Arms 2 + Europa Fitness Expo

Yesterday was a pretty good workout!

Started with Incline bench, which went fairly badly on wednesday. Warmed up, then hit the bar, then 95 x 6, and proceeded to just work up in sets of 6 - hit 115, 125, 135, 145, and finally 155. WHICH is cool because Last time I tried to do 155 x 6 I only got 5. So that is actual improvement! Kinda cool.

Next, because I was a little tight on time, I threw 2 tens on the curl bar and did a set of 10 curls, slow and mind-muscle connection like, and then sets of incline bench at 125 - only sets of 5 because they were really hard haha. Did 3, and on the last set hit 20 on curls and 6 on incline bench.

Finally, Did a set of 30 curls and a set of 30 skullcrushers as an attempt at a finisher. It was early, I was tired, but I did the best I could haha.

BUT THEN I picked up Gillian, my lovely girlfriend, and we drove into Hartford for the day to go to the Europa Fitness Expo! It was a total blast. There was fighting, bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit competitions, as well as a million supplement vendors and gear stands set up all over the place. We spent the whole day there, checking out the competitions, picking up free samples, and just enjoying the atmosphere! I didn't even look like I lifted compared to about 50% of the people there haha. I bought some brand new knee sleeves, which I'm excited about! I don't really like the idea of compression on my knees when I squat, because it makes me feel like I'm cheating (which is retarded, I'm way too hard on myself), but I figure if I am going to be doing this a long time, I need to take care of my knees. So I'm excited to break those in tomorrow! Also, got a ton of free pre-workout samples, which is awesome. Since I never use them, I can save them until I am max deadlifting haha. That worked AWESOME last time, and I'm sure it will work again.

After the expo, had a nice cheat meal of 3/4 of a pizza covered in chicken, and a bit to drink.

So anyways, that was a blast! Looking forward to training tomorrow... squatting with my new knee sleeves should be fun, then BACK TRAINING begins. It's gonna take a little time to feel out this back work, but I am SO excited to just get my fucking back strong and huge so that I can DESTROY my next max deadlift.

Strict press 155 x 5 AND INVINCIBLE BACK PLAN

Okay so today was a crap day. My mind was totally distracted by deadlifts, and I did not want to train upper body.

Started with strict press. Warmed up not enough, then hit the bar and 95 for warmups. Then, hit 120 x 5, 140 x 5, and 155 for a tough but solid 5. After, set the timer and hit 140 x 5 and 120 x 5 with long pauses, on the 3 minutes.

Next, moderate weight rows. Did 4 sets of 12 at 155 yates rows on the 2 mins, focusing on a really tight and straight back.

Next,  bench. 170 for 3 sets of 8 on the 2 minutes. did really well, and even pushed out an insanely hard 9th rep on the last set.

THEN, I started deadlifting. Knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't get it off my mind. I needed to figure out a solution to my problem, and my "hey, I'll just make my back straight!" solution wasn't cutting it without feeling it out for myself. SO, I started pulling, trying to focus on a flat back. Hit 155, 245, then started filming at 315. Hit a solid single with a flat back.... not as fast as I wanted but not bad. Then I watched the video and realized my back wasn't even close to flat. So, did a couple more reps and managed to make my back almost completely flat... but speed suffered a ton. I was UNHAPPY.

So here is what I have come up with, talking to my mom, josh, and other smart people. I think that ,y speed and agression has gotten so strong that my back can't handle the forces on it. Yes, I have pulled 405 with a flat back, but that's at a slow speed. Now, I have gotten so fast that my back isn't strong enough to stay flat under the forces on it. My back has become my major weak point.

I have been deadlifting more and more lately, and loving it. AND, in looking for a solution to this problem deadlifting LESS doesn't appeal at all because I always think I will get better by doing MORE. But lets look at the situation: first of all, HISTORICALLY deadlifting less has always been good for me. When I was having major dead lift problems last time, I solved them by stopping all the volume and heavy deadlift work. I did deadlifts once a week - speed work at like 200 lbs - and my max went up, up, up. Because I worked on my weak point - speed and explosiveness off the floor.

Now, I am reluctant to stop speed work, because it has worked so well for me before. But this is the truth: speed and explosiveness aren't an issue anymore. Those are my STRONG points now. Perhaps the worst thing I can do for my deadlift is to keep hammering speed and agression at the expense of form. And If I keep doing deadlifts, even at the LIGHT speed day weights, I will have some shitty form.

SO, the plan is to cut out deadlifts all together, and instead HAMMER my back. I am talking heavy as fuck work, for tons of volume, with my back as flat as possible. I am goign to make my back as close to invincible as I can, while focusing only on my squat. I get my legs strong, I get my back strong, I already know that speed and aggression are in me.... That's all it takes for a good deadlift. It's a scary route to take, but I think it is going to be the best way to get my deadlift STRONG.

So the plan is - focus on keeping my back as tight as possible on my upper body rowing. On monday, I am going to stop speed deads AND the snatch dead progression, and instead work snatch-grip, stiff-leg deads with a flat back. I'm not going to plan what I do, I'm just going to HAMMER them, whatever sets, reps, weight I want, so long as it is a LOT of all three. Then, on thursday I am gogin to keep squats and front squats, but instead of heavy deadlifts do romanian deadlifts - same story as monday, doesn't matter how many or how heavy, just gonna do a TON. We will make my back invincible, get my squat stronger and stronger, and come my next mock meet I will DESTROY deadlifts with the same rage and intensity I have been destroying them with lately. Only difference will be my body's ability to protect itself from my power.

A storm is coming. Lets keep at it.

Deadlift Cure

So, I thought it through and I think it's a pretty quick fix.

Basically, I think the major flaw is simple: My biggest cue deadlifting has been to bring my shins to the bar and as soon as they touch to explode up with everything I've got. Problem is, with all the hyping up I have been doing, along with the fact that I am intentionally trying to use my back (which basically feels the same whether you are round or flat), I didn't realize that I was following the cue... but not doing what it is supposed to make me do! Bringing my shins to the bar is supposed to get my hips low and then I should squeeze my chest up and explode with everything I've got. Instead of doing that, all I was really doing was bringing my shins to the bar, but rounding my lower back to do so. Chest wasn't being pulled up, hips weren't coming down, and so I was pulling with a lower back.

Pulls have been feeling amazing because my bar path is short and a perfectly straight line, I have been using my back, and giving each pull everything I have got. But I think keeping my hips lower and my back flat, I will still be able to keep all of those good things, and just be pulling in a way that is 1) safer, and 2) more sustainable. All it will take is a little more focus and attention to my form. Might feel a little weird and slow at first, and I need to be prepared for that, but I think I can keep all of the good and get rid of the bad with just a simple change.

Basically, Keep the intensity and agression. Keep the hook grip and the tight and tiny bar path. Keep loading the back. Just get those hips lower instead of rounding the lower back. Think Eric Lillibridge. Lets watch a vid

I think I just need to make sure that when I bring my shins forward, I am dropping my hips and pulling my chest up and my back as tight as I can. Otherwise, I'm using too much back and it's in a bad position. Lets work at it. 

Squat 185 x 25

Kind of a bad day today. Confusing

Started with squats, which went well. Warmed up, hit 135 for a set of 5 and then 3, then loaded up 185. Tried to stay calm and treat each rep like a single at 135 - a little odd, since it really wasn't heavy lol. But it went really well. Got to about rep 14 before it started really hurting. 25 hurt pretty bad and my legs were super pumped, but overall the reps were nice and not too hard. I'm curious to see how 205 x 20 feels.

Next up, front squat were alright. Rested a lot, then started hitting it on the 2 minutes with 175 x 3 and 200 x 3, then 230 x 3 x 3. First set was really ugly. I was trying to drop fast, but I was just too loose in the bottom. Worked to tighten up, and really focus on two things - speed into the bottom, and elbows up. It worked a lot better, and sets 2 and 3 were much better than the first set. On the 2 minutes is really tough with front squats.

Finally, deadlifts. This is where all my problems arose. I was really looking forward to deadlifts, cause I have been having so much fun with them. I even brought out my phone to take some videos of the last rep or two, to watch how fast they were moving. But it just wasn't a great day. Weight felt heavier than normal and despite my attempts to focus, get mad and really rip them, the reps just were moving a bit slower than I wanted. They were all solid, however, so I just did my best, and still recorded reps 7 and 8. But then, watching the recordings, I felt very concerned because it looked like I had a TON of back rounding. I have been definitely trying to use my back more, but I didn't necessarily think it was rounding. So, I did a 9th and 10th rep with video from the side, and sure enough my back is really pretty round. And I feel very confused and unsure of what to do about it.

Here's the thing: deadlifting has never felt as good as it does now. I feel faster and stronger than I ever have. I am ripping weights, both heavy and light. And my bar path in the videos is crazy efficient. I FEEL great. But man, I hate how those pulls look. And I just don't know how to rectify those two things. My hope is that this is just the best style for me. I have found the way to pull that is best for me - super efficient bar path, I feel strong and fast, no back pain or anything. And, even though my back isn't flat, that position will stay consistent all the way up to max weights. I can just get strong as fuck pulling the way that feels best, and that is that. That is my hope. But my fear is that I am falling into a trap that I have seen many people fall into. I am using a ton of back on my pulls, because it feels stronger that way. I will get stronger this way, for a while, but as the weight goes up I will use more and more back, have more and more trouble locking the weight out, and eventually hit a horrible technique plateau, where my only option is to completely revamp my form and lose a ton of weight off my pull as I fix it. And I don;t want to keep reinforcing a technique that is going to fail me at heavier weights - or worse, cause injury. I just don;t know what to do.

So anyways, I'm going to think it through, watch some videos of big pullers, talk with Josh, and see where I end up. Should I just keep doing what feels good, and try and get strong as fuck with the form that feels best? should I force my back flat and train like that at heavy weights (even if it is slower), under the assumption that it is safer and will mean less form breakdown at heavier weights? Or should I abandon my foray into hook gripping and heavy speed work, and return to what was working for me? I don;t know. Either way, going to try and keep my chin up. Lets keep at it.

Arms 1

Rough day today. Looked shitty and fat this morning, and workout was tough as well. But that's okay, I felt and looked great yesterday so what can you do.

Started with a warmup, then a run. My first 15 minute run! went well. Changed my route so I have a good number of hills in there now - man they are tough. But overall, the run wasn't bad at all! Tried to pace myself today, but I ran maybe... a mile and a half in the 15 minutes, but that is including hills and shit, and I would say my perceived exertion was at maybe a 6 or 7. So not bad.

Afterwards, headed to the garage and did some incline bench. This did not go great. Hit the bar, 95, and 135 for warmups, then wanted to work up to a heavy 4 - I was hoping to get a solid/easy 165 x 4. Instead, hit 155 for an ok 4 then 165 for a good 3, but failed the 4th. Then I dropped back to 135 and hit it for 6, 6, and then 11. All that on the 3 minutes. Just a little bit of a let-down.  I have a long way to go with incline.

Next, loaded up 2 tens on the curl bar and hit it for 5 x 10 on the minute, squeezing my biceps hard. Felt good.

Finally, loaded up the cable system with 2 tens each side and hit it for 10 curls, 15 pushdowns, 4 rounds. Curls were tough, but for whatever reason I didn't get a very good pump. Blew my triceps up though.

So, not a BAD day, just not great. But that's okay, it happens. Gonna keep on myself with this diet, and try and have fun tomorrow! 185 x 25 squats will certainly be interesting, and I'm excited to go hard on my deadlifts! Lets keep at it.

Bench 200 x 5

Good day today! fun. hard, and interesting.

Started with 5/3/1 bench press. I worked today on implementing what I discovered yesterday - that I had been letting my rage and intensity from deadlifting spill over too much. I bench and squat best with a calm, methodical approach where I envision light weight, and I deadlift and press best when I get as psyched up and aggressive as possible. So, after a long warmup started benching, and the difference was clear. Hit the bar, 95, and 135, then 155 x 5 and 175 x 5, staying calm, treating each set like it was 95 lbs (and also setting up just a tiny bit higher on the bench than normal, so the unrack was easier. The result: form was great, weight felt solid and easy. Loaded up 200 and hit it for my set of 5. First 3-4 were totally easy. The 5th was definitely slowed down noticeably, and was a much tougher rep. But again, I don;t know what that means - was I at the end of my rope, and would have only had a rep left? or could I have ground out 2, 3, 4 more reps? Either way, great set. Next dropped back to 175 and hit it for a set of 5 long paused reps, which was cake. Definitely a lot easier than last month doing the same thing. Then dropped to 155 on the 3 mins ant hit that for 5 reps with a 5-second pause as well. Easy.

Next up, heavy yates rows. Did a quick warmup set with 135, then 3 sets of 10 with 205 on the 3 minutes. These are really crazy. Not only do I feel it a ton in my lower lats, but I really think just being in that leaned over position with heavy weight is going to really build up my lower back strength and stability. Basically, I think these rows are going to carry over so well to my deadlift. They do NOT feel nice to do, but I think they are going to help my dead a ton. I think I'm gonna push them up heavier soon, maybe drop the reps. I think heavier would be better with these, just gotta be careful with my back.

Next up, strict press. Loaded up 140 and, on the 2 minutes, hit 5,4,3,2,1. Then I psyched up REALLY hard and hit it for a max set. It was insane. I smashed the first rep, felt like an empty bar. Problem is, being that aggressive and psyched up is great for one rep, but then form kind of went to shit haha. I hit 9 reps and failed the 10th, but I think I could definitely have gotten 10 if I hadn't been really sloppy on quite a few reps in the middle. So, getting insane is great for heavy singles, but maybe I should keep it at like 50% for big sets - enough to make it a little easier, but also to keep form tighter.

Finally, did my lighter rows - 5 sets on the 2 minutes with 135, only this time I did sets of 10 pendelay rows instead of more yates rows. I like the idea of doing both kinds of rows. At first, the pendelays didn't feel very good - my shoulder was not feeling good and I didn't feel them much in my upper back. But then I started bending my arms a touch at the start of each rep. This definitely hit my middle upper back much better, and removed the shoulder pain. I must have just been using my shoulder ina  weird way to try and help. Anyways, I liked these! in conjunction with the yates rows, I think this will help me build a bigger and stronger back for dead lifting AND benching.

So, great workout overall. Benching felt awesome, rowing felt awesome, and pressing was like 80% awesome, but I learned more about the mental game. I am learning a ton this summer, about myself, my lifting, what works for me, and the best way mentally to excel in lifting. And, I'm looking leaner and bigger every day. Lets keep at it.

Squat 305 x 5

Interesting day today. I have a lot of thoughts.

Started with 5/3/1 squat. Warmed up quite a bit, then got started. Didn't feel great today. Not bad, but just not very good. Hit the bar, then 135 x 5, then 185 x 3 just because the jump to 235 was a little too awkward I felt. Then loaded up 235 and hit it for 5 - it felt kind of heavy, but there were a couple really great reps at 235 where my form was just awesome. However, went a bit downhill from there. Loaded up 275 and hit it for 5, which felt alright, although form was a little wonky on a couple reps. Finally, loaded up 305 and got after it. It was a pretty bad set honestly. I don;t remember a single rep feeling great. They were a little slow and hard, but mostly my form was just crappy. I was a bit forward on multiple reps, so that I was pushing the weight up with my quads and then having to finish with my back because the bar was out in front. And then the 4th rep I got so out of position and soft that I got caught at a sticking point, really had to grind through, and then had to rest for a few seconds at the top just to make sure I got rep 5. If I'm being honest, I would say I had another rep or more in me if I NEEDED to get them. But I did not feel good after that set. I thought about it, and this is what I think is going on - I am psyching myself up too much, and trying to move each rep fast and easy... and instead my form is just getting shitty, which is making the set HARDER, not easier. A couple weeks ago, I was feeling really sluggish and weighed down on mondays, and because of that I decided to start taking a more aggressive attitude toward the weight. However, what I need is more FOCUS and intensity, not aggression. I think aggression has just been working so well for deadlift, that I let it spill over into my squats. But that has never worked well for me - staying calm, treating the weight like it is light, being methodical and precise with my squats has always been the best solution. I think today I just tried to hard to make the weight feel easy, and as a result I rushed reps, got out of position, got soft out of the hole, etc. I'm not trying to be fast and aggressive cause it makes me squat better - I'm doing it cause mentally I don;t want heavy weight on my back for long lol. SO, I think the solution is simple: sack up, relax before the heavy lift, and do what has always worked best - treat each rep like a single at 135. Sure, the unrack might be heavy, sure the set might take a little longer. But all that matter is that I a) get every rep that is programmed, which should not be a problem, and b) I keep my form beautiful. And right now, that's not happening. SO, I'm gonna try and simply be more precise thursday (although I have to cut myself some slack with the high rep shit), but ESPECIALLY on mondays.

Anyways, next up pause squats. Hit 275 for a triple with long pauses, and then 235 for a set of 5, on the 3 mins. Both felt pretty solid, although tough after the heavy set of 5. Still, raw power out of the hole seems to be improving... another reason why I need to stop rushing reps and just be more precise.

Next up, speed deadlits were great. I'm loving these, because I really CAN just let loose and get as aggressive and insane as I want haha. Basically, the angrier and crazier I am with these, the faster the pulls. 12 x 1 at 275 on the minute was cake. First rep was a bit slow and tough on the back, but after that I started to get as psyched as I could and just be focused, intense and aggressive. I was ripping the weight. Somewhere around 9 or 10 I got a tiny bit out in front for a rep or two, but then focused and got rigth back into position. Last rep I truly gave everything I had - it's insane the place I can go in my mind if I have enough focus. It's meditative and otherworldly. I got to that place on rep 12, and I swear that rep wouldn't have been able to move faster if it was 135. Really having fun with deadlifts, and I think I am seriously increasing my power with them.

Finally, snatch deads went well. 5 x 7 today, instead of 5 x 9, on the 2 mins with 215 on the bar. These weren't super hard, but definitely tough. One interesting thing - I really felt the switch from it being tough aerobically - I was winded and exhausted from moving light weight a bunch of times - to being tough on my muscles. I wasn't breathing as hard or feeling like I was crossfitting today, but I started getting some serious burning and exhaustion in my ass muscles especially. I'm pretty happy about that! With the emphasis I have been putting on quads lately, squatting with a more forward upright position, really focusing on my quads breakign the bar on deads, and the front squatting - I have been worried about neglecting my PC, but I think these snatch deads will really help keep my back, butt, and hamstrings growing. I'm curious to see how much tougher this part of my workout gets as the weights increase.

So overall an interesting day. Squats were very frustrating, disheartening and not fun at first, but the more I think about it, the easier the solution seems - yeah squats might feel hard and heavy, I am putting a TON of energy into other stuff, losing weight and eating less! But if I just stop trying to make them feel easy, and instead focus on precision and just getting the reps I need to, my squat workouts will be exactly what I need them to be. Deadlifts are fun and amazing, snatch deads as well. I just need to keep eating right and working hard, and I am going to get so strong and lean and look and feel amazing. Lets keep at it.

Great Idea

So, just relaxing and recovering today. Getting ready for a big delicious dinner and maybe even a beer or two for my little re-feed. BUT, I wanted to post because I had an awesome programming idea that I think I am going to give a shot after this summer programming is done.

BASICALLY I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for squat in the fall. I love 5/3/1, but If I were to follow the current 5/3/1 I have set up, the heaviest squat I would hit by december is 400 in training, and personally I just don't think that will cut it to reach my goals... If I want to hit 495 by next may, I need to be hitting around 450 in december.

SO, I dreamed up a little progression for myself that I could do on thursdays, that would start with hight volume and then taper to have me squatting about 445 for a single in december. HOWEVER, then I had a way better idea!

What if I just condensed 5/3/1 into half the time? The normal program has you squatting once a week - 5 week, 3 week, 1 week, deload. However, since I am definitely going to squat twice a week, why program my own random shit on thursday? why not just condense 5/3/1 to look like this

Monday: 5 workout, Thursday: 3 workout, Monday: 1 workout, Thursday: Deload

I think this idea is awesome. I will be able to significantly speed up the 5/3/1 progression, follow a program I KNOW works for me, AND that deload will be an awesome mental and physical rest - if I am feeling healthy and strong, I can use it as a high-rep hypertrophy day to make up for the slightly lower volume on 5/3/1, or I can use it as a lighter speed and form day, or use it as a true deload when I am getting down towards the end of my rope and need the extra recovery. Instead of running 4 cycles of 5/3/1 in the fall, I can run 6 cycles. And I literally won't need to change anything. Monday I can still do paused squats, and thursdays can always be front squats. It seems like I might be able to make really great progress.

If I start right at the end of summer, I should squat 380, beltless, before my mock meet at the start of september... then run 6 cycles, so I will be hitting 440 right before I max out in december. Basically, it will put me exactly where I want to be, except I will be folowing a better progression than what I dreamed up lol.

Obviously, not positive if this is what I want to do, but it seems like a great idea that will work really well for me, so I'm very excited and optimistic about it. We will see!

Arms 2

Good day today

Started with a nice little hike to get in my super low impact cardio haha. Then, started with a nice long warmup and close grip bench. Felt great today - I was setting up a little higher on the bench than normal, and unracking felt super easy and light. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135 for a few, all of which felt like a joke. Went to 165 x 5 which actually felt a little tough, but still very solid. Next, hit 185 x 3, and finally 205 for a tough but solid 3. After hitting a heavy triple, went down to 155 and hit it for 3 sets - 8, 8, and finally 12. All of that was on the 3 minutes.

Next, heavy curls. Put 25's on the curl bar and hit it for 3 sets of very controlled, mind-muscle type curls on the 2 mins. I was shooting for 3 x 15, but got 15, 13, and 12.

Finally, used the cable system on my rack for the first time in forever. Loaded up 25's on each side, and did a metcon of 10 curls, 12 tricep pushdowns for 3 rounds. The curls were crazy hard, and the pushdowns got pretty damn tough by the end. My arms were blown up.

So, fun little workout! For closegrip and incline bench, I think I am going to keep the pattern of "work up to a heavy ______" then drop back 30-50 lbs and do some sets. It was definitely good to play with the cables, I need to start integrating those into my workouts more. I'm looking good also! Weighed in this morning at 222.5, which (even if the scale is 2 or so lbs heavy, which I'm pretty sure it is), is 2.5 lbs less than the last time I weighed in. Starting to feel good about the way I look, and having some stronger workouts too. Lets keep at it.

Strict press 170 x 1

Really good day today. I'm starting to look pretty damn good - still not lean enough that my abs look good, but I'm getting to the point that my upper body is starting to look pretty lean and huge.

Oldschool badassery

Started with 5/3/1 press. Long warmup, then the bar, then 95 x 10 or so, then loaded up 135. Tried to get a little psyched up and angry for these, and it went well. Hit a nice 5 at 135, then a solid 3 at 155. Finally, loaded up 170 and crushed it for a single. Got a tiny bit out in front, but overall it was a great rep, smooth and fairly fast (although I got a little dizzy). After, dropped back to 155 and hit it for 3 with a long pause, and then on the 3 mins hit 135 for 5 with a long pause. The long pauses really work to fix the "pressing out in front" issue, and they feel really strong and solid.

Next up, rows. Decided to use 170 as my moderate weight, and rowed it for 4 sets of 10 on the 2 mins. Felt good. I REALLY need to focus on letting the weight stretch my back/lats at the bottom of each rep. It is really easy to shorten the movement by resisting with my biceps, but it hits my back SO much better when I get the stretch.

Next, did some speed-work type benching. Loaded up 170 and hit it for 10 sets of 3 on the minute. Tried to hit each rep/set as fast as I could, and it went well! definitely a lot of wobble on certain sets, which is no good - I want each rep to be precise and consistent - but overall the weight moved fast and easy. On the final set, I hit the weight for max reps and managed a tough but very solid set of 10! That's pretty good after 27 other reps. Quality volume with a good amount of weight, for fast and nice reps.

Finally, had fun with high rep bodybuilding stuff. started with 2 sets of tens on the curl bar, and tried to curl it for 50 reps as fast as possible. Then, threw a pair of 5's on and did 50 skullcrushers as fast as possible. Finally, grabbed a 10 lb plate in each hand and did 50 side raises as fast as possible. Man, I was done by the end. Had a great pump, looked awesome, felt awesome.

So, fun day overall. Pressing went really well, felt strong and solid, and I'm starting to get bigger AND leaner in my upper body. Got to keep on this diet, cause I want to start looking even better in the next week or two, and just keep training according to the program - by summers end, I should look awesome, feel healthier, and be even stronger than I was at my last mock meet. Lets keep at it.

Cool picture

Took this today. I think I look pretty big and cool in it. Can't wait to lean out, then I can look big and good without the shirt lol

Squat 165 x 25

Awesome day today

Started with high rep squats. Warmed up for a long time, then got to it. Instead of starting with the bar, I just started with 95 lbs, and hit it for a quick set of 10 or so, including some paused reps and stuff. Then, loaded up 165 and tried to get focused and intense. Set went really well - I would say the reps were a little sloppy, which isn't much of a surprise. And the set hurt like a bitch, but overall it was really not very hard. Nasty leg pump though.

Rested a good bit, then started front squats on the 2 minutes. Hit 205 x 3, then 225 x 2, and finally 245 x 3 sets of 1. They were pretty solid, fast and easy considering they were after all those squats. Just need to focus on keeping my elbows up and being fast out of the hole - that stuff is tough without much warmup, so I need to focus extra hard on it.

Finally, put 245 on the ground and started hitting it for deads on the 2 minutes. Hit 245 x 3, then 315 x 1, and then right to 375. Went really well. First rep was a little bit slow and tough, but as the sets went on I focused as hard as I could, tried to get psyched up before each rep, and they got easier and easier as the sets went on. The 5th rep, I really went all out on - felt like I used a lot of back, but that rep FLEW up, moved like it was a fast 315. Which is awesome. I really think I'm on to something with this heavy speed work. The more I focus and bring up the intensity, the easier and faster they move - AND even the slow reps, there was no chance of me failing or anything. I am going to keep crushing deads on this day, right up till 415. If I can move that for 8 singles with any kind of speed, that would be AWESOME. Can't wait.

So, great day. High rep squats hurt, but I am killing them. Need to focus on keeping form a little better, but I think these are gonna increase my leg size, strength, and work capacity a ton. Front squats are great, and deadlifts are so much fun, can't wait for them to keep getting heavier. Lets keep at it.

Arms 1

Great workout today!

First of all, felt less soft and shitty today, which is good! Warmed up and started with a run, which went really well - 12 minutes felt easier than last week, and I went about 100 yards further, so that's great.

Next up, started with incline bench, on the 3 minutes. Went a little lighter for reps today - I'm planning on alternating heavy and light days with this, to really try and improve. Anyways, hit the bar, then 95 x 8, and finally 135 x 5 x 8. This was tough, but also very solid, and re-enforces my theory that I am learning to grind through reps - every set felt hard and slow around rep 6, but every set I pushed through and got 6, and 8. So perhaps not FEELING good on bench days really isn't a bad thing.

Next up, curls - went a little heavier on these than normal, and it felt good! threw 25's on each side, and hit it for 5 x 10 on the 2 minutes, really strict and with a focus on squeezing the biceps.

Finally, did a metcon - 10/10 curls and skullcrushers with the 25's for 3 rounds. The curls got really tough and I had to cheat a lot, and my triceps were DONE by the end pf the skullcrushers. But it was  a great workout, arms looked big by the end, and it was fun.

So, that's that.  Gonna try and stay a little stricter on myself with diet (i.e. eating less and keeping carbs healthy/low) to keep the weight coming off. Other than that, just gonna keep at it!

Bench 220 x 1

Today was alright. Feeling a little downtrodden. 

Started with 5/3/1 bench, which honestly felt great up until my heavy single. Warmed up a ton, including some pushups, plate raises, and extra band stuff I don't normally do, which felt great. Did some things slightly different with the benching itself; first off, unracked in a slightly differrent way, flaring my elbows a little more, which felt good up until 220 - I think it can work, I just need to be more agressive with it and perhaps set up a little further back. Secondly, in my warmups sets at 95 and 135 I started with long pause reps, then moved on to short pause and touch n go. I don't know why, but long pause always feels best to me. Anyways, hit 95 and 135, then moved on to 175 x 5, and 195 x 3, both solid and easy. Loaded up 220 and hit it for a single, and it just wasn't too great. Had a little trouble getting it out, then the rep itself was just a little slower and more grindy than I wanted. However, as I have been saying perhaps this isn't a bad thing - being able to press through a slower rep might actually be good for me. So I am goign to continue to just plug along, trust my programming, and try my best to only doubt/rethink it if I end up failing. 

Next, backed off to 195 and hit it for 3 long paused reps on the 3 mins. I love the way these feel. The weight just sits on my chest and I feel like it should be impossible to move, and yet on reps 1 and 2 I moved it so fast and easily. 3 was pretty tough though. Similar story at 175 - reps 1-4 were easy, 5 slowed down and got a little grindy. 

Next up, heavy rows. I pushed these up to 205 today. I really feel like I should work these up heavier and heavier over the course of the summer - it just makes sense to me that the more weight I can confidently row, for reps, the easier and easier deadlifts with similarly heavy weights will be. So for example, rowing 155 for 5 x 10 with perfect form is great, but rowing 255 for a few sets of 4-6, even with shitty form, will do more for my back in relation to my deadlifts. Lower back felt kind of shitty on these, though, and I want to really be careful not to hurt myself. Rowed 205 for 3 x 10 though, on the 3 minutes. Really felt it in my lower lats. 

Next, strict press went well. Loaded up 140 today, and hit it for a 5 x 5, on the 2 minutes. Ended up getting through the whole thing, and getting a REALLY tough 6th rep on the final set. Nothing crazy impressive, but that's some quality volume, and I think I am really improving my ability to press with less rest (i.e. work capacity). I'm thinking maybe next week I will do something like 5-4-3-2-1-max. 

Finally, light rows - 5 x 10 at 135, underhand, on the 2 mins. I definitely liked doing them at this slightly heavier weight better. I just never really feel the lighter weights much. But this was light enough that I could still do sets of 10 on the 2 mins, while also feeling it a lot in my back and having to be a little less strict. Maybe I will keep the weight at 135 for light stuff, for a while at least, and just play with reps and sets. 

So overall, good day. Not feeling great about the strength portion, and I just kind of don't feel like I am leaning out as much as I want right now. But workout was fine, I look good, and I am making progress. It is just hard not to get impatient and despondent - what I REALLY want is to get stronger, but I am trying to work on work capacity, losing fat, etc... so I'm annoyed about not feeling strong, and when I don;t even LOOK as good as I want, it just gets me angry haha. But that's okay. Just gotta keep the chin up. I'm doing great, and come fall I will be very happy that I put in the time to look better, recover better, and improve my ceiling for strength gains. Lets keep at it. 

Squat 335 x 1

Started off today with 5/3/1 squat. Felt pretty good. Focused on a great warmup, and trying to make every rep awesome. Hit a set of a bunch x bar, then 5 x 135 and 3 x 135, then smashed a set of 3 at 225. I was really trying to focus on attitude today; last week I realized that I was treating the weight as if it was heavier than it was, so this monday I really focused on getting focused, treating the weight like it was a joke, and just crushing the squats. 5 at 265 were good. 3 at 300 were a little tougher/shittier than I wanted, but still fairly easy. So, I loaded up 335. Focused up, treated it like it was light. I haven't had that much on my back in a while, so it actually did feel fairly heavy. But I crushed it for a single. Not as fast as It would have been ideally, but it was smooth, solid, form was good... what more can I ask for. I keep trying to speculate "oh, I could have gotten it for x many more" but I really need to get out of that mindset. I smashed the single, which is what I needed to do, and that's all that matters.

Because who doesn't want greater power?

Next, backed off to 300 to hit it for paused reps. I would normally have been happy with 1, but I just decided to push today. With (I would say) about a 5 second pause in the bottom, I hit it for a double, which is awesome. Most I have ever pause squatted is 305 x 1. and the pause was probably less than half of what I paused for today. These squats sure are nasty, my face felt like it was going to explode, but that was a pretty badass thing to do, I'm happy about it. Then, on the 3 mins, hit 265 x 3. 4 would have been nice, since I hit it for 3 the other week, but after that 300 x 2 I didn't feel like pushing more than 3 haha.

Next, speed deads. These took a bit to get going. Loaded up 315 and the first couple pulls were just not great. Not hard really, but slow off of the floor and just didn't feel awesome. So for rep 3, I really focused up and attacked the weight, thinking about ripping it and keeping my weight back, and it was much better. so reps 3,4,5,6, and 7 were all fast and good, with a couple that were a little more forward than ideal. However, on the 8th and final rep I REALLY focused up, got mad, treated the weight like it was 515 and smashed it, on a totally different level of speed than the others - felt as if it was 275 all of a sudden. So an interesting day - I know I have the potential to really be smashing these speed deads. I need to spend the next 6 weeks really focusing on attitude and focus before EVERY rep, just smashing each one the way that I smashed the 8th rep today. I think my potential with deadlifts is insane, and I just need my mind to allow my body to work to it's fullest.

Also, saw the Man of Steel the other day... What a great movie. Wish I was that powerful. 

Finally, snatch grip deads - 5 sets of 9 at 195 on the 2 minutes. In today's heat, felt like I did a true crossfit WOD by the end haha. However, overall I would say it was not harder than last week, which was the exact same workout 20 lbs lighter. Maybe it has somethign to do with the slightly lower volume today, but I think I'm just getting in better shape, which is cool. I'm excited to drop the reps to 7 and keep up with this, although I think the heavy weight is going to get real nasty, even with the reps dropping fairly significantly.

So, good day! Squat was solid, even though i'm still in this "pr mindset" that makes me dissatisfied with everything haha. Pause squats are coming along, I saw some unlocked potential on my speed deads, and I know exactly what I have to do to get stronger and faster with those, and I got a hell of a workout for my backside and quads with those snatch deads. Excited to bench tomorrow! Let us keep at it.

Arms 2

Good day today. Revealed a weakness.

Started with a nice slow hike to get myself used to dedicating some time to cardio on this day. Then, I moved on to Incline bench. Man I suck at incline bench. Started with the bar, then 75 x 15, 95 x 12, 115 x 10, then 135 x 8 (not easy) and finally 155 x 5, which then turned into a drop set back to 95. That's pretty pathetic. I can overhead press that weight for, like, 3 reps more than that. Considering that many big benchers utilize incline a LOT, I think it is important to note how bad I am at it. And start to work on fixing it. I think I am basically going to incline twice as much as close grip, so instead of alternating the two on wed/sat, I will go incline - incline - close - incline - incline - close, etc. Hopefully, If I can put 10, 15, 20 lbs on my incline, it will have great carryover to my bench. We will see.

Next, did something similar with my curls. Working up, hit the bar x 15, 1 10lb plate x 12, 2 x 10, then 3 x max, 2 x max, and 1 x max.

Finally, a little metcon of 10 pushups, 15 curls with 1 plate, and 15 skullcrushers for 3 rounds. Chest felt like it was exploding cause of a big knot in my right pec, and the weight was a little too light. But overall, got a good pump.

It was a great little day. I'm really starting to look big because of the leanness. Having fun getting into shape. Plus, my mind is going wild with plans for next semester. Can't wait. Lets keep at it.

Press 160 x 3

Fun, good workout today. 

Started with strict press. Felt really good this morning for no real reason haha. Warmed up a ton, then started hitting the weight - the bar x a ton, then 95 x 10, then 125 x 3, 145 x 3, and then 160 x 3. Not easy or fast but really solid. Dropped back to 145, and then on the 3 minutes hit it for 3 long paused reps, and then hit 125 x 3 long paused reps. 

Next up, Rows. 155 on the bar, did it for 4 sets of 12. Felt really good. I'm learning that I really need to let the weight sink low and get a full stretch in my back to really feel it. 

Next, had some fun with benching. Loaded up 165 and hit it, on the 2 minute, in a pyramid - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and then 8 again. Hit the 9th after a brief rest. It was fun, but tough. I wanted to get to round 10, but Pretty happy with what I got. 45 reps in sub 20 minutes, not bad. 

Finally, did some high rep bodybuilding stuff. Hit curls with a pair of 10's for sets of 25 with 1 minute rest between them, and then did sets of 15 lateral raises with 10 lb plates for 4 sets with 1 minute rest between them. Got a nice bicep and shoulder pump. 

So, good workout! Pressing went well, rowing went well, benching went well. Looking forward to some arms work and rest. Lets keep at it. 

Squat 135 x 30

Painful day haha. Felt good though.

Started with squats. Warmed up a ton, even though I was feeling achey and tight today (probably a combination of the rain and running yesterday) I got nice and warm. Hit a set of 10 and then 5 with the bar, and then got right to it - loaded up 135 and hit it for 30. Overall, it was a really good set. Form was good. It hurt pretty bad, but I made it no problem. Definitely could have been worse, and it definitely is going to get worse haha. I think I underestimated the pain to come in the next few weeks. Legs got so pumped. But even when the reps got hard mentally, they were fast, smooth and easy.

Rested a good bit, then got on front squats. These are really hard with the limited rest - did them on the 2 mins - but very solid. I just need to work on keeping my elbow up and my back a little tighter. That is what suffers most. Hit 185 x 2, 215 x 2, then 235 for 3 x 2. I could have been tighter out of the hole, and I could have kept my chest up better, but overall they were easy and nice reps for what they were.

Finally deadlifts went really well. I made the unfortunate and stupid mistake of not wearing pants today, which meant the bar was sticking nastily to my thighs which both hurt and threw me off. Without meaning to, I pulled a few reps a little out in front to avoid the sticking, and since that is already a problem with my new form/setup, that wasn't ideal. However, even on the less-than-perfect reps I was ripping the weight. Worked on being really focused and aggressive with my pulls, and the weight was moving fast and easy. Plus, on reps where I did keep the weight back and it didn't get caught on my thighs, I felt awesome. 8 singles on the 2 minutes were all fast and easy. I'm excited to keep pushing these up heavy. They might start to get tough with the crazy squatting that is going to go on, but I'm gonna focus hard and try and keep crushing these pulls consistently.

So overall, really good day. I am excited and nervous about these high rep squats - I think they are gonna HURT, but they are also really going to pay off in terms of strength, size, and work capacity gains. And I just love deadlifting now, I look forward to it every workout. Lets keep at it.

Running and Arms

Pretty great workout today. 

Started with running. Really wasn't feeling it this morning, but I warmed up and got on my way, and did really well! 12 minutes, ran the same path as last time. I would say my perceived exertion was about the same as last time, except I made it about an extra 200-300 meters (shaved maybe a minute off my time for the route last time). Thats a nice little improvement! Still doesn't feel great, but hey it doesn't have to. 

Next, arms went well. Kept it simple today. Close gripped bench to start, hit sets on the 3 minutes - bar x 20, 75 x 20, 95 x 15, 115 x 12, 135 x 10, and finally 155 x 10. 

Next, curls. Did warmup sets - 10 with 1 pair of 5's, 10 with 2 pair, 10 with 3 pair. Then hit a big drop set - 4 pair by 12, then 3 x 12, then 2 x 12. 

Finally, left 95 lbs on the barbell and 3 pair of fives on the curl bar, and did 10/10 for 3 rounds as fast as I could. 

Got a nice pump. Felt good. I'm excited to squat tomorrow, although I need to rest up a good bit tonight. Let's keep at it. 

Bench 205 x 3

Interesting workout today. Gave me some stuff to think about.

Also, watched the Hulk for the first time in a while today. God I wish I was the hulk haha

Started with bench. Took a nice warmup, then started benching up... hit the bar, then 95, then 135. then started on my work sets. Hit 163 x 3, 185 x 3 and finally 205 x 3. My new mantra this summer seems to be "it didn't feel as good as I wanted" haha. After, I started the timer and hit backoff sets on the 3 mins - 185 x 3 with a long pause, and then 165 x 3 with a long pause, and I started thinking. Basically... benching didn't feel great. BUT I think the main reason why it doesn't feel great is because it feels different. Every rep was a little slower than I wanted. But, they were all solid reps that moved smoothly, and were pretty consistent. I'm thinking that the reps aren't necessarily hard, they are just different - slower, more controlled, a little more of a grind. While different feels bad right now, maybe it isn't - clearly what I was doing before wasn't great because I'm not great at benching. So I need to get my head out of the way, and not second guess myself. Perhaps learning how to muscle the weight up is going to be a lot better than moving it fast, and failing it fast.

After long pause, did heavy rows, 3 x 10 at 185 on the 3 mins. felt pretty good. Lower back is feeling pretty crappy from yesterday, but other than that these went well. Might push up a little heavier soon, to feel it out.

Next, strict press actually went well. Did pretty much the opposite of last week... I was thinking of doing 10 x 3 on the minute, but opted to shoot for 10 x 4 on the minute. A little tougher, a little more fun. So I took a crack at it, and did very well! got through 7 sets of 4, then got 3, 2, and 3 on the last 3 sets (being a little more lenient with the time). My triceps were roasted by the end, failing in weird places haha. But I'm pretty happy with all that volume in 10 minutes.

Finally, did some lighter rows. 115 for 5 x 10, supinated grip, on the 2 minutes. Banged out 15 on the last set. These felt good, should have pushed a little harder. Light rows have just never felt that great for me. But hey, gonna keep doing them. Feel isn't always the way to judge haha.

So anyways, interesting day. Bench didn't feel great, but that's okay - I'm going to just keep at it, without over thinking too much. If by the end of the summer I'm weaker, than so be it - but I need to commit to something different for a while. But the long pause stuff, the rows, and the strict press all feel pretty great. Can't wait to start losing more weight so I'm looking good, having fun, and hopefully getting stronger in the long run. Lets keep at it.

Squat 315 x 3

Good legs day today! started off slow, but overall it was kickass. 

Tryna get some BIG ASS legs 

Felt pretty sluggish at the start of my workout. Perhaps it was because I woke up late, so I started lifting only about a half hour after I work up, but I was just feeling very slow, creaky, my lower back didn't feel good, etc etc. However, I think it was also party attitude - even though these squats are easy for me, I still think of it as "heavy squats," and mentally I think I need to OWN the weight a little more - unrack and squat it knowing that this weight is cake. Anyways, took a nice long warmup, then got started squatting - bar x 10, 135 x 5, 205 x 4, then 245 x 3, 280 x 3, and finally 315 x 3. Again, wasn't cake but it was pretty easy, despite the second rep being a little off balance forward. 

Next, started up my timer and dropped the weight back to 280. Hit that for a paused double, which felt solid - I think I might have had another rep in me - then, on the 3 mins, hit 245 for a set of 4. Felt a little tough, it's easy to let my ass sink back and my chest drop on these. Gotta fight to keep upright. Still, I feel improved since last week. 

Next up, speed deads were killer. Although my lower back didn't feel great, I am definitely getting the hang of the setup with the hook grip. It's a little slower and more precise, but I am getting better and better at still ripping it off the floor. 295 was flying up on almost all of my 10 reps today. A couple were still a tiny bit out of position, some a little back and others a little forward, but I think simply more practice is going to fix that and I am going to be pulling big weight with serious speed in no time. 

Finally, loaded up 175 for snatch grip deads - 5 x 9 on the 2 mins. This kicked my ass. Can't say enough how much I love snatch deads. They smash my quads and my back. I honestly might even like doing them this way more than I like going heavy with them. they hurt, but it is awesome to really feel my quads and my back getting pumped. 

Overall, great workout. I'm having fun and working hard. Need to keep my attitude right, and really treat the lighter squats/bench/press like it's easy - cause it is. Other than that, I think I am really on the right track. Going to improve form, speed, strength, and muscle mass, all while loosing fat. Lets keep at it. 

Arms 2

Good day today. A little uneventful

Started with a nice walk. Once summer ends, I am going to have both wednesday and saturday as steady-state cardio at a pretty low intensity, for 20 mins each, but for now I have wednesday as fairly high intensity, and I'm keeping saturday REALLY low. So just a nice walk to get moving and warm. Then, onto arms. Started with incline bench after a long warmup. Decided to go really light today, doing 95 lbs for sets of 10 on the 2 mins. This turned out to be far too light, I did 8 sets of 10 without much effort at all. Still, I just wanted to feel out the movement. I am definitely going to keep in these bench variations on my arms days, so I am essentially benching 4 days a week. Frequency might be what I need.

Next, curls. Used just a straight bar (45 lbs) for sets of 10, but this time I did them on the minute. Actually got a pretty nice pump, although heavier would have been better... I'm still trying to find ways around using heavy weight. Still, I think 10 more lbs would have been good here.

Finally, did a mini arms metcon. Loaded up an axle with 10 lb plates (probably weighed around 55 lbs total. Then, on the 2 minutes, did 10 pushups, 10 curls with the axle, and 10 skullcrushers. this was a great little wod. Pushups first really made the skullcrushers later hard, and the axle curls hit the biceps really well. This definitely got me sweating and gave me a nice pump.

Overall, nice little day. Again still working out the kinks, but now I know what movements I need to hit heavier, what rest intervals work, etc etc. I'm happy to be through the first week! I'm a bit sore, but I think I will adjust quickly. I am excited to keep losing weight, to start to hit some heavier lifts, to continue adjusting form and workouts so that I am a lean, efficient, lifting machine. It's gonna be a fun summer of training! Lets keep at it.

Press 155 x 5

Today was a good day. Not great, but good.

Started with press, although warmup was a little slow today. I have a big old knot/pulled muscle in my back that is bugging me. Not a big deal, but it doesn't feel good and made warming up a pain. Anyways, hit 65 for a couple warmup sets (because it was on the bar) then 95, then on to work sets - 115 x 5, 135 x 5, and finally 155 x 5. Again, as with bench it just didn't feel as easy as I would have liked, but that is okay. It was still a very solid 5, with reps in the tank no question.

After, dropped back to 135 x 5 long paused reps, and then 115 x 5 long paused reps on the 3 mins. Tried to focus on staying tight at the bottom.

This guy has a sick physique

Next, moderate weight rows. Chose 155 for this, and rowed it for 4 sets of 12 on the 2 minutes. These were pretty tough - not insane, but I was pretty damn tired out by the end. I think I'd rather do slightly less reps with more weight next week, maybe 165 for 4 x 10 on the 2 mins.

Then, bench. Threw 165 on the bar with no warmup, and got to it. I started with touch n go sets of 7, going on the 2 mins. Got 4 sets of 7, and then on my final set I got 6. This actually felt great! jumping straight to 165 with no warmup was no problem. Touch n go felt awesome, really felt my chest working and it exhausted my bench muscles in a way pause stuff just doesn't do. 7 was a great choice of reps - no problem at the start, but got damn tough by sets 4 and 5. I don't know what I feel like doing next week. Maybe less reps, more sets.

Finally, light bodybuilding stuff went okay. I had some technical difficulties. Tried loading up the dumbells, took like 7 or 8 mins to do that, but the clips for them are pretty shitty and so then I had to unload them and load up the curl bar, and in the end it was just a little too much rest. I ended up throwing tend on the curl bar and doing 3 rounds of 20+ curls, 10 + lateral raises, and 20+ skullcrushers with a short rest between rounds. Weight just didn't feel heavy enough for curls and skullcrushers, though, and really tough on the lateral raises. got a bit of a pump, but just didn't feel like a satisfactory end to my session. I need to hop right on the BB stuff after bench, to ride to coattails of my bench pump.

Anyways, good workout overall. Excited for arms tomorrow, and a nice rest sunday. Hopefully my back will start to loosen up soon. I am really hammering it, with rows every upper day and lots of pulls every lower day, it doesn't get a rest. But that's okay, it is a huge focus this summer. I just need to adjust. Lets keep at it.

Squat 115 x 30

Today was my first foray into high-rep squatting in quite a while. Started easy, and felt pretty good. We will see what happens as time goes on.

Took a nice long warmup, especially cause I'm extra tight from running yesterday. Ended with two sets, 10 and 5, with the bar on squats. Then, loaded up 115. I would say the set was slightly easier than I thought it would be. I picked 115 as a started weight cause it's super light for me, and I predicted that 30 reps might suck pretty hard, so I'd better start with real easy weight. It really wasn't until rep 25 that it started to become truly unpleasant, however, and even then it was pretty easy to rip through the last 5 reps. Kept the bar high as I could, my positions as good as possible, and really it was about 27-28 beautiful high quality reps. Got a nice leg pump. I expect the next two weeks will be similar, decidedly harder than this week but not miserable. I think the middle 3, starting with 185 x 25, are going to be the truly miserable workouts. I'm excited! Gonna make these wheels grow.

Next, front squats. Pretty easy, although definitely less so after the high reps haha. I might need to take a nice big break between these two movements as they both get heavier. I did them on the 2 minutes - that might prove to be a bit ambitious as time goes on, but I want to push myself on these, and I can always make it 3 mins later on if I feel the need to. hit 170 x 3, 195 x 3, then 220 x 3 x 3. Pretty easy, a little slow and a touch forward on a couple reps but overall not bad.

Finally, heavy speed deads went well. Again, did them on the 2 mins. hit 245 x 2 and 315 x 1 as a warmup, then went to 365 for 5 singles on the 2 mins. Definitely weren't too slow off the floor, which was my primary concern. The two things that I feel I really need to focus on - despite a more precise setup, still make the "bring the shins to the bar + pull" part as fast and as smooth as possible, and secondly, pull back! With the hook grip, the weight seems to want to take me forward more than it ever did with an alternated grip, so I need to be careful to start with my hips low enough, shins far forward, and then pull the weight back the whole movement. While it took a couple reps to get the hang of these things, overall the 5 pulls were pretty fast and easy, and got better as I went along. I just need to really focus on perfecting this new technique, and simply pulling as fast as I can. If I can get up to 415 x 8 singles, on the 2 mins, with great technique and good speed, I think I will be set up to PR at this meet no problem, and set up to smash weights next semester on my journey to 565.

So, great workout. In other news, I am leaning out SO quickly. I know it is just the beginning, and weight loss is always crazy fast now, but I swear I am visibly leaner in 3 days. I look like I have lost 4-5 lbs at least. I need to make sure I keep eating plenty at dinner, just to make sure I don't drop weight TOO quickly, or lose strength. However, I think that in 4-5 weeks I will really start to like the way I look, and hopefully by the end of this 9 week cycle, I will be pretty fucking shredded. I'm so pumped to look awesome, and then spend next year just trying to pack even more muscle onto my frame while upping my lifts AND staying lean. Speaking of which, here is a natty guy I found on Tnation who has truly inspired me. I was starting to doubt that I could possibly be a lean, badass looking 242 at my height without steroids. However, I found this guy - my height, 235, and built like a brick shithouse. I know he's natty too, because after this photo he started using and now weights 315 hahaha. But anyways, gonna keep looking at this pic for inspiration - I CAN attain my goal of being the 242 world record holder, and look fucking awesome while I'm at it. Lets keep lifting.

Running + arms

Great workout today

Cheetah spirit

Started with running. As it is week 1, I kept the running nice and easy. Warmed up, set my timer for 12 minutes, and picked a route that was nice and flat. It went very well. I took it pretty easy, ran probably a little over a mile in the 12 minutes. Wasn't particularly easy, but not too hard. Got a bit of a stitch, but I think that's just because I'm not used to the breathing yet. Overall, the goal is just to keep my heart rate up for 12 mins, so distance doesn't really matter. I will probably try and make it a little bit further the next time around, however, just to push myself a bit. I'm thinking I'll keep the route the same until I hit 15 mins, then maybe change the route to include some light hills, etc.

Next up, arms. Started with close grip bench, going on the 3 minutes. Hit 75 x 20 or so, 95 x 15, 115 x 12, 135 x 12, then 145 x 12, 6, 6. Again, pressing really gets tough with the limited rest haha. Got a nice tricep pump, however, which is the real point.

Curls were next, again on the 3 minutes. Hit a warmup set with a pair of tens, then threw on another pair of tens and curled it for 15, 12, 12 really focusing on squeezing the muscle. Got a nasty pump, which felt good.

Finally, rested 5 mins or so then did a mini wod, 15 curls/15 skullcrushers with a pair of tens on the curl bar, 3 rounds as fast as possible. This was nasty for my biceps, but easy on the triceps till the very end. I think I need to have slightly different reps on this - maybe bump the weight up, and do 10/15 or something of the sort. Oh also, measured my arms after the pump, and they were 16.5. On the way up!

Overall, got a great pump. Running is tough right now, but I think I will adjust pretty quickly. Getting excited to see some progress as far as leanness goes. It's very strange for me to be training largely for aesthetics, focusing on arms, high rep low-rest stuff, running, leaning out, etc. But it's also fun to work on something totally different from my normal training for a while. Lets keep at it.

Bench: 195 x 5

Good workout today. Interesting and productive.



Started with 5/3/1 bench. Did a nice long warmup, then got to work - still working on my setup. Today, I pretty much kept everything the same as usual, except with an added focus on my feet and trying not to let them turn out too far. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135, and got down to my work sets. Hit 155 x 5 and it felt alright. same with 175 x 5. Neither was great, but both were solid. Weight seemed to be moving a little slower, but more controlled than normal, which might be a good thing. Loaded up 195 and hit it for a very solid 5. If I'm being honest, it wasn't as easy as I might have hoped, and the 5th rep had a little more "recoil" (loosening then squeezing tight to blast it off the chest) than I might have liked. But I definitely had reps in the tank, though whether it was 1 or 3 I do not know. Need to remember, however, that my focus is on getting in great shape, not on size this summer. While I am sure I will maintain and even gain strength, it's okay that every day isn't easy as I want it to be - just so long as I make all my sets and reps with good form.

Next, backoff sets, on the 3 mins. Hit 175 for 5 with a long ass pause. Pretty slow but also solid. Then, hit 155 for 5 with long pauses (probably 3-5 seconds each). Felt good.

Next, heavy rows for 3 sets. I picked 185 as a started weight for these, and I think that was a good choice. Basically, I strapped up and did a yates row type pull, with a little body language, on the 3 mins for 3 sets of 10. Pretty good workout, definitely felt it in my lats and upper back, even after just the first set. I'm thinking maybe I will stick with 185 for another week of two at least, although eventually I will probably push up heavier even if I have to drop reps, just for the sake of change.

Next, touch n go strict press with 135 was funny. Knocked the rest down to doing a set every 2 mins. I decided to start with 3 sets to failure. First set was great, hit a pretty easy set of 11, decided not to go for 12 cause I probably wouldn't have gotten it, but I was happy with 11. The next set I barely got 5, however, and the final set I got 2 - managed to blast 3 to a pint where I don't think I have EVER failed a press before, and failed haha. My strength is SERIOUSLY hurt when I limit the rest on these, which is interesting and good to know. Next week, I will definitely be more conservative with my number of reps, and push for more sets - perhaps I'll try for a 5 x 5 just to feel that out, and push the last set/do more sets if I think it's too easy.

Finally, light rows. Chose 95 for this, went every 2 mins, supinated, and did 5 sets of 12. I wish I had gone a little heavier with these. By the end of the 5 sets it was quite a bit harder, but I was using really strict form, and the first 3 sets I didn't feel like I was working hard enough. definitely not a waste of time, but I think I would rather go 115 ish, use a little body language, and maybe even do 5 x 10 or something. But hey, live and learn.

Overall, good workout. Again, still working the kinks out a tiny bit, but I think next tuesday will be a lot smoother, AND I still got a great workout. The focus on back stuff, while weird, will be really good for me I think, and I am excited to see how my pressing progressing with this new technique of using touch n go, pause, AND long pause. Tomorrow, running and arms. Lets keep at it.

Squat 300 x 5

Today was a good first day back. Fast paced and fun.

Started with squats. Did a nice long warmup, then got right to it; bar for 10, 135 x 5, 5, then to my work sets - 230 x 5 felt a little bit heavy, but not problems. 265 x 5 felt lighter, but my form definitely wasn't perfect - I think it is partly that I am just returning to squatting, and partly that I was using the slightly shittier rack today. Anyways, loaded up 300, tried to rest enough, then hit it. Form wasn't perfect, definitely got a little bit forward on a rep or 2 and a little soft out of the hole as well, but despite not being perfect, it was a very easy 5, which is the point.

Next up, threw on the timer and hit my 2 paused back-off sets. First, 265 x 3, very tough reps. Then, on the 3-minutes, hit 230 for a set of 5, again fairly tough. Really hitting a long pause on these.

Next, speed deadlifts with 275 - 12 reps on the minute. Hook grip definintely felt okay, and form was good on these. I am working on a slight tweak - while the "grip it and rip it" was working for me, it also results in more sloppiness and is harder to do with the hook grip. I think the solution is to try and keep ALL the same energy and viciousness, but with a slightly more calculated and precise setup. So, today I was practicing pulling into that perfect start position and then just ripping it. Went really well, weight moved very fast, although there is a slight tendency to get forward. My one worry is that I may be slow off the floor like this .... but todays reps were FAST. Won't know till thursday how heavy weight feels. But I'm feeling very positive.

Finally, snatch grip deads. Did these on the 2 - minutes, so really short rest. 5 sets of 9 at 155. Definitely got my heart pumping, got me breathing hard and sweating. Got a nice leg pump. 155 was super light, though. These are definitely going to get me in shape, or kill me haha. But I think they will be really good for overall fitness and leg and back size.

So overall, good day. Not too hard, but with some slight bumps due to the fact that it IS my first workout back. I'm excited to hit upper body tomorrow, and excited to smooth out those bumps so that I can just focus on pushing hard, losing fat, and getting in great shape. Lets keep at it.

Quick Arms Day

Had a nice little workout today.

Started with a nice long warmup. Still trying to work out some of the kinks from not having lifted for so long. Then, moved on to incline dumbell bench. Actually felt decent. Hit 20's for 20, 35's for 15, then 45's for 15, 15, 15. I don;t love these, but as I've said before incline work (especially dumbells) seems to be something many big benchers have in common. So, I'm gonna keep at it.

Next, hit a superset of curls/skullcrushers with a moderate amount of weight. did 15/15 for 3 rounds without rest, got a nice little pump.

Finally, setup the bar with slightly less weight and hit it for 3 sets of slower, controlled curls with a nice squeeze.

Nothing crazy, just a nice little pump. I'm excited to get to work on monday! Lets enjoy these last two rest days, and prepare for a new phase in my lifting career! Lets keep at it.