I will post some more info about specific products.

I've had my calf picked by Jake to try and help my knee problem...it was the most self-inflicted pain I have ever felt. More about that later.

State fair. Vechart Cottage Weekend. 89th Street Annual Reunion Bash. Family Birthdays. Lake House Get-together. West Allis Barbell Training.

Its been a full few days after reflecting on it briefly... and the summer still isn't over.

More birthday parties, one more wedding, tons more weight to be crushed, and more stories to tell all for another time.

Words of the past week have been

Time Management & Go to bed at a reasonable time. These 2 things can help you accomplish so much!

The zone came and went....

2010-08-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

Finished weeks 7-9 and have been struggling to get weeks 10-12 going. I got 2 out of 3 workouts in during week 10, so I am not that thrilled with myself. So I need to buckle down and get back in...

I don't even remember what I did for my upper body day...sad...but I will share my lower body workout.

Blk.Snatch and Back Squat

Sn.5x4 & Squat max w/suit

Snatch went well, especially when Jake failed the first time at trying to single arm blk snatch the weight i was finishing with ( he got it the 2nd). Speed felt decent but form felt good. Pulls felt strong, hip height was low, catches had decent lock-outs. Those were decent.

Squats ... back story ... competed this past march in iowa in a powerlifting meet. My squat felt pretty bad going into the competition and my final attempt was either 440 or 452, which I got. (Glad I got it then, but disapointing knowing I've gotten 515)... So I'm warming up on my squat sets on Friday and just feel like gettin'after it. I warm up grab my suit get it on and walk out to see where the damage is.

Because I haven't BACK squatted since late March!

135x5, 225x3, 315x1, SUIT, 405x1 - smoked it up, 455x1 - form/depth solid and already heavier than what I did at the meet, 475x1 - depth below parallel, speed up okay, Jake added a touch of spotting, and muscled the rest of it up! Sooooo....25-35lbs heavier back squat in 3 months after never using gear in those 3 months or never back squatting during that time. I'll take that.

Even after that, I still feel angry that I have found other things and made excuses to miss some workouts. Speaking of...

Not now chief I'm in the F'in zone...

2010-07-20T17:31:00.001-07:00

I don't lift weights ... I smash'em! Booya

Yesterday and today I killed it - even more so yesterday!
Last week got a little crazy, and by crazy I mean I managed my time poorly. I made the effort to get 1 workout in, which means, if you've been following my blog I have fallen short of my goal of 3 workouts in every week no matter what. I think I got something like 6 weeks in, but that doesn't sound right, and if it is... time flys! Last week I was suppose to finish up my week 7-9 progression. So yesterday and today I finished week 9 and I'm just going to roll out and recover the rest of this week. I will start week 10-12 next week.

So Monday - P.Clean & 2-Board Bench

Cleans went like this 5,3,1,5x1
154, 198, 230, 245, 255 miss, 255 miss, 255 miss, 255 .... MISS

It felt a little slow off the floor but I thought my second pulls felt strong. It took me a couple of attempts to get the guts to just commit and go for it. My last 2 pulls I racked the bar but just couldn't muster it up - it wasn't even a battle up. I'd rack it and it'd bounce off my shoulders and I'd dump it. I was getting pissed but kept my cool and saved my energy for my 2-boards... which I unloaded on!

2-Board went like this 5,3,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
135, 185, 225, all touching, then board, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275, 285, 300 - something like that. 300 is probably close to, if not, the most weight I've had on the bar without gear. And I hit it for a double.

Today I had a lot of the same momentum throughout the workout.

Blk. Cleans & Front Squats

Blk. Cleans went 3,3,3,2,2
154, 174, 198, 208, 213

Pretty happy about how those went as well, I was told my hips weren't fast...idk, that's all I had.

Front Squats went 7x1 at 90%
5x1 at 250, 1x1 at 255 1x1 at 265

I bumped it up for my last two sets because 250 was feeling so good, as good as front squats can feel. So, as I explained before I've been utilizing my variation of %lifts in my fronts squats for the last 3 weeks and I've had a lot of success. 5x5 were at 75%, 6x4 were at 80%, and 7x1 were suppose to be at 90% but as I mentioned they were feeling good so my last two sets I bumped it up to 95% and then 97%.

Now, when I tested my max at 275 for a struggling single that was with a belt... these last 2 weeks, no belt! 250 for 5x1, no belt, 255x1 no belt, and 265x1 no belt and I seriously think I could have at least doubled it with a possible triple. A triple might have been sloppy but my speed coming up was fast, elbows were up, and stomach was not caving a whole lot.

I destroyed some of my auxiliary lifts too - Swiss ball timed bench ( after benching yesterday) I repped out 34 reps with 50#s in 30 seconds, 24 in my second set, and 21 in my third and my Single arm rows I busted out the 110#s for 2x15, and the 115 for 1x15.

I'm sounding pretty arrogant right now - sorry - but I'm excited - my training is going great and I am slowly working on the diet. I just a got a meal plan from one of our interns. I've glanced at it and it seems very realistic but I have not put forth the effort just yet, once I go grocery shopping I'll dive into it.

My point: consistency is key. If your dedicated and if your spending time under the bar and working to the best of your ability - your hard work will reap results.

...chew on this...

Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.
Wayne Gretzky

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.
Wayne Gretzky

Thank you Wayne for these wise words

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Real Quick - Tomorrow's workout

Blk Snatch, Box Squats, RDLs, Lunges, Shrugs, and YTWs

Box Squats will be around 275-315 - gunna suck!

Mass amounts of caffiene will be consumed prior.

Oh... to be pasty

2010-07-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

I volunteered to help out at Grand Re-opening of this chiropractic clinic out in Pewaukee on Saturday. I was to man a booth representing NX Level and answer any questions concerning our training protocol.

I volunteered for this opportunity and I assumed it would be inside... I was wrong.

You know how they say the sun is at its hottest between 11am and 2pm. Well, I was outside, on the blacktop, no shade, no sun block because I didn't know it was outside, and it was between 10:30am and 2pm. Oh yeah....I'm pretty pasty to begin with so I just soaked it up! Loved it! My skin was asking for more.

I'll sum it up as this --> It hurts to turn my neck, flex my wrists, and put my hands in my pockets.

I don't regret it, I just wish someone would have told me it was outside! It was a good opportunity for NX Level to get our name to other like-minded companies promoting a holistic approach to health and we might get some Pewaukee fire fighters to sign up, thanks to Mary, one of our great office managers.

I am glad it happened earlier in the day cause that's allowed me more time to heal. I've never applied this much aloe over the course of 48 hours.

As far as training goes - it will be put on hold until the end of the week, maybe Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, because I'm a big baby and don't want to workout with sun burn it just plain hurts. But I'm admitting it-so back off! I'll get the work done, it'll just be Th-Sat.

Started reading Touch For Health by John Thie DC, and Matthew Thie M.Ed. Its a book on the holistic approach to overall health and healing using acupressure touch. I'm approx.50pgs in and some of the balancing process stuff seems just hilarious but it's been around for 1,000+ years so there has to be some anecdotal proof because its lasted the test of time. I'll keep reading. Learning and try to explain in one of these posts. I'm also hopefully getting Optimal Shoulder Health by Cressey and Building the Effiecient Athlete, so once I work on that - I'll let all 6 of you know whats up! ha

Killed it - Got Killed

2010-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today was rough. Been running on little sleep all week, plus yesterday was a super early workout.

I've been killin it ... softly ... in regards to being consistant and getting my workouts in and doing them well. That's been great, but I've been getting killed these last two workouts.

Yesterday - Upper Body

P.Clean 5,3,1,3,3,3 worked up to 230 and just got blown up. Last week I smoked 220x5 this week 220x3 was like trying to push a semi truck, up hill, in the snow, into the wind, barefoot, while little babies watched and cried.
2-Board Bench 6x3 worked up to 280 and got completely stapled to the bench on my 6th set 3rd rep.

It wasn't a good workout - but - it was a workout.

Today - Full Body

Blk.Cl 4,3,3,2,2 worked up to 208. This went better.
Ft.Squat 6x3 83.5% of 1RM = 230 sets 1 - 4 went well. Set 5 my head was getting in the way telling me I wasn't going to be able to do it...my head won. I came down with the weight and immediately dropped it. I belted up and smoked the weight - shoulda just manned up. In order to remedy this defeat I jumped up the weight to 245 and killed it for 3, but with the belt.

I'd like to explain my rep scheme for my front squats and what I will be using for my back squats and bench during my next cycle.

Its a modification based off the 531 program. I thought about this after doing a few months of the 531 program and not feeling like I had a lot of time under the bar. Let me say this, I did have some success with the program but I always felt like logging more time squatting, deadlifting, and benching would have helped instead of the 3x5,3x3, and 3x1. So, I'm trying this out

5's start in the 70%, 3's are in the 80%, and 1's in the 90%.

5x5 @75%
6x5 @72.5%
7X5 @70%

5x3 @85%
6x3 @82.5%
7x3 @80%

5x1 @95%
6X1 @92.5%
7x1 @90%

Now, like 531 the program is going to work down the same way 5's, than 3's, than 1's. But the variability comes in the number of sets. It adds an element of individuality. If in your program your on week 1 - your doing 5's. If on that day your feeling really strong do 7 sets at 70%, if its the opposite get the 5 sets which just a touch heavier and get out. Week 2 - your doing 3's. Same thing applies. You know you have sets of 3's but according to how you feel you can control what you do. This way it takes into account, somewhat, of sleep levels, food intake, personal problems/worries, and it allows for a lot more work done under the bar - a lot of weight gets moved! Now I'm still playing with it, its not perfect, and I still have my 1's week left. But last week the 5's went great, this week the 3's sucked, next week the one's .... we'll find out make some tweaks and I'll get back to you.

For now, lift smart and lift strong.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-05T16:45:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

This is the weekend of the 4th and we are to celebrate our independence! USA USA USA! My wife and I honored our country's separation from the red coats by hanging out at our friend Jake's house. We bocced a little ball, tossed a little bag, and drank a little beer...some of us drank a lot more than others...some of us ended up puking in a parking lot, haha. We headed down to Summerfest to catch a few songs by the Counting Crows, ate some good food, and watched the fireworks. ---side note--- I was discussing the fireworks with my mom this afternoon and when I mentioned that I thought they sucked and that there was no grand finale she appeared to take it personally and got really defensive. ---Secondary side note--- my mom has nothing invested and is no way affiliated with the Summerfest fireworks, she just really loves fireworks!

Yesterday, the 4th, my wife and I went to Menomonee Falls to visit with her family. We had a great time. We got there and had some drinks, swam in their very nice in-ground pool, played some games with some cousins, ate good food, celebrated our uncle Pete's 50th birthday and we also got our pictures from our wedding! Our aunt, Anna and her daughter Brianna did such an awesome job! After spending the day with the family my in-laws came over to our new place to check our furnished apt.out. They seemed to really like it. When it’s all said and done, my 4th was spent with friends and family. I had a great time hanging out with both of them. Nothing like a holiday to help you appreciate those closest to you!

On to my workout - tried something a little different today - no music and low lights. The atmosphere was very quiet. Only me lifting - not much other noise. I liked it, and I felt just as strong as I do when I crank some Eminem.

Blk.Sn.-4,3,3,2,2 finished at 130#s
Box Sqts - 5x5 finished at 275#

I videoed my last two attempts during my snatch sets. I think they are looking pretty good. I feel that my set-up posture is solid and my pulls are feeling fast. My catches are coming along as well - It feels natural for me to sit back and drop my hips when catching instead of bending at the knees and falling forward. What I need to work on still is punching my head through and pulling the bar apart.

Box Squats went well. I started out with 225x5x2, than moved to 250x5x2, and finished at 275x5x1. Last week I did 3 sets of 225 and 2 sets of 250. I think next week I'll do 3-4 sets at 275 and 1-2 sets at 315. I taped myself from all different angles and I know my depth is fine because of the box. My initiation seems to be good and I know my arch is set because my back is light up during mid-sets. But I need more cueing to keep my knees out at all times and according to my back shots it appears I might shift just a little to the left when I come up outta the whole. That and my head position sucks! I have to enlist the scrutinizing eyes of Jake "the anti-starting from zero" Bodi. His ability to pick apart your movements and give you advice to fix what he sees is exemplary.

Consistancy...consistancy...consistancy

2010-07-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

3 workouts every week, no exceptions! Sick...busy...tired... doesn't matter - minimum of 3 per week! So far I'm 1 week in and finishing up on week 2. This week I started the next progression we use for training our athletes. Nothing but sore this whole week...brutally sore!

Day 1
Box Squat 5x5 - 225,225,225,225,250 - lets just say they weren't as easy as I thought it would be but my form has never felt better

RDLs - Rev. Lunge - Shrugs

I felt wiped-out after this workout and I was sore by the end of the day, mainly because I woke up at 4:55am to get this one in before I started training.

Later in the day and the last few days my everything is sore. My ribs are sore to the touch! Shoulders are sore, hips, hamstrings, quads, knees...anyways

Today was my upper body day and I expect to be pretty sore tomorrow like I was after my leg day.

Power Clean 5,3,1,3x5 - 198, 208,220x5
2-Board Bench 5x5 - 185,215,245,265,265

DB Bench - Fat Bar Pull-ups - Int.Rotation

Again, felt wiped-out but great at the same time. P.Cleans went well for not having done them in over 1 year, and my last set of bench felt very strong.

Tomorrow will be a different day - alittle bit of everything is on the table

I bid you ah-du

Mission Accomplished

2010-06-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

3/3 - and it was a good one !

Saturday morning I got up and went to the gym to get my 3rd workout in. I started out with some foam roller and activation type exercises to get going. Once I was warmed up I hit up the platform for some Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo-154x2, 198x2, 220x2, 264x2, 308x2, 354x2, 396x2, 416x2

I worked on some top-end speed, which would probably be humorous to most and I'm pretty sure that wast the first time I've intentionally run a 40 - some where around 5-6 seconds.

Killed the rest of the workout with 30 total reps of pull-ups, timed push-ups, reverse hypers, shoulder work.

I'll leave it at that for now.

Part 2 accomplished...

2010-06-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

I had a cancellation today and was able to get my lifting in at while at work.

Hg.Clean 3,3,2,2,2 - finished at 250# PR - last September my hang clean MAX was 220#
Bench 5x3 - finished at 255# - pretty darn happy with this as well

I had to hook grip my cleans today but they still felt fast and the catches were fairly quick my only problem with heavy cleans is that I tend move my feet out really wide in place of really dropping my hips under the bar. It does work for me - although I would like to work on that part of my technique.

I busted out the wrist wraps for my very last set of bench, more so as a confidence booster. My 4th set was 240# and that felt controlled but definitely pushing my 3RM so when I loaded the 255# there was the smallest hint of doubt lingering in the back of my mind...fixed by the wrist wraps - I think Jason had to give a little love tap to the bar so I could finish my 3rd rep. Count it!

I had some heavy sets of DB MP - 60#x4 - and during that I felt a nice subtle pop in my upper back between my left scapulae and my spine. That pop then turned into an all to familiar pinching sensation especially when I looked towards my left side and down at my feet. This is the second time this has happened, the fist being last week while hg.snatch. Something is definitely jacked up on my left shoulder girdle region. I've had our PT check it out and at first he said it was my 1st rib, which I think was diagnosed correctly but now the pain is lower - but I still think its ribs plus knotting and some pinching but all equalling excruciating! I'm going to see if one of out clients who is a chiropractor will help me out but I don't know whats going on...our PT said he would show me some mobilization techniques which I will try to pass on to any readers. This is setting me up for what I'd really like to talk about and that is shoulder pain and the role of the serratus anterior but I'm working early and actually tired so I will leave that topic for later in the week.

Final thoughts -

"I wanna be a billionaire, so fricken bad..."

My only response to this song is that I think everyone wouldn't mind being a billionaire - or at least have a little extra change in the pocket - but instead of lamenting the fact that your not a billionaire why don't you put your efforts into something that will help you accomplish your goals...with that being said that one song will probably earn him enough royalties to allow him to do whatever he wants. Good thing for me is I love doing what I'm doing and I love the pursuit of finding new ways to help athletes get better!

"I wanna be an effective strength coach, so fricken bad..."

First Mission Accomplished...

2010-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

As I posted earlier I have one goal this week - to get a minimum of 3 workouts in and I am 1/3rd of the way with that. Today I started week 6 day 1 of our athletic progression. My main lifts were Hg.Snatch 1x4, 2x3, 3x2 and Front Squat 5-3-1-1-1-1. I was quite happy with all my attempts on both exercises. In the snatch I worked up to an even 150# for my last set of 2. It definitely felt heavy but not impossible, and I was not hook gripping it. The biggest part of my attempts was remembering what Jake had said to me last week. He quickly explained that I was watching the bar after my pull and not trying to bring my head through and get under the bar quicker. I remembered this coaching cue and I believe it definitely helped me in my catch position of my last two sets, thanks Jake! (Its good to have him back - he's always watching - always looking to help and make others better!) Today's attempts on the squats went well too. 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 255x1, 275x1, 295x1. The 295 attempt was sloppy and with what I'm calling "alittle help" from Jake I managed to wrestle it up - its going down in the book as a PR! After my front squat I finished up with some back extensions, leg curls, shrugs, shoulder complex, loaded the guns, and then finished with abs.

Here's my insight for the day - I'm going to try and focus on developing the lower tva and bracing strength of the core in myself and especially in my athletes. A lot of what I've done myself or have made athletes do I am not happy with. I think a little more focus needs to be put on bracing - anti-extension/rotation - and lower tva to help with force absorption in change of direction and deceleration - weight room strength - and postural pelvic positioning.

It's late, again, I work early ... these are the last thoughts I leave you with

"Billy Idol gets it!"

1 week down and many more to go

2010-06-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have been officially married for one week! It has been great. We started off our marriage with some big purchases thanks to all of our generous friends and family. We were able to get a nice green love seat, a green and brown shag rug, and a sweet new tv. I don't want to come off as bragging or gloating about the cool things we now own, I'd rather have you see how generous and gracious the people that are in lives. We are very blessed for all the things we have and none of it would have been possible without the love from those of you who thought of us on our wedding day. Thanks you! Now...on to the training.

It has been rough. Its been purely inconsistency and motivation. These two things are very related too...a lack of motivation leads to inconsistency and inconsistency leads to a lack of motivation. It is truly a vicious circle.

As I have written before I am going through one of our athletic progressions. My first reason for doing this is so I didn't really have to think about what I was going to do next. My second reason is to learn what it feels like to be one of our athletes and feel how they feel and what they are feeling while we are coaching them through their workout. My third reason is to help analyze and critique, by going through the progression I can feel and know what works or what doesn't or what might be better.

So far I have worked through weeks 4 and 5, which has taken me more than 2 weeks (due to the inconsistency). This week is week 6 which ends this cycle. My goals for this week will be maxing out on front squats, bench, and sumo deadlifts. (Typically our athletes wouldn't be full out maxing) So...that's 3 workouts in 5 days totally do-able, I've done it before, I need to just suck it up and figure it out. So tomorrow morning will be front squatting, I'll be looking for something around the 275# mark. The same for my bench, which I think will be Tuesday or Wednesday. The sumo max I'm thinking should be just over 400. But I'm not sure...and we will find out! Until then.

t-minus 5 days

2010-06-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

This coming Saturday I will be getting married. I just had to put that out there.

My last post stated I was going to be doing an athletic progression, which I still plan on doing, and did for Thursday and Fridays workout.

Thursday I hg.cleaned 3x4,2x3 up to 190 and benched 5x5 up to 225 using a normal grip width for me. I also worked on some box jumps (39") acceleration sprints which wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

On Friday I did 3'' Snatch grip deadlifts 5x5 and worked up to 225ish. I did some lateral movement and finshed the workout with some lower body auxillary lifts like reverse hypers and hamstring curls. I thought my legs were going to be burning the next day but I was suprisingly fine.

On Monday I'm doing hg.snatch, front squat 5x5, and acceleration. I am looking forward to it - it'll be a good workout from a killer weekend.

Dropping the ball part 2

2010-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Its been forever and I don't have the greatest excuse - I could give reasons like I didn't have internet at home and I found it more important to find other things to help our gym out when I had down time then to blog about my lifts or what I was learning... but they are nothing but excuses for the fact that I didn't get the job done.

Here is the quick of it... I took 2nd in the NX Level Challenge. I lost 2-3lbs of fat mass in 8 weeks and gained 2.5lbs of Lean body mass in 8 weeks. Here is what I also accomplished during then...PR of 255lbs close grip bench with the possibility of a 260-265lbs attempt in the near future and a successful 275lbs front squat attempt with a 295lbs attempt easily in the future! My front squat strength was a big focus for me during this last 8 weeks and I definitely killed it on that. I don't think I ever made anything heavier than 225lbs on a front squat... ever... before this last training cycle and now I'm doing 250x3-4.

What I've decided recently is to go through more of an athletic phase to help overall speed and power development. I also want to go through our progression just to help get a better understanding of what our athletes are going through on a first hand experience. I think this is a useful tool as a trainer to do every now and then to get a better feel for what the athlete feels/thinks/hears/etc when they are working out. Even having the education and experience to coach someone else through a workout knowing the intricicies of it, it is important to really know what it feels likes to go through what your clients are doing.

My plan is to follow our program including everything it calls for including movment instruction. I will do everything the progression calls for plus the possibility of added sets and exercise.

4 days per week
12 week progression
Mobility
Activation
Tissue Quality
Olympic Lifting
Deceleration
Accelertaion
Lateral movement
Top End Speed
Multi-directional movement
Powerlifts
Accessory lifts

My diet is still under construction.

Welcome to the world of Tabata

2010-03-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today I did a full warm-up starting with the ladder, dynamic movement, and some ground based hip mobility. After I got warm and all activated-up I proceeded with whats called Tabata. Its conditioning work where you are working for 20 seconds and then off for 10 seconds for a total of 4 minutes or 8 rounds.

Tabata Hg. Snatch
rest
Tabata Front Squat to press ... I cheated a couple of times with the pressing because my chest is so sore from yesterdays workout.

Candlesticks on the ab board...followed with some rolling out and Done.

I wanna puke.

NX Level Challenge

2010-03-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Now that the PL Meet is over and I have my wedding coming up I have decided to go lean...not green! Lean. Real heavy training is over and its higher reps with some cardio-strength type training. I'm still going to lift heavy but no more gear! Hopefully this will help my joints, cause they were taking a beating.

So due to this ... it has led Troy and I into a fun challenge. Whoever can lose the most body fat without sacrificing muscle mass is going to win the NX Level biggest loser challenge. Its 8 weeks long and started to with taking our body fat percentages. I weighed in at 224.2 (ps I was just 218 on friday!) my skinfold pinches put me at 22% with 49.3 pounds of fat and 174.9 pounds of lean body mass. We are also taking before and after shots...great! The rules go as such... 1 point for every %of body fat dropped, -1 point for every pound of LBM lost...that way we need to keep up our muscle mass and do this right. The loser, aka Troy, will have to pay for wings and drinks at Hooters. Let the game begin. So far, today, I worked out pretty hard and ate really well. I am going home to dinner right now so that will be chicken, veggies, milk, and probably some grapes.

Troy is using a carb-cycling diet, where I am trying to just eat clean... you can read about all his g/lb and %of carbs, fats, and pro on his blog. Mine is a lot more simple - if you can kill it, grow it, pick it, pluck it, you probably shouldn't eat. I'm not concerned with servings/portions, percentages, g/pound or kg... just eat simple. No fried foods, limit sugar...if this sounds familiar is the Paleo Diet aka the Caveman diet. One thing I am not going to follow is Milk, I love it and I think its a big staple and should be a staple of a diet - esp chocolate. Protein, carbs, some fats taste great mixes with things well! Love it. Nuff said.

Thats the competition - Day 1 is a success! I'll try and give more updates and pictures and numbers for weigh ins and lifts and supplements I'm taking but I want to get outta here!

Iowa Midwest Champions Powerlifting Meet

2010-03-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, the last 15 weeks or so has been devoted to training for my 1st geared powerlifting meet. As you may know, Troy and I did a meet in December in Chicago but that was raw. This meet I was able to use my gear which typically adds about a 100 pounds to my squat and deadlift and about 60-80 pounds on my bench.

I based my training off Westside Barbell principles, utilizing the Max Effort Method and Dynamic Effort methods. I would train the DE bench on Mondays, ME squat on Tuesdays, Wednesdays rest, ME Bench on Thursdays, Fridays rest, and Saturdays DE Squat.

The 1st 8 weeks of training were going great and I was seeing PRs all the time. By week 9 I wasn't just plateauing I was just flat out losing strength. My shoulders where killing me from the overload due to the shirt work. Things just started falling apart. I took a week to deload/recover and when I came back my bench was starting to get better and my deadlift was killing it but my squat never recovered and I just wasn't going where I wanted to with that. My bench though was blowing up and my deadlift was consistant. Throughout my training I ended up PR'ing through everything. Before the downward spiral I ended up pulling 515lbs, squating 515, and benching 345. Towards the end of it all things where different.

A few weeks out and my squat was still not where I thought it'd be and my there were a few times where I missed key lockouts on my deadlift. To say the least I thought I was done. There were numerous days where I did not even see the point of training, where I just wanted to stop trying ... everyone was going to be stronger than me, it was a waste of time and money... excuses where flying. To be honest a few times I missed my workouts - i found other things that appeared to have more relavancy. That brings me to my ah-ha moment, my grass-is-always-greener...

Jake and Troy have always preached consistancy and they are both great examples of the word. Sick as dogs or busy as H ... Jake and Troy will still put their wrench in the weight room. Its not just being in the room that will do the job, you still have to bust hump but getting in there and getting it done is by far the most important thing I learned. You only let yourself down more quitting and then everything turns into a negative feedback cycle. Your not training so you numbers go down, your numbers go down so you don't want to train. Getting into the gym, lifting hard, being consistant...disciplined that is what gets you PRs at meets - not 40-50 pounds under your best lifts.

Now, am I statisfied with myself and my efforts, heck ya. I complained and moaned and cut-out on some workouts and didn't watch my nutrition as well as I should have. But there were times where I did just say to myself, "self, suck it up! You wanted this... your in it... now commit!" When it came to game time - I was there - learning as I went. I squatted 69 pounds under my best, benched 30 pounds under my best, and deadlifted 30 pounds under my best. Would I like to have PRed, yup, woulda loved it, did it happen no...will it happen for sure! I just have to go back with the type of training exemplified before me everyday...consistancy/discipline. Having it will pave your path lacking it will cast shadows and you'll be lost. I learned that lesson but I'm still proud of what I did. I choose the hard way, but I feel I learned from it and all in all I still did pretty good. Towards the end of training 445 burried me and I came up with 446 and i couldn't lock ou 484 in my deadlift but I smoked 485 at the meet. So I am happy.

Total meet results
Weighed in at 218 ... after a 6-8 pound weight cut

Squatted 409, 429, 446
Benched 315, miss 349, miss 349
Deadlift 409, 440, 485

Finished 1st place in UPA division wt class 220, 1 of 1.

2010-03-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Holy crap - i have failed everyone and anyone who has read my blog... my apologize for falling off the wagon but here i am back on. I'll give you all the skinny on the PL Comp. but right now i need to be concise.

Today - busted it up

Warm-up
Hg.Cleans 5x4 worked up to 198#
Close Grip Bench 531555+ finished at 205x8
Bench 5x10 at 135 + V-Grip pull ups 5x10 finished with Black/Purple band assistanct

Chest rows 3x15 w/35# + Red Band Pull Aparts 3x25
Face pulls 3x15 + Purple band pushdowns 3x25

Upper body is shot and still shaking...

I'll update tonight after work with the PL comp and the newest NX Level Challenege!

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke man I couldnt picture this

2010-02-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Purple Band Squat 215x5x2
Purple Band Deadlift 242x5x2
GHR 3x20
Bk.Ext. 3x8 @ 100#s
40yds Prowler @ 50#s

This workout felt great - the squats/dl were light due to recycling my percentages. The GHR was difficult by mid-third set and it definitely did its job, hamstrings = sore. I wasn't sure how sore I would feel in my back because its difficult to push weight on a back extension before I start to feel it mainly in my hamstrings. I think I'm getting to the point where GM's are going to be more beneficial. Prowlers were "sorta" easy but it certainly caught up with me after the 3rd push.

No fancy quote today - just go home and put some Notorious B.I.G. on

Getting Back On Track

2010-02-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Monday, Feb.22nd
NX Level Sports
Performance Facility
11:30-1:00pm

Dynamic Effort Upper Body Workout

Purple Band Bench Press
8x3 145lbs
2x5 170lbs

25lbs Pull-ups
4xamap 6(PR), 5, 4, 4,

DB Military Press
4x6 50-65lbs(PR)

Todays lift felt great in many ways. I went into the workout alittle tired but just kept pushing through and by the time I finshed half my bench pressing I was fine. All the benching felt good and especially my last set. Every rep on that set felt explosive and strong.

My first set of pull-ups was suprising. I managed 6 full reps with 25lbs - last year I was struggling to earn 1 rep. After finishing those out I decided to build up my DB presses alittle slower than the last time I had recorded them. Last time I worked the 50s, and then ended with 3 sets of 60s with help from my spotter. This week I managed the 50s, smoked the 60s, and locked out all 6 with the 65s so I was jacked about that.

It feels great to get back in the gym and get some good quality work done. I think the break I had was needed - I wish I would have gotten MORE activity done than just not lifintg at all but I feel fresh and ready to take these last 3 weeks to continue my progress and compete at the end of March. Bring it on!

Remember, sometimes/a lot of times progress can be hindered by over training. And training while sick is something I wouldn't recommend. It will not be the end of the world and you don't need to emotionally beat yourself up for missing some workouts. It is very important that as soon as your feeling better that you get back in the habit and keep working out and keep working hard. Consistancy and determination are necessary for success but even God rested!

Wow - dropped the ball

2010-02-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

Its been a week since I last blogged...that's awful! What's more awful is that this week turned into a disaster regarding working out. I trained once. Yep, you read it I said it...once!

Sunday/Monday I came down with a cold: sleep deprived, stuffy head, runny nose, aches, pains, cough & sore throat...insert violins here. I am not a big fan of working out while your sick - your body is already in overdrive trying to fight off whatever is making you sick and maintain daily function and I still went into work so adding to that the stresses of working out. That doesn't make sense to me. Plus, your creating an environment that bacteria/disease thrive in by raising your core temperature due to exercise. I'm pretty sure "flushing" your system out by squeezing in a workout while your sick doesn't work - but that's just my opinion.

With that said, I only worked out on Monday and I de-loaded so it was easy weight on everything...since then I have not lifted though. What I have done since then is finished one of my books. (I am doing well with my goal of reading more ... 2 1/2 books read with only 2 months in the year down) I read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. It was a who, what, why, and when book of the The Paleo Diet, more commonly known as The Caveman Diet.

For those of you that don't know the Paleo Diet is very simple - eat only what a paleolithic person had available to them...65 million years ago. huh?

First of all - whether you believe in evolution, creation, or a combination of the two or some other Matrix-y/Men In Black theory - Cavemen/Paleolithic people existed at some point the time doesn't matter 8,000 years ago or 800 million years ago they existed and they didn't have the processed foods that we do.

So the gist - Cavemen ate - meats, vegetables, fruits, and seeds and nuts. They ate from these 4 categories and they ate as much as they could from these. They ate until they were full and then they'd do it all over again. Some catches to this are...they ate leaner - game - meats and they were much more active than the average adult is now a days. They had to hunt their food, not drive to a store, they also had much more rigorous daily livings compared to SOME of us nowadays. They had to gather their fruits, nuts, and seeds plus gather sticks/stones/etc for building, hunting, and everything they did. There was no such thing as a finished product - they did everything themselves. But through exercise and active lifestyles or lifestyle changes we can adjust for that. So really it comes down to our nutrition not matching theirs. Hence the diet/lifestyle change.

Ground rules -
eat whatever you want as long as its a meat, vegetable, fruit, seed or nut
no fried/processed foods
no dairy ... try milking a wild animal - good luck ;) - also high in sat.fats
no/limit sugar ... I added "limit" because its just plain hard, do-able, but hard to not eat sugar - supposedly cavemen would only get sugar via honey
Limit alcohol/caffeine - Red wine/light beer encourage if consuming/keep caffeine to minimum

That's about it...the abundance of fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts (alkaline based)balance out the amounts of protein (acid based)your consuming limiting protein toxicity, the non-existent processed foods diminish free radicals, level out hormones like insulin, and greatly reduce ones chances of disease like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, multiple types of cancers plus much more. You increase your intake of good fats like mono-poly unsaturated (including omega 3/6) while decrease saturated fats/trans fats by taking out dairy, processed, deep fried, grease laden foods and focusing on lean meats/game meats for protein sources.

I'll add more to this topic once I can pull specific information from the book - plus I'll add a weekly meal plan and a few recipes I try.

I'm already starting to read Food, Inc. edited by Karl Weber. Its also DVD, but I thought I'd be the smart guy and actually read the book first. Its about the food industry and how poorly companies are regulated, managed, and run and how its effecting consumers health and making us sicker and the stockholders richer...at least that's what I think its about, I'm only on chapter 1.

People will read again! ~Thomas Tibbs (Vanilla Sky-a great movie btw)

The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. ~Bill Beattie

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~Sydney J. Harris

Saturday - Let's Get Hyped!

2010-02-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

This week is over and I can say I am glad ... two bad days of training, a lot due to motivation. Luckily for me I had time today, on Saturdays that usually not the case. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow will help rejuvenate me and get going into next week.

Today I managed a good focus during my DE Squats.

Hip Activation + Warm-up sets

Squats w/60lbs Chain
135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 225x2x10

RDLs
198x6, 220x6, 242x6x2
Rev.Hypers
4x10

This week has been hectic because we've had 2 trainers out for 1 or 2 days and that has put a SMALL damper on my motivation to get things done - my goals for the end of next week are to A.read 2 chapters in The Paleo Diet By Loren Cordain and give you all a summary and B. Get that info up about HIIT - both will be valuable!

Until then...

" The only limitations to your success will be those you accept and those you place upon yourself!"~ Michael Collier

2010-02-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

Max Effort Upper Body

2010-02-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Today will be quick because I've have 14 mintues to shower and eat and then train clients...

foam roll t-spine/hip activation
pec/lat stretch/calf stretch
warm-up sets
barx10, 95x10, 135x5, 185x3, 225x1,255x1, 275x0

Shirt sets
295x3, 315x3, 350x1(video), 370x0

Assistance
Purple Band Pushdowns 3x20
Chin-ups 3x10
Ft/Lat Raises 3x12

I'm working on putting together a blog about High Intensity Interval Training and some thoughts on getting into military ready shape. Expect that early next week!

All AdvoCare All the Time

2010-02-09T15:21:00.001-08:00

For all you current and future followers let me drop alittle knowledge bomb about AdvoCare.

What is it?
AdvoCare is a premier health and wellness company offering world-class energy, weight-loss, nutrition, and sports performance products. AdvoCare = Advocates who care. It is a direct sales company that pride themselves on providing everyone with the highest quality and effective products in the market.

Who is it?
AdvoCare is everyone. It is elite athlete, Drew Brees, it is every day weight lifter John Q. Taxpayer, it is on-the-go super mom, Sally A. Smith, and it is all in between. AdvoCare is me and it can be you as well!

Why should I take AdvoCare supplements and not any of the other billion brands out there?
Easy! AdvoCares attention to detail and level of responsibility simply outweighs any other companys across the market. All their products are designed from sound scientific and medical principles and are based on scientific knowledge together with current research and scholarly studies. All the ingredients are of the highest quality and the process is not only rigriously overseen by the R&D Dept of AdvoCare but also by the Scientific & Medical Board, which are all prestigous Ph.D/MD/Pharm.D in their respective fields. It is their job to make sure that AdvoCare's products are safe and effective...and they put their name on the line!

Also, with the INFORMED-CHOICE coalition you as a user of AdvoCare's product should know that its safe and free of banned substances. INFORMED-CHOICE has specialized anti-doping experience. Their WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)-experienced laboratory adheres to standards for sports supplements and has analyzed more samples for banned substances than any other lab in the world. The INFORMED-CHOICE program adheres to regulations set in place by WADA, and NCAA as well as professional sports organizations including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, ATP, WTA, LPGA, and NASCAR. INFORMED-CHOICE is an addition to the independent board of experts in medical nutrition, training and pharmacology. That's so you know its good!

Here are a few of my top products -

Spark - a fantastic source of energy, nutrition, and mental focus, 21
vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Sugar free. 45 calories. Available in pouches or canister. Cherry, Fruit Punch, Citrus, Grape, Orange.

Rehydrate Electrolyte Replacement Drink- replace lost water, minearls, and electrolytes from your workout. Rehydrate also has antioxidants, amino acids, and carbohydrates to promote optimal hydration and recovery. Citrus, Fruit Punch, Grape. Available in pouches or canister.

Herbal Cleanse- this will put your body in the position to appreciate all the ways your helping your body function better...better whole-food nutrition, better supplements, and exercise. 10 days. Helps remove toxins from your body...especially the ones that may contribute to weight gain. Peaches & Cream and Citrus.

Catalyst- helps maintain muscle mass during exercise and weight management. Its helps feed the muscles with branched-chain amino acids which helps support endurance and strength in conjunction with exercise. It also aids in post workout muscle repair and supports mental energy and focus.

OmegaPlex- pure and effective blend of mega-3 fatty acids which are important to heart, nerve, muscle, skin, bone, and immune health.

Meal replacement Shakes- only 220 calories! 5-6gs of fiber 24gs of protein plus a combination of vitamins and minerals this will help you lose fat and build muscle. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Berry 14 pouches

MNS Max 3- this is THE comprehensive system helping you by providing sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition, and all around wellness.

Muscle Fuel Pre-workout- 28 vitamins and minerals, botanicals and other energy producing components this will take your workouts to the next level! Fruit Punch - pouches

Muscle Gain Protein Shake- build solid muscle without excessive calories, fats, or carbs. 25gs of the highest quality protein will feed your muscles with the amino acids they need to grow big and strong. Chocolate, Vanilla. Pouches or Canister.

Post workout Recovery- with 30 vitamins and minerals plus other nutrients that support the muscles metabolic processes this will help maximize recovery and minimize muscle soreness. Chocolate, Vanilla, pouches or canister.

These are just some of the products AdvoCare carries! There are tons more for performance, losing weight, or staying active. Products to help joint health, prostate health, sleep, immune system, calcium, meal replacement bars...For more information click on "my advocare website" towards the upper right hand side of this webpage or copy and paste this into your web browser http://www.advocare.com/1002760

...............BOOOOOOM............that was your knowledge bomb exploding, your mind just got blown son

Success never comes without failure

2010-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Do you remember playing basketball in the alley? You and a bunch of your friends would get together and go out to the alley, everyone would put their feet in a circle, and one person would rattle off some crazy nursery rhyme type saying in order to divvy-up everyone into teams... you'd bitch about how unfair the teams are anyways... and then you had to shoot for possession of the ball. Which ever team won possession would go to the three point line and.... what was the next thing you do? You'd CHECK the ball. For some reason, you'd yell the word "check" to your defender and pass them the ball as hard as humanly possible in order to deliver the message that you mean business. They would then pass the ball back and you'd do one of three things cut left, cut right, or pass if your skills couldn't hack it.

My point, now drawn out, is that today I got CHECKED! I tried dead lifting 505lbs, which I have done before, but instead of driving it up and locking out at my hips all I heard was "CHECK!" and it felt like getting slammed in the face with a basketball point blank range on a cold night.

Deadlift went like this: 155x5,220x3,265x1,310x1,330x1,375x1,suit,405x1,485x1,505x0
375x3x2
395x3x2
405x3x2

Bwt. GHR 3x20
45Bk. Ext 3x6
Prowler @ 140lbs
3x20yds

Back to getting owned while deadlifting. After attempting a raw PR and failing and then attempting 505lbs with my suit and failing my mood was, to say the least, not good. I expressed my disgust with a client who then answered me with some good knowledge...

So it is his words I will leave you with:

"It wouldn't be training if you didn't have a bad day" ~ Mike Hamm

2010-02-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

I came to the quick realization today that I am now 7 weeks in training for my 1st gear meet in Debeque, IA which is at the end of March. That means I'm just over half way, which is just flat out exciting and makes me a little nervous. Just a little.

Today was a Dynamic Effort (DE) Upper Body training. That means I was training for speed and I was bench pressing.

The picture above demonstrates the set-up and looks badass...

8x3 @ 135lbs+bands
2x5 @ 155lbs w/o bands

3x15 bwt.push-ups
3x? 25lbs pull-ups
4x6 DB Military Press

The push-ups were a failed attempt to help relieve some pain in my shoulder - my thinking was to get a good stretch through the front side of the shoulder but after thinking through it I was probably doing more harm then good. I was causing humeral extension with the push-up motion and increasing that because I was doing elevated push-ups. That is where my "stretch" feeling was coming from, which felt good, but the pressure I was putting in my shoulder due to the motion would likely cause more pain from impingement then it would cure. What I should have done, one option amongst thousands, is to stretch the front side/ant.delt/pec to help create space in the joint and then activate the back side musculature to help bring my shoulders in a better postural position and alieve some pressure and take stress out of the front side of my shoulder. That's what I should have done ... live and learn and now you know.

The pull-ups went god-aweful - I had no improvement from the last time I did them a few weeks back. I think this is going to be a much need area of improvement and that is only going to help shatter my bench records. The stronger the base the stronger the structure!

The military press went well. It was a little lighter than I'd hope for but I worked it hard and my shoulders are still feeling good.

It was a good day, and damn I feel like a gansta...

"GFSI"

2010-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Going in to todays training I knew it was going to be a upper body max effort lift but I did not know it was going to be working up to a 1RM in my bench shirt. When I found out (by simply looking at my plan) I will admit I was a little excited.

My training has been going pretty good, a few road bumps along the way but nonetheless I've had a lot of progress and success. Here's how todays lifting went and the reasoning for the title "GFSI!"

General Warm-up: Roll-out, T-spine mobility, hip mobility & activation
Specific Warm-up: Calf & Hip Flexor Stretch
Plyo push-up + low/high rope chop x2
95lbs Bench + Face pull x1

Bench Press: 135x5, 185x5, 215x3, 240x2, 265x1 - kinda - this felt/looked aweful Shirt Bench: 295x2, 320x1, enter in "GFSI", 340x1 PR! GFSI is short for "gunna f*ing smoke it" That was my mantra for siking myself up before I pressed the 340. 340 is also now my new max, so I was pretty jacked on the inside to get this especially because my left shoulder started bothering me during my 265 attempt.

I finished out with Purple Band Pushdowns 5x25 - I recorded one of my sets to post as a demonstration of how you should correctly lock out your pushdowns. I see to many athletes "cheating" by keeping their hands together and not locking out at the hips. I'll post the video in my next blog.

External Rotation 5x10 - I wanted to emphasis the external motion to take care of the stress/pain I was feeling in the frontside of my shoulder

V-Grip Rows 5x15 - I changed this up to also help address my shoulder pain. I played with different positions, again, a future blog entry.

Finsihed with Traction + Shoulder/T-spine Mobility, another future blgo entry. Check out the video, sorry its so long - but its worth the wait! ...

Wise words from a wise man... not my words

2010-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

"one cannot dream of squatting 1,000lbs, a dream is just a dream. You must have a plan, a proven plan." - Louie Simmons

I just came across this quote of his the other night when I was reading some articles in the wee-hours of the morning because I had an AdvoCare Spark between 8 and 9pm that night. (But I'll leave that for my next blog which will come either tonight or tomorrow.) While in college I was a personal trainer and needed to have an e-mail contact for our company brouchures. I spent a little time trying to think of something clever and catchy while still making sense and personal to me. I came up with "lift smart... lift strong."

Those words bleed with depth if you really give them some thought. Lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong...lift smart...lift strong. If you train like a dumbass your going to set yourself up to fail. If you train correctly - if you train smart there's nothing you can't achieve. If you apply thought, theory, application, creativity, insight, history, ... to your training, in essence training smart, you will get results. You will lift strong - be strong - live strong! Going into a weight room - gym - club - whatever you call it - and working out/training should not be taken lightly but should still be fun and interesting and changing. It is something that involves dedication, discipline, hard work, sweat, a few tears, maybe some blood...and a little vomit. It takes a lot of heart and it takes a lot of brains. Lifting strong isn't just who can throw around the most weight its about learning, trying, revamping, experimenting, failing, educating, applying, teaching, helping, reviweing, and succeeding... and then repeating.

Louie Simmons has the quote "one cannot dream of squatting 1,000lbs, a dream is just a dream. You must have a plan, a proven plan."

Think about it.

Liftsmart - Liftstrong -

Peace up Mil-town and I'm out!