Strength Ladders Work

LIFT

Bench

275x1; 295x1; 315x1; 325x1; 335x1 

Dips

15; 15; 15; 10

Bent Row

225x10; 225x10; 225x10

Decline Abs

45x9; 45x9; 45x9

Calf Raises

Stack x12; Stack x12

Notes

-Hit an all time 5 pound PR on bench with 325.  It felt smooth and my old training partner gave me the go ahead to go heavier.  He said I had 330 for sure, and he wasn't sure about 335.  Really he knew I had 335, which is exactly why he said he wasn't sure, and why I immediately said put 335 on the bar.

-335 went up a little slower, but it was not a true grinding max. Completely satisfied, I stopped there for the day.

-I'm obviously extremely happy to finally hit a true 1 rep PR.  I think the PR was a combinination of three things.  Strength ladders made me tighter and stronger; I stopped getting psyched for all lifts; When I finally did get psyched due to being in my old gym and it really paid off.

-I can officially say, Bye Bye Plateau!

Keith Wassung on the Bent Row

Bent over rowing is an excellent movement for the upper body. Work this movement hard and don't be surprised if you see increases in the squat, bench press and deadlift as well an increases in muscular development. One of the great aspects of the bent-over row is that there is a wide variety of techniques and variations to chose from which means that just about anyone can find a method of performing this movement regardless of their body structure. The important thing is to ensure that your technique is fairly consistent so that increased poundages are the result of strength gains, not in favorable advantages in the biomechanics of the lift.

The width of your hand spacing should be slightly wider than your shoulders, but this will vary with each individual. Your hand spacing and grip should put you into a position where you can strictly row with the greatest amount of weight. You can use either a pronated or supinated grip. The pronated or overhand grip tends to hit the upper back harder, while the supinated grip tends to work the lower lats a bit more. Experiment with both variations and see which one works best for you, or even use both grips in an alternating fashion. I have found that the supinated grip works best when using an E-Z curl bar to take the strain off the wrists. Use plenty of chalk and or resin on your hands to ensure a firm grip. If you happen to train at a commercial gym that does not allow chalk (somebody should really invent flesh colored chalk) then purchase some resin bags and place them in a large colored sandwich zip-lock bag. You can dip your hands into the bag and get plenty of resin and there will be no waste at all.

Take a good solid stance, with the feet about shoulder width. Lean forward and bend the knees just slightly so that you nearly settle your abdomen onto your thighs with the hips being the center of gravity. If you have ever played football and had to get into the classic 3-point stance, as similar position will suffice for the barbell row-ie, you want to get into a stance where you can generate the most power.

The angle of your upper body can be anywhere from parallel to about 45 degrees though I believe that you should try and get as close to parallel as you can. People with a longer torso tend to do a bit better with a higher angle than an individual with a shorter torso. Make sure the back is flat and stable keeping a slight arch in the lumbar region before the weight is pulled off the floor. There are numerous opinions on the exact part of the torso that you try to pull the bar into. This will vary from individual, but somewhere in the upper abdominal region, just below the sternum is a good reference point. If you are using a supinated grip, you might get want to pull just a bit lower into the abdominal region.

Because you are pulling a barbell from a position in which you are bent at the hips, considerable stress is placed on the lower back muscles. You should not attempt to add momentum to the lift by yanking or jerking upward with the lower back muscles and extending the body. Lack of proper form means the targeted area does not receive maximum stimulation and can often lead to lower back injury. Heaving and cheating the weight up is very easy to do as the movement is not very natural to start with and the position makes it difficult to use a mirror to monitor and correct your form. There are a couple of things that you can do to eliminate the heaving aspect of the row. First of all, many books and magazines advise that when the bar is lowered to get as much as stretch as possible-it sounds like good advice, but what happens is that once your arms are straightened, in an attempt to get even more of a stretch, you relax and begin dropping the upper body downwards which causes rounding of the back. This places the body into a weakened condition, so that when you attempt to pull the next repetition, you are forced into performing a body swing in order to compensate for the inadequate position. Just lower the body to arms length and pull it back up. Another way to teach yourself to do the movement correctly is to have a training partner place their hands on your upper back along each side of the spine. Have them hold their hands steady and you will be able to gauge whether you are keeping your back stable or not.

I will throw another little tip in here that Marty Gallagher taught me, use straps, but DO NOT wrap your thumbs around the bar---the contraction in the back is incredible and it takes the arms/biceps out of the movement as much as possible. I do 1-2 sets without straps, and then 1-2 with the straps

Keith

 

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpost.php?p=11552096&postcount=77

Lift, Hill Sprints

LIFT

Deadlift 

405x1....stopped (lol at sore hamstrings from bent rows)

MP

135x1x2x3x1x2x3x2x3x4x2x3x4x2x3x1 (36 total, +1 more than Matt Johnson)

Lat Pull Down supersetted w/ Incline Machine Bench

300x8 (stack); 205x20

205x20; 205x20

Triceps Machine supersetted w/ Preacher Curl Machine

90x20; 90x25; 90x20

110x15; 110x12; 110x8

Notes

-Decided my one accomplishment in the gym today was going to be beating Matt in OHP.

-Decided to have some fun after that

HILL SPRINTS

1xlong hill @ 80%

2xlong hill @ 100% (all out effort)

Notes

-No desire to do 25 minutes of sprints in 112 degree heat index.  Took a nap on the side of the hill in the shade instead, then decided to see how fast I could run up the hill a couple of times.

Strength Training

LIFT

Squat

365x1x2x3x1x2x3x1x2x3 (+3 reps, 18 total)

Bench

275x2x3x4x2x5x2 (+3 reps, 18 total)

Bent Barbell Row

225x20

Supersetted with

Dips

BWx25

Notes

-Squats... the bar felt incredibly light on my back by the end of my sets.  I kept my pump-up level moderate.  

-Bench...I did not feel like benching or lifting at all today.  Warming up I contemplated skipping bench, or just doing a few token reps at 275.  "Afterall," I thought, "these are power ladders.  I'm allowed to have an off day."  This display of mental weakness then pissed me off, hence the weird rep scheme on bench. 

-Ran out of time when I got to assistance.  I decided to cue Pearl Jam's Alive to solo around 3:30, said fuck it, and repped out bent rows and dips.  Profanity was flying during this set.

Hill Sprints Goal Reached

HILL SPRINTS

Long hill x 10 sprints

~90%

Notes

-I started this summer barely able to do 3 full hill sprints at a 90% level.  My goal was 10 sprints by the end of the summer.  Today I reached my goal.  Obviously its just running up a hill, but I am happy because this is the most consistent I have ever been with H.I.I.T. conditioning.

- My plan is simple - just add 1 sprint to my sessions each week.  Frequency has varied from 1x-5x a week, however I always just go up one sprint per week.  This makes incredibly easy to track my progress.  It also takes out the possibility of slacking if I don't feel like pushing it.  Just have to do one more than last week.

What am I Going to Do Now?

Keep doing more hill sprints of course.  My new goal is 20 sprints.  This is the best form of H.I.I.T. conditioning I have done outside of the prowler.  I am going to give a "review" of hill sprints after my Friday session.

The big ass hill I run every week.  Those big ass cranes sitting on top give good perspective on the size of the hill.

Lift, Hill Sprints

Deadlifts
405x1x2x3x1x2x3x1 (+3 reps, 13 total)

MP
165x1x2x3x1x2x3 (+10#, 12 total)

CG Incline supersetted w/ Pullups
185x10; 185x10; 185x8; 185x6 (+4, 34)
8; 8; 6; 6 (+7, 28)

Standing Calf Machine supersetted w/ Ab Rollouts
180x14; 180x14; 180x14
14; 14

Notes
-Halfway through deadlifts I realized I let the pendulum swing too far in my effort to lift in a calm and controlled manner.  The weight felt heavy and was moving slow.  I knew there was no reason for this because I was well rested and felt fresh.  I’ve pulled 405+ in over 100 lifting sessions.  This weight should be easy.  Naturally, this pissed me off.

-I started ripping the bar more aggressively and the weight easily flew up.  I wasn’t in berserker mode, but I was lifting with more explosive power and speed. I can’t forget this is powerlifting.  No one ever got strong by deadlifting like a fairy.

Sunday, July 17

SPRINTS

Long hill x 9

~85%

Notes

-Work capacity is triple where I started this summer.

Lift, Golf

Friday, July 16th - Lift

Squat

365x1x2x3x1x2x3x1x2 (+3, 15 total reps)

Bench

275x1x2x3x1x2x3x1x2 (+3, 15 total reps)

Notes

-Skipped assistance... I was tired and my joints felt banged up from the increased frequency.

-Hit 3 additional reps on the ladders, which is the most important part.

Friday, July 15th - Golf

3 over par

9 holes

Notes

-Played well, short game was on... putting wasn't great.

Saturday, July 16th - Golf

6 over par

9 holes

Notes

-Nothing too great about today...atrocious putting.  Three separate 3 putts.. Sweet.

Lift, Run, Range

LIFT

Deadlift

405x1x2x3x1x2x1 (9 reps)

Seated MP

155x1x2x3x1x2x3 (12 reps)

CG Incline supersetted w/ Pullups

185x8; 185x8; 185x8 (24 reps)

7;7;7 (21)

Notes

-Second deadlift session in 5 days... form felt like it started to break down a little.  Per the Power Ladder protocol, I stopped when I felt the weight begin to grind.

-Normally I would have powered through this, but I walked away feeling like I'll be fine for my next workout. I'll easily add more reps next time.

RUN

2.5 mile job

~24 minutes

6 diagonal hills total

Notes 

-This is a tough workout mixing the hills in with a continuous jog.  

-I'm really starting to see the conditioning pay off both in gym performance and body fat.

RANGE

1 large bucket

~135 balls

Notes

-basically could not hit a golf ball tonight.

-sent a video to my Dad, and realized my swing if faster than Nick Price right now.  I need to start updating my golf stuff more.

Nick Price swing (not what I personally want):

Ernie Els Swing (this is what I want):

My swing from last night

-Tempo too fast

-Not completing my back swing.

Thunderstorm Hill Sprints

HILL SPRINTS

Long hill x5

80%

Notes

-Starting raining at the beginning of the workout.  It was fun running the hill in the rain for a while... then the torrential downpour began.   Still had a good time, though only finished half the workout.

New Program and Lift

PROGRAM

First thing first.  Ignore that split down below.  Lucky for me, the master of programming intervened over the weekend and gave me a great suggestion.  Power ladders.  The basic idea of ladders is minimizing fatigue while still lifting high volume and relatively high intensity (percentage wise).   In the original write-up found here, the author also lifted with high frequency.  Its almost like cheating.  You pick a rep range (I'm doing 1-2-3) and then go up the ladder.  Once you hit 3 reps, you start back over and work up to 3 again.

My workout below will pretty much explain it.  A couple of quick points.   I'm not going to move up in weight as quickly as Shaf does in the link above.  I really want to expand my volume at my current strength level.  I've never built and sustained a higher work capacity at my upper level of strength.  I think once I do this it will be a much easier transition into PR land, as opposed to psyching up Kroc Style every heavy set to grind out a PR.  Grinding PR's suck.  I want to hit easy PR's.  I want to smoke PR's and have some left in the tank.

Actual Split (The Real One)

Workout A

Squat

Bench

Bent Row supersetted w/ Dips

Workout B

MP

Deadlift

Incline supersetted w/ Pullups

Abs/Calves/Other stuff is thrown in at the end.

Assistance

I'll be sticking with my current weights until I hit 50 total reps over 5 sets.  Then I move up in weight and repeat.  Simple and easy to track.  Eventually I am going to start adding weight to the dips/chins.

Monday, July 11 - Lift

Squat

365x1x2x3x1x2x1x2 (12 reps)

Bench

275x1x2x3x1x2x1x2 (12 reps)

Bent Row supersetted w/ Dips

225x8; 225x8; 225x8 (24 reps)

15; 15; 15 (45 reps)

Ab Roll supersetted w/ Calves supersetted w/ Rotator Cuff Stuff
10; 10
135x20; 135x20
2xforget

Notes

-Enlightening day in the gym.  Why the hell didn't I try something like this earlier?  First, I have to note that I was still pretty banged up from deadlifts on Friday.  My lower back was still noticably sore today.  I also only got 3 hours of sleep last night due to cover letters/firms to 40 firms being due at 12 today.   So, from that standpoint, its not like I felt like superman.  BUT, I can already see why I'm going to like this approach.

-Unlike my usual heavy sets, I felt like I was getting better at the lift as I went on.   This is strength training. Again, it wasn't "easy," but I left the gym feeling like a normal human being.

-I'm going to try not to blast zeppelin 3x a workout for every heavy set from now on.  That is kind of a ridiculous way to train long term.  Tonight, I just did my sets in controlled manner.  Bar speed was good.  Tightness was good.

-Notice I didn't hit 3 on my second ladder.  I could have easily done it, but I didn't want to grind.  Next week I'll go to three and add a rep or two, or maybe three.

The Coming Weeks

I awoke this morning  feeling like someone used my back for batting practice with a louisville slugger.  At first I thought maybe it had something to do the 3 a.m. pulls of jim beam while spinning in an office chair listening to Pour Some Sugar on Me.  Then I remembered I did a heavy grinding triple and high rep deadlift sets yesterday.    Last week my total deadlift poundage was 5425.  This week it was 7050 - almost a 30% increase in total poundage (way too much with some sets in the ~90% range.) My lower back hasn't felt this smoked in a long time.

I've had a lot of time to reflect on my training while laying in my bed watching family guy trying to rehydrate .  I'm number chasing.  This week I officially abandoned whatever modicum of 5x5 was left in my program.  I don't think number chasing is necessarily a bad thing.  I like the mentality.  Nothing busts through plateaus or takes you to the next level like just saying fuck it and going heavy.  The downside is it quickly becomes unsustainable.  There is no way I will be anywhere near recovered for a heavy squat session on Monday.  I'll still do it, but it will suck.

I'm in the best position that I can remember to finally bring my strength to the next level.  I'm busy, but stress is low, I'm getting great sleep and eating well.  As I mentioned to my brah Gabe in a text this morning, I haven't really gotten stronger in 2 years.  I've made plenty of progress in other areas that I am happy with.  But is my bench higher?  No.  Is my squat heavier? Not really.  Am I deadlifting more?  Nope.

The Coming Weeks

The coming weeks are going to be a little crazy.  I'll be flying home for a week vacation, potentially flying to NYC and DC for interviews, moving in August, starting school in August, and having more interviews in August.  I've seen what happens to my training in situations like these.  I coast by going in and hitting 1 heavy set to maintain strength.  Which is fine depending on what is happening in your life, but I don't want to coast right now.  I want to be stronger.

Split

My previous setup (2 full body heavy days, 2 bodyweight/bodybuilding days) worked great getting me back to decent strength levels.  It is no good for long term strength training however.  My program will use the basic exercises that I always use.  They are simple movements.  They allow the most weight to be used.  Thus, they are the best at getting you strong and jacked.  I really don't understand why people waste their time with other shit.   Anyways, here they are:

• Squat
• Flat Bench
• Deadlift
• Bent Row
• Incline Bench
• Military Press
• Pullups
• Dips

Day 1

Squat

RDL

Abs/Calves

Day 2

Bench

Bent Row

Incline

Pump Stuff

Day 3

Deadlift

Box Squat or Front Squat

Abs/Calves

Day 4

MP

Pullups

Dips

Pump Stuff/Rotator Cuff

After a long time doing more of a full body split, I'm moving into an upper/lower.  There are trade-offs with everything, but I think this is a better fit for my life right now.  It is mentally draining to squat, bench then row.  Hopefully this will keep me a fresh and get me out in and out of the gym.

I will continue to do hill sprints every day, or almost every day.  I'm addicted to them in a sick, twisted way.  I'll post my plan for progression later, but it is going to be pretty simple.  No percentages or wave loading.  It involves more  weight, and more reps.

Friday, July 8 - Lift and Sprints

So I took my blood pressure and resting heart rate before I lifted today.

Blood pressure: 120/60

Heartrate:  55bpm

My friend in medical school said these numbers mean my heart is working efficiently and is in good shape.  Sweet.  Not bad for 245 pounds.

LIFT

Deadlift

450x1; 475x3; 405x5; 315x10

The following was performed as one continuous set, with no rest in between any exercsises, or sets.  After completing one round, I went immediately into the next.

Seated MP

135x8; 135x8; 135x8

Box Squat

135x10; 135x10; 135x10

Bench

135x12; 135x12; 135x12

Chin-up

8; 8; 8

Notes

-Only cared about deadlift today.  No idea why I decided to do a light circuit.  Its Friday, and I just wanted to sweat and feel good.  Huuuuuuge pump.  Work capacity has really improved this summer. (thank you hill sprints).

HILL SPRINTS

Long hills x 8

~85% (1 at 100%)

Notes

-Felt like a machine running up that damn hill.

Wednesday July 6th - Lift and Run

LIFT 

Pull-up/Chins

6;6;6;5;5;5, (+3, 33 total) supersetted w/

Dips

14;14;14;12;12;12 (+9, 78 total)

DB Curls

50x7; 50x7; 50x7 (+5 lbs) supersetted w/

DB Rear Laterals

12.5x10; 12.5x10; 12.5x10, supersetted w/

Rotator Cuff Stuff

8 total sets

Notes

-Relaxing and enjoyable day in the gym.  Happy with my progression on dips/pullups. 

-I think I get more out of dips for my triceps over any other exercise. Tris are getting hard.

RUN

2.25 miles, 26 minutes

5 total hills

Notes

-I love this new form of jogging then running hills.  I do the hills at a much lower intensity compared to the "Hill Sprint" days.  So, I run a loop of about    .6-.7 miles, and then do two hill runs.  Absolutely killer because you never stop jogging at all.

-I don't normally "run" this slow, but obviously the large intervening hills slow me down considerably.

Lifting, Running and Sprinting

I'll be running hills every day now in some fashion.  I won't always sprint (keep that to 2-3x a week), but its time to get serious.   If I start to burn out, I'll just keep doing them.  Eventually, my body will adapt.  Its running up a damn hill, running down, and then running back up.  Pretty simple.

Tuesday, July 5th

Lift

Bench - 295x4(+10 pounds, failed 5th rep); 225x8

Squat - 275x5; 275x5; 275x5

Close Grip Incline - 185x8; 185x8; 185x8 (+30 pounds), supersetted w/ Bent Barbell Row 225x8; 225x8; 225x8 (+6 total reps)

Notes
-Worst day in the gym I can remember.  Pressed for time so couldn't start with squats.  Failed on the 5th rep on bench.  Probably overambitous to go for 5, but mid set I thought 5 at 295 might be a PR or at least close to it.  I hate missing lifts.  Immediately dropped the weight after missing the lift.  I'm not going to make two mistakes and keep forcing heavy reps after blowing out my CNS.

-Pinched/Strained a nerve or muscle in my neck during squats.  Forced to keep weight low.  Rest of the workout I was in pain, thus it sucked.

Tuesday, July 5th

 Hill Sprints

7 x Long Hill

6 at 90% intensity, 1 at 100% intensity

Notes
-Got nauseous as hell during sprints today.  There were two other dudes running the hill at the same time as me.  Like competitive men, we were all pushing it hard without saying a word to each other.  Made for a killer session.
-Hill sprints are like the prowler.  You might get better at them, but they still suck as much as the very first time.

Monday, July 4th

Jog and Hill Runs

2.5 miles total.  5 total hills (on diagonal)

Notes
-This was a crazy hard cardio session.
-I ran the mega hill twice on the diagonal, and then did a .7 mile jog (loop around a pond), and then directly back up the hill again. 
-One whole lap is about .8-.9 miles.
-Usually I just stand at the bottom of the hill after a sprint, but here I was forced to recover while maintaining a jog.

Saturday, July 2nd

Hill Sprints

6 x Long Hill

95%

Notes

-Over 100 degrees out and crazy humidity... was supposed to do 7 sprints, but it honestly started feeling a little dangerous with how hot I was getting.

New Training Approach

MORE WEIGHT, MORE TIMES.

Friday, July 1st

LIFT

Military Press - 165x5; 165x5; 165x5 supersetted w/ pull-ups 5x6 (30)

Bench 225x9; 225x9; 225x9 supersetted w/ Barbell Curls 95x8; 95x8; 95x8 supersetted w/ Decline Abs  3x23

Notes

-25 minute workout, still felt it was effective with the supersets though.  17 sets total.

-MP was so-so, bench felt good.  I'm going to keep the secondary bench day weight at 225 for a while and just continue to add volume.  225 doesn't hurt my joints too bad, but is still heavy enough to give my pressing muscles good stimulation.

-Forgot to do dips.

GOLF

9 Holes

3100 yards, par 35

Score: 40 (+5) with 2 double bogeys

Notes

-Played decent overall today.  My iron game has significantly improved this season.  Still terrible off the tee.

-One of the double bogeys was caused by a ridiculous 3-putt from 10 feet.

-Played a nice little municipal tonight.  It was fun playing with a buddy and taking a cart for a change.  Perfect Friday night 9 holes.