Tuesday, January 5, 2010

BENCH PRESS

WARM-UP WALK (1/4 mile)
STRETCHING (pectorals, triceps)

BENCH PRESS
(weight x sets x reps)
bar x 1 x a lot
95 x 1 x 10
135 x 1 x 10
185 x 1 x 5
225 x 1 x 3
240 x 1 x 3
255 x 1 x 3
275 x 1 x 2
315 x 1 x 1

CHEST-SUPPORTED ROW
120 x 1 x 10
140 x 2 x 8

LAT PULL DOWN
100 x 1 x 10
100 x 1 x 8
100 x 1 x 6 (supinated close grip)

LYING NEUTRAL-GRIP DB TRICEPS PRESS
50(each) x 3 x 5

DONE

After the first set of lat pull downs, my forearms were TIGHT. I think this might be from my dead lift workout yesterday. Probably should have stretched them out pre- and post- workout yesterday.

My back felt good today. I did feel some twinges of pain/tightness on the right side if I bent over at the lower back. My sacrum has a bit of weird pain. Not horrible, just dull aches.

Hoping for the best...

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Monday, January 4, 2010

DEAD LIFT

FOAM ROLLER (lower back, hamstrings)
TENNIS BALL (piriformis)
WARM-UP WALK WITH GRETCHEN (1/2 mile)
STRETCHING (glutes/piriformis, hamstrings, psoas)

DEAD LIFT

(weights x sets x reps)
135 x 1 x 5
225 x 1 x 5
225 x 1 x 3
295 x 1 x 3
365 x 2 x 3 (added belt on first set)
415 x 1 x 3

INCLINE BENCH SIT UPS
bodyweight x 4 x 10
bodyweight x 1 x 8

STRETCHING

DONE

Back started getting tight around the set of 295. Started getting some localized tightness on the right side on second set of 365. The pain didn't get to the point that it was extremely localized in one little spot like it did a couple of weeks ago. Probably got halfway to passing out after the last set. My hearing started to go a little. Last set was REALLY tough. Probably in part because I started using the sumo style today at the suggestion of Mr. Selkow on EliteFTS. My toes were about 6 inches from the plates on the first sets. On the last set, I set my toes out to about 3 inches from the plates.

When I got home, the tightness was gone and only came back if I purposefully hunched my lower back out.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Saturday, January 2, 2010

FOAM ROLL (lower back, IT bands)
TENNIS BALL (piriformis)
WARM-UP WALK (1/2 mile)
STRETCHING

SQUAT
135 x 1 x 10
135 x 1 x 5
225 x 1 x 5
295 x 1 x 2
315 x 1 x 1
335 x 1 x 1
365 x 2 x 1
385 x 1 x 1
405 x 1 x 1

PULL THROUGHS
30 x 1 x 10
60 x 3 x 10

After the 5th set, squats felt really good. Maybe it was the Icy Hot, but my SI joint felt fine and my back was good. Then came the pull throughs. I should have kept the weight lower. When I was done my back was tight. It did go away pretty quickly, though, so I can't complain too much.

Overall, it was a good day.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Friday, January 1, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New year, new goals. This is NOT a New Year's Resolution. Nothing guarantees failure quite like a New Year's Resolution.

Goals:

1) GET HEALTHY AND STAY THAT WAY (SI joint, hip flexors/abductors, left elbow)

2) Stay on top of SMFR, massage therapy, stretching, and warm-ups.

3) Compete in at least 3 meets (either bench-only or full)

Meet goals:

Squat: 500
Bench Press: 365
Dead Lift: 530


Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

December 31, 2009

FOAM ROLL (lower back)
WARM-UP WALK
STRETCHING

BENCH PRESS

Bar x a lot
135 x 10
185 x 5
210 x 5
240 x 11
(est. rep max = 327, not bad but needs improvement)

FACE PULLS

40 x 1 x10
60 x 2 x 10
80 x 1 x 10

LAT PULLDOWNS

100 x 3 x 10

DONE

Should have warmed up more on the bench to get the 12 reps I was looking for... c'est la vie.


Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Update 12-28-09

I saw the sports medicine doctor last week. He said it's probably an SI joint issue and not a herniated disc. My nerve function was good and the so-called "straight-leg test" was negative for sciatic pain.

I plan to use Joe DeFranco's Agile 8 combined with some massage therapy to work out the tight muscles. Hopefully I'll be back to dead lifting soon.

Training is later today, so I'll have an update on what I get done.

Mens sana in corpore sano.

December 18, 2009

Dead Lift

walk 4 minutes
stretching

Dead Lift:

2x8 @ 135
1x5 @ 225
1x3 @ 275
1x5 @ 340
1x3 @ 385
1x3 @ 435

Glutes (on multi-hip)
3x10 @ 150

Abs (body weight, decline bench)
1x12
1x10
1x8

DONE

My back was so dang tight I was walking around like I thought I was God's gift or something. I'm working with my future-PT friend again to see if we can resolve this. I'm thinking of dropping the 5/3/1 for squat and dead lift (while continuing to use it for bench press) and just doing heavy singles.

I was thinking today that I want to hit up the next two meets in the area; the Capitol City Clash in Lincoln, NE on January 23 and the Kansas Heavy Metal Open in Hoisington, KS on March 6.

I plan to do bench press only at the NE meet and do a full meet at the KS one.

We'll see...

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

December 17, 2009

No squat this week. This is partly because of my psoas issue and partly because of finals. No excuse is a good one, but at least this is an explanation.

Got the massage done Tuesday night and I'm feeling pretty good. Not 100%, but I should be so after another treatment or two. The therapist is coming back in about a month, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.


Anyway, today:

Bench Press:
1x15 @ bar
3x8 @ 135
1x5 @ 210
1x3 @ 235
1x8 @ 265
(335 est. 1 RM... YES!)

Lat Pulldowns:
3x8

CSR:
2x10
1x6

Face Pulls:
2x10
1x8

Felt good... traps will be sore from the face pulls even though they were light. I've never done these before, but I hope they keep my scapulae tracking right.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

December 9,2009

Bench Press

Bar x10
135 x6
185 x3
225 x3
250 x8
(316.67 est 1RM)

CSR

2x10
2x8

Lat Pulldowns

2x10
2x8

Felt darn good today. Little pins and needles in the left pec, but other than that, no problem.

December 11,2009

No training today. Too busy studying and had a tight muscle in the right iliopsoas region.


I'm not sure what my training will look like in the next week. Finals loom large on the horizon and that hip flexor or ab muscle or whatever it is is just getting worse. I'll just have to see, but I want to be smart. Another student's wife (a massage therapist) may be able to fix the issue near the end of finals week.

Hoping...

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Sunday (12-7) & Monday (12-8) Training

Sunday (12-7)

pushups:
20
20

machine flyes:
10

wide-grip dips:
3x4 (sets x reps)

selector machine incline presses
3x10

walked 1/4mile

pushups:
20

machine flyes:
10
10

narrow-grip dips:
2x8
1x6

selector machine incline presses
2x8
1x6

I was pretty tired after this. Today I've got the DOMS like nobody's business. Hopefully this will help me jack up my (rather pathetic) bench press max...


Monday (12-8)

hip adductor/abductor
2 sets each exercise 10 reps x 80 lbs.

hamstring/glute on multi-hip
2 sets 10 reps x 40 lbs.

hip stretching/hamstring stretching

Squat:

135x8
185x5
295x3
345x3
385x5

hamstring curls
2x8x115
1x8x135

My back was pretty tight again tonight, but I think it was better than it could have been.

I used a LOT of Icy-Hot on my lower back to try to stay warm... smelled like menthol for about an hour after the session.

Hoping and praying that my back loosens up this week before dead lift on Friday...

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

First Week on 5/3/1

I have a new training partner. Things are going pretty well, and I'm definitely getting some cardio in via changing weights!

Squat - Sunday Nov. 29

warm up walk and stretching

Squats
warm up sets
5x320
5x340
6x365
felt like hell

hip adductor
3x10

hip abductor
3x10

hamstring curls
2x10
1x8

cool down walk and stretching

Bench Press - Wednesday Dec. 2

warm up walk, stretching

Bench Press
warm up sets
5x185
5x205
5x235 (forgot to go to near-failure... probably had 5 more in the tank)

chest-supported rows (selector machine)
2x10 @ 120 (neutral grip)
1x8 @ 140 (prone grip)

lat pull-downs
2x10 @ 100
1x8 @ 120

cool down and stretching

Dead Lift - Friday, December 4, 2009

warm up walk and stretching

Dead Lift
warm up sets
5x315
5x365
(didn't finish... back too tight)

leg/hip raises (abs)
3x5

cool down walk and stretching


I'm hoping to get some help with this back tightness issue. I've asked someone on the EliteFTS website for some help. Should be good to go next time.

Speaking of next time, I've been given a routine to use an a substitute for the 5/3/1 Military Press day. It's from a future-PT friend of mine.

It is set up like this...
Push Ups (near failure)
Floor Press w/ Dumbbells (near failure)
Floor Chest Flyes w/ Dumbbells (near failure
3 Sets Dips (near failure)
3 Sets Selector Machine Chest Press (near failure)

take a walk and repeat once

I plan to take this one up on Sunday, so it'll look like this:

Sunday - accessory chest day
Monday - 5/3/1 squat day
Wednesday - 5/3/1 bench press day
Friday - 5/3/1 dead lift day

I plan to use the "Boring But Big" accessory work for my 5/3/1 training.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

2009 Kansas State Championships Videos

I couldn't get videos to upload, so I just thought I'd post links:

Squat - 475 Pass

Bench Press - 305 Pass

Dead Lift - 520 Pass


Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Goals for March 6th Meet

These will certainly be preliminary goals, but I want to get started early.

Squat - 490 lbs.
Bench Press - 320 lbs.
Dead Lift - 550 lbs.

Total - 1360

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

2009 Kansas State Championships Results

I hit my goal for the meet!

Squat: 440 - pass; 460 - pass; 475 - pass (12 lbs PR)
Bench Press: 285 - pass; 305 lbs - pass (2 lbs PR); 315 lbs - no pass
Dead Lift: 480 - pass; 500 - pass; 520 (35 lbs PR)
Total - 1300 lbs (49 lbs PR)

Meet video to follow later.

Also, my next meet may be the Raw Nationals in Denver, CO in June, 2010...

Mens sana in corpore sano

36 Hours Out

About a day and a half left. I've been getting plenty of rest this week and taking it easy. Haven't been to the gym, but I have been doing some of my PT and using the foam roller I purchased from EliteFTS. It's a nice tool for self-massage and I think it's helped keep me loose.

Had an exam today in Microeconomic Theory; I think it went pretty well. Nothing left but some homework and finals... working for success and hoping for the best.

Schedule for tomorrow:

Get around at about 8:00 AM
Go to the Rec to check weight @ 9:00 AM
Tutor a student in finance/econ at 12:30 PM
Class from 1:30 to 2:20 PM
Run to the store to pick up some groceries and a few last things for the meet
Get everything together and pack my bag
Cut off all food/water intake by 10:00 PM

SLEEP!

Update on the meet will follow Saturday evening.

Until then:
"Mens sana in corpore sano"

Update: Congenital Defect and Last Weeks of Training

Here I am, 2.5 weeks out from the meet. I've been loaded down with school work, so I'm hoping that my next 2 tests go well.

I saw a physical therapist a couple of weeks ago. The sports med doctor put me on 1000 mgs. of Aleve for 2 weeks. That runs out on Wednesday. The PT is going okay. She has me doing about 5 different exercises to strengthen my transversus abdominis muscle. The idea is that this will help stabilize my torso and relieve some of the pressure from the muscles in my back.
I have a common congenital defect called spina bifida occulta. It's really no big deal, but it may make my back pain worse as I age. That's why the PT (and a strong abdomen) is so crucial for me. It may be causing some nerve irritation because of my lifting.

This week I will be working up to my openers as well as doing a decent workout as final prep for the meet. Next week I'll be deloading and the following week I'll be doing some very light work, stretching, and watching my weight. Tonight I was right at 242 lbs. I'm not too worried, as it was pretty late at night (I'm always a few pounds lighter at the beginning of the day).

Mens sana in corpore sano.

Psoas

I found some stretches on the web for my back. From talking to some people, I've confirmed that the problem is most likely my psoas muscle. The stretches are helping, I just need to stay on top of it.

Workouts are going well. I've hit a snag on the bench press, but I'm getting some assistance with it this Wednesday from one of the trainers at the gym.

I'm letting the squat stay where it is in order to save my back a bit. I'll still be working it on Mondays, but I'll be staying around 85% in the workouts. I plan to open with 200 kg. at the meet and end up at 210 kg. (which is my squat from the last meet).

Deadlift is progressing nicely and I'm feeling good about hitting my goal of 240 kg.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano.

NEW DL PR!

Today I hit a new PR in the gym on the dead lift! 500 lbs! It came up with a lot of effort and shaking in the legs. Obviously I'll be adjusting my goals for my next meet to account for this.

Squat 475 lbs. (215 kg.)
Bench Press 325 lbs. (147.5 kg.)
Deadlift 530 lbs. (240 kg.)

Total 1330 lbs. (602.5 kg.)

WOO HOO!

Off-Track

A few weeks have passed and I feel as though my initial goals were a bit conservative.

New goals (in lbs.):

Squat: 475
Bench Press: 335
Dead Lift: 510

Total: 1320

My protein shake mix has arrived and I've been loading up every day on it.

More updates in a couple of weeks.

Goals for November Meet

I believe I have figured out my goals for my next meet.

Squat: 470 lbs. (212.5 kg)
Bench Press: 325 lbs. (147.5 kg)
Dead Lift: 495 lbs. (225 kg)
Total: 1290 lbs. (585 kg)

If my training goes well, I think I can make it. My biggest concern is bench press, I have been weak here in the past. More updates to follow as my training progresses.

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano