Sumo
365x3; 365x3; 365x3; 365x3; 365x3 (hook grip); 365x10 (straps)
Incline
200x5; 200x5; 200x5; 135x19 (+1)
Chins
5; 5
Notes
Doesn't look like much, but this was an important session for me. I actually felt like I was really training for the first time in 4 months. As I've said before, I consider the corrective work strength training, but there is nothing like feeling the bar move proficiently again with some weight on it.
Hook grip sucked balls on the first set but I'm starting to get used to it. I vastly prefer a neutral grip as compared to the mix grip. I really can't believe I did that for years. Pulls felt decently crisp. I threw the straps on for a higher rep set. I needed it. I won't make this a habit on deadlifts, but I just needed it. I needed to let out some aggression and actually feel strong.
Incline was a little slow at first because the high rep set left me a little winded. But they are started to feel solid. I have no desire to go back to flat bench for the time being. I'm fucking bored with flat bench. I did it every week for years. Who cares. I'll go back to it eventually, but for the time being I want to progress on incline and see what I can do. Its always been a secondary lift for me. I have a lot left in the tank on this. PR on incline is 275.
I cut this session short because it was 8:30 and I wanted to go home. There was nothing left to accomplish. I'm still getting my lifting conditioning back up. Hopefully by next week I'll be ready for full sessions.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Phase 3 Day 9
RDL
185x12; 185x12; 185x12
Press
135x5; 140x5; 145x5
Bent Row
135x12; 135x12
Notes
Was in KC for the weekend so went down in Amanda's basement and we just got a quick session in. I like the RDL's for higher reps. No real point in going super heavy with these. I'm getting plenty of mileage working on a good stretch and powerful hinge. Over the next month or so I'll work up to 225 and then just fill in the volume with 2 plates.
185x12; 185x12; 185x12
Press
135x5; 140x5; 145x5
Bent Row
135x12; 135x12
Notes
Was in KC for the weekend so went down in Amanda's basement and we just got a quick session in. I like the RDL's for higher reps. No real point in going super heavy with these. I'm getting plenty of mileage working on a good stretch and powerful hinge. Over the next month or so I'll work up to 225 and then just fill in the volume with 2 plates.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Phase 3 - Day 8
1. Front Squat (frankenstein)
185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x2 (+20#)
2. RDL
205x8; 205x8; 205x8 (+10#)
3. Incline
195x5; 195x5; 195x5 (+5#)
135x18(+6 reps)
4a. DB Row
80x8; 80x8 (+5#); 75x8
4b. Vertical Wall Arm Raises... Don't really know, some shit I saw Cressey doing
5; 5; 5
5a. Pushups
17; 17 (+1reps/set)
5b. Curls
60x17; 60x17 (+1reps/set)
6a. Dead bugs
8; 8; 8
6b. Scap Wall Slides
3; 3; 3
Notes
The college gym is so fucking crowded right now I can't even describe it. Washu's gym is small as compared to most commercial gyms I've been in, but what makes it really bad is that ALL of the athletic teams share the gym with the general university, as well as the grad students. Let me repeat: about 10,000 students share a small ass gym alongside every athletic program at the university.
Washu's endowment is $5.28 billion, which is the 17th largest in the nation. Its endowment size is flanked by Emory University and Cornell. I don't really have to explain why it is completely fucking ludicrous that a school with that much money has a gym smaller than most 24 hour fitness facilities. But its not just that it is small. It also lacks some very basic shit that every gym worth a salt nowadays has... like a SINGLE fucking foam roller.
Needless to say, my warm-ups suck. Tonight, it was so fucking crowded that I literally went out to the bottom of a concrete stairwell to do my mobility work. I'm not even going to address what its like using a lacrosse ball to roll out your hip flexors on a 4x4 concrete slab. /End Rant
Front squats - starting to groove but I think I've taken narrow stance/knees out too far. I realized tonight I was basially doing a ballerina move. I was really getting up on my toes.
RDL's - Favorite move, probably the only thing I actually do right.
Incline - Felt smooth an easy. I'll build strength fast doing these often.
185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x2 (+20#)
2. RDL
205x8; 205x8; 205x8 (+10#)
3. Incline
195x5; 195x5; 195x5 (+5#)
135x18(+6 reps)
4a. DB Row
80x8; 80x8 (+5#); 75x8
4b. Vertical Wall Arm Raises... Don't really know, some shit I saw Cressey doing
5; 5; 5
5a. Pushups
17; 17 (+1reps/set)
5b. Curls
60x17; 60x17 (+1reps/set)
6a. Dead bugs
8; 8; 8
6b. Scap Wall Slides
3; 3; 3
Notes
The college gym is so fucking crowded right now I can't even describe it. Washu's gym is small as compared to most commercial gyms I've been in, but what makes it really bad is that ALL of the athletic teams share the gym with the general university, as well as the grad students. Let me repeat: about 10,000 students share a small ass gym alongside every athletic program at the university.
Washu's endowment is $5.28 billion, which is the 17th largest in the nation. Its endowment size is flanked by Emory University and Cornell. I don't really have to explain why it is completely fucking ludicrous that a school with that much money has a gym smaller than most 24 hour fitness facilities. But its not just that it is small. It also lacks some very basic shit that every gym worth a salt nowadays has... like a SINGLE fucking foam roller.
Needless to say, my warm-ups suck. Tonight, it was so fucking crowded that I literally went out to the bottom of a concrete stairwell to do my mobility work. I'm not even going to address what its like using a lacrosse ball to roll out your hip flexors on a 4x4 concrete slab. /End Rant
Front squats - starting to groove but I think I've taken narrow stance/knees out too far. I realized tonight I was basially doing a ballerina move. I was really getting up on my toes.
RDL's - Favorite move, probably the only thing I actually do right.
Incline - Felt smooth an easy. I'll build strength fast doing these often.
Monday, January 21, 2013
2012 in Review
I've been putting off writing this review partly because it is time consuming, and partly because I needed a break from daily blogging. It started to feel like a chore, and I've learned that if something is no longer enjoyable, more often than not, simply taking a break is the best decision. If Gabe can do it, I can do it too. Time to get back to it!
2012 was a great year. There were ups and downs, but I look back at the 12 months as a success. I'm going to keep this post mostly training related. But as an aside, I will say that I saw a lot of growth in my personal and professional life as well. I was able to get a job offer at my summer firm, but more importantly, my time as the SEC in the fall revealed important things about myself. Standard lawyering is great, but I think I'm made for more investigative type work. I love it, and seem to be really good at it. I now understand a path I truly want to pursue.
Training wise, I basically had three phases: 1) The Backloading/RTS Phase from Jan to May; 2) The DC Yellow Light/Mass Phase from June to August; 3) and the I'm Really Fucked up/Corrective Phase from October to December.
Backloading/RTS Phase
The huge success of the year was dropping from 259 to 229 in about 4.5 months. I said I was going to do it, and I did it. I also managed to set some legit PR's during that time. Nothing groundbreaking, and no Big 3 one rep maxes, but it made me happy I was able to lose so much weight and still manage to progress in training.
It is difficult to describe how much I learned about diet, and about what works for me. Essentially however, I implemented a modified carb backloading approach. I started off with one tiny backload per week, and slowly moved to two huge 400-500 gram carb-ups. By the end, my body was a fucking furnace. It was awesome to go to DC and wear tailored suits and feel proud about how I looked. Looking back, its easy to say "yep, I did it" but it took a ton of willpower to be that strict. I was literally going weeks without 1 single fuckup. Like not even a bite sized piece of candy. I dropped alcohol completely for 40 days, which was an important exercise in willpower for me.
PR's I set during this period (numbers in paranthesis denote all time 1RM):
2012 was a great year. There were ups and downs, but I look back at the 12 months as a success. I'm going to keep this post mostly training related. But as an aside, I will say that I saw a lot of growth in my personal and professional life as well. I was able to get a job offer at my summer firm, but more importantly, my time as the SEC in the fall revealed important things about myself. Standard lawyering is great, but I think I'm made for more investigative type work. I love it, and seem to be really good at it. I now understand a path I truly want to pursue.
Training wise, I basically had three phases: 1) The Backloading/RTS Phase from Jan to May; 2) The DC Yellow Light/Mass Phase from June to August; 3) and the I'm Really Fucked up/Corrective Phase from October to December.
Backloading/RTS Phase
The huge success of the year was dropping from 259 to 229 in about 4.5 months. I said I was going to do it, and I did it. I also managed to set some legit PR's during that time. Nothing groundbreaking, and no Big 3 one rep maxes, but it made me happy I was able to lose so much weight and still manage to progress in training.
It is difficult to describe how much I learned about diet, and about what works for me. Essentially however, I implemented a modified carb backloading approach. I started off with one tiny backload per week, and slowly moved to two huge 400-500 gram carb-ups. By the end, my body was a fucking furnace. It was awesome to go to DC and wear tailored suits and feel proud about how I looked. Looking back, its easy to say "yep, I did it" but it took a ton of willpower to be that strict. I was literally going weeks without 1 single fuckup. Like not even a bite sized piece of candy. I dropped alcohol completely for 40 days, which was an important exercise in willpower for me.
PR's I set during this period (numbers in paranthesis denote all time 1RM):
Squat: 455x3 (512.5)
Bench: 300x5 (340)
Deadlift: 515x2, 455x8, 315x20 (570)
Chins: 100x3, 90x4, 75x5
Dips: 90x5
Bent Row: 305x3 (straps/belt), 275x6 (raw)
Press: 185x5
Front Squat: 225x5
Close Grip Incline: 275x1
1.01.12 Before:
4.21.12 After:
Don't be jealous of my perfect living room lighting in the second pic.
DC Yellowlight/Mass Phase
When I got to DC, dieting and training took a backseat to my life. That was kind of the point. There isn't a ton to say about this period. Basically I was doing 2x a week strength sessions, maybe 2x a week conditioning sessions. Just staying in shape.
I moved into a brief mass phase and made significant progress and re-calibrated my thinking on strength training. Getting big is the easiest way to get stronger. I utilized high and ultra high reps with very low rest periods. I think at one point I deadlift 315x10 for 5 sets with like 60 seconds rest. This was also incredibly fucking stupid and I literally started falling apart. I will certainly do high reps again, but I will never deadlift in that fashion again. Never.
PR's set during the mass phase:
Bench:
225x18
135x30
Curls:
Bar x 100
135x5
If I were a random person on the internet I'd accuse me of doing steroids, but this is a picture of me pumped to all hell after one of these huge sessions. Part of it is I just happened to have a good angle/lighting in the locker room.
Nonethless, I discovered the power of ultra high reps. My only disappoint was because of my hip injury (which is why I was doing high rep deadlifts 2x a week), I never got to translate this new mass into true strength training. I would have loved to immediately transition into very high frequency barbell lifting, ala the 40 day program to see what I could have done. I have no doubt I would have set an awesome bench PR.
I'm Fucked Up/Corrective Phase
I'm not going to write much here since I'm still balls deep in this phase. Over the years I developed a femoral hip impingement due to poor form and spine alignment. Essentially, I setup poorly, executed lifts incorrectly, and developed pretty bad anterior pelvic tilt, lordosis, kyphosis, and a bunch of other shit not worth mentioning. These postural imbalances in turn really fucked up my hip. The load of the barbell was transferred to my joints - bone. Looking back, it makes me sick to my stomach imagining the likely permanent damage I did to my hip.
Lucky for me I have a great friend that has been an invaluable resource during this time. Gabe trains at iFast, which is in my opinion the foremost postural correction training facility in the world. I'm sure Cressey Performance is bad ass too, but I'm going to go with my Indiana boys on this one. Mike Boyle looks frail and hate back squats - ding. (and I actually met a guy that was a college strength coach over break and he said in person, Boyle is an arrogant prick). Every picture I see of Charlie Weingroff he isn't wearing shoes - ding. Also, his writing is unclear - ding.
Without the advice from Gabe and the free content put out by Robertson, I would probably never have squatted again. I really want to go to iFast at some point for an actual assessment. Partly because as time goes on tweaking the little shit is beyond my ability, and partly because I actually want to pay the people that have put so much stuff out there to help people - all for free. If funds allow for it, I'm going to do that sometime in the next 4-5 months while I'm still in the Midwest.
Wrap-up
The PR's and pictures speak for themselves. Training wise, I made measurable progress in 2012. I made very solid improvements in my physique and nutritional knowledge.
I'll point out that I know I don't have a picture from the corrective phase. I don't want to post one. Right now I'm soft, weak and have put on a considerable amount of fat. On one hand I'm disappointed with myself because I worked so hard on the diet and trained my balls off most of the year. On the other hand, who gives a fuck. I'm looking forward to all of the room I have for improvement. Onward and upward mother fuckers.
Phase 3 - Days 5, 6, 7
I took a week off from lifting due to a 20 hour drive, birthday, school starting, and everything else. I actually think I needed it because I was starting to feel beat down. I'm going to reproduce my last 3 workouts as best I can.
I basically used last week as a re-introduction week. Thus, my sets/reps aren't completely linear yet. I always have this mental image of "filling out" a routine. Basically, when I start a new routine or I am de-conditioned, I don't necessarily go in there and do every set/exercise laid out in the program. I fill out the routine over the course of a few sessions or a couple weeks. When I get to point where I feel adjusted to the new exercises, the split, and the reps/frequency, then I'll do complete workouts and try to make controlled progress. I think this is especially important when you have a long time horizon. I'll be doing this routine for at least 2-3 months. I'm not completely sure how things will develop from here on out, so there is no rush.
Day 5
1. Front Squat
135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3
2. RDL
185x8; 185x8;
3. Incline
185x5; 185x5; 185x5; 135x10
4. DB Row
75x8; 75x8
5a. Pushup
15; 15
5b. BB Curl
60x15; 60x15
6a. Deadbugs
8; 8
6b. Standing Bent Over YTI's
5x4/4/4; 5x4/4/4
Day 6
1. Sumo
365x3; 365x3; 315x5
2a. Press
115x5; 115x5; 115x5
2b. 90/90 Split Squat
BWx5; BWx5
3. Chins
4; 4; 4
Day 7
1. Front Squat
165x3; 165x3; 165x3; 135x5; 135x5
2. RDL (hook grip)
195x8; 195x8; 195x8
3. Incline
190x5; 190x5; 190x5; 135x12
4. DB Row
75x8; 75x8; 75x8
5a. Pushup
16; 16
5b. Curl
60x16; 60x16
I basically used last week as a re-introduction week. Thus, my sets/reps aren't completely linear yet. I always have this mental image of "filling out" a routine. Basically, when I start a new routine or I am de-conditioned, I don't necessarily go in there and do every set/exercise laid out in the program. I fill out the routine over the course of a few sessions or a couple weeks. When I get to point where I feel adjusted to the new exercises, the split, and the reps/frequency, then I'll do complete workouts and try to make controlled progress. I think this is especially important when you have a long time horizon. I'll be doing this routine for at least 2-3 months. I'm not completely sure how things will develop from here on out, so there is no rush.
Day 5
1. Front Squat
135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3
2. RDL
185x8; 185x8;
3. Incline
185x5; 185x5; 185x5; 135x10
4. DB Row
75x8; 75x8
5a. Pushup
15; 15
5b. BB Curl
60x15; 60x15
6a. Deadbugs
8; 8
6b. Standing Bent Over YTI's
5x4/4/4; 5x4/4/4
Day 6
1. Sumo
365x3; 365x3; 315x5
2a. Press
115x5; 115x5; 115x5
2b. 90/90 Split Squat
BWx5; BWx5
3. Chins
4; 4; 4
Day 7
1. Front Squat
165x3; 165x3; 165x3; 135x5; 135x5
2. RDL (hook grip)
195x8; 195x8; 195x8
3. Incline
190x5; 190x5; 190x5; 135x12
4. DB Row
75x8; 75x8; 75x8
5a. Pushup
16; 16
5b. Curl
60x16; 60x16
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Phase 3 - Days 1, 2, 3, 4
Day 1
1. Front Squat
185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3
2. Incline
185x5; 185x5; 185x5
3. RDL
185x8; 185x10; 185x10
4. Chins
3; 3; 3
Skipped abs and corrective.
Day 2
Conditioning
12 prowler runs @ 40 yards
3 "Corrective Complexes" w/ 95 pounds
RDL x 8; Row x 8; Press x 8; Split squat x 3; Push-up x 10
Day 3
1. Sumo
275x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3
2. Press
115x5; 135x5; 115x5
3. DB Row
75x8; 75x8; 75x8
4. Split Squats
BWx8; BWx8
5a. Close Grip Bench
135x12; 135x12
5b. BB Curl
45x20; 45x20
Day 4
Small workout
Facepulls
5 sets of 20
DB Side Lateral
12x20; 12x20
1. Front Squat
185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3; 185x3
2. Incline
185x5; 185x5; 185x5
3. RDL
185x8; 185x10; 185x10
4. Chins
3; 3; 3
Skipped abs and corrective.
Day 2
Conditioning
12 prowler runs @ 40 yards
3 "Corrective Complexes" w/ 95 pounds
RDL x 8; Row x 8; Press x 8; Split squat x 3; Push-up x 10
Day 3
1. Sumo
275x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3
2. Press
115x5; 135x5; 115x5
3. DB Row
75x8; 75x8; 75x8
4. Split Squats
BWx8; BWx8
5a. Close Grip Bench
135x12; 135x12
5b. BB Curl
45x20; 45x20
Day 4
Small workout
Facepulls
5 sets of 20
DB Side Lateral
12x20; 12x20
Phase 3 Introduction
After an all day long email chain with Gabe last week, I decided to move on to Phase 3. I'm deviating from the standard progression and moving on to more serious compound lifts. I feel ready for the most part. Whereas Phase 1 and 2 were 4-6 weeks, this phase is indefinite until I sort everything out.
Basically, I'll be running linear progression but continuing to focus on postural/movement correction. The last 10 weeks I've reset my hips into neutral for most movements. My posture has significantly improved. And for the first time, I'm actually using my core correctly. Everything is far from perfect, but I'm anxious to start moving a little weight. I'm getting soft.
This is the basic setup I'll be using, probably for the next 2 months at least:
M-W-F
Session A
1. Front Squat 5x3
2. Incline BB 3x5
3a. RDL 3x8-15 reps
3b. Chins 3xAMRAP
4a. Abs
4b. External Rotation
Session B
1. Sumo 5x3 or 3x3
2. Press 3x5
3. Unilateral Leg Lift
4. DB Row 3x8-15 reps
5a. BB Curl 3 sets high reps
5b. Close grip bench - 3 sets high reps
6a. Abs
6b. Calves
Off days I'll condition. KB Stuff, core work, running, sled work, farmers walks, etc.
Basically, I'll be running linear progression but continuing to focus on postural/movement correction. The last 10 weeks I've reset my hips into neutral for most movements. My posture has significantly improved. And for the first time, I'm actually using my core correctly. Everything is far from perfect, but I'm anxious to start moving a little weight. I'm getting soft.
This is the basic setup I'll be using, probably for the next 2 months at least:
M-W-F
Session A
1. Front Squat 5x3
2. Incline BB 3x5
3a. RDL 3x8-15 reps
3b. Chins 3xAMRAP
4a. Abs
4b. External Rotation
Session B
1. Sumo 5x3 or 3x3
2. Press 3x5
3. Unilateral Leg Lift
4. DB Row 3x8-15 reps
5a. BB Curl 3 sets high reps
5b. Close grip bench - 3 sets high reps
6a. Abs
6b. Calves
Off days I'll condition. KB Stuff, core work, running, sled work, farmers walks, etc.
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