Quest for NE State Championship

[Jason B]

Decided to start a new log, I'm still going to cut some bodyfat, but now that I have a meet to train for, I wanted a new log. My plan is a modified westside template (pretty sure all 'westside' training is 'modified' though, but you get the point). The meet is August 4, it's the 100% Raw Powerlifting Nebraska State Championships, here in Omaha.

Right now I have really no idea about numbers I want to hit in the squat and bench. I'd like to deadlift in the 520-530 range. I haven't done a competition squat in so long, my box squats and GM's have been pretty strong though, and I've added a lot of size to my legs in the past few months, if I had to ballpark it, I'd say I'd like to shoot for 450-480, but that may be high, I'll do a test sometime soon. As for bench, I have no earthly idea. Sprained my AC joint last December, since then I've pressed a weight a total of 3 times. Some light DB floor presses, a ME DB press where I hit 125's 5 times easy, and a form session with a barbell last week where 185 felt heavy as shit. My shoulder still just doesn't feel quite right, every now and then I get that pain, comes and goes, so I don't how it's going to react when I train heavy again.

I'll post some goals as the meet get's closer. Oh yeah, I'll compete in the 198's, I'm weighing around 208 now. I'm gonna try more for a big coefficient than lifting as much as possible in the weight class. So I'd like to weigh about 190-195.

[Jason B]

7 March 07 - ME Bench; Cycle 1, Week 2

Mobility Work
Shoulder Circuits (twice):
Scap Push-ups (hands on swiss ball)
Prone Internal Cable Rotations
Face Pulls
One-Arm Cable Scap Retractions (left arm only)
Shoulder Band Traction

*Key: Weight lifted x reps x sets

a) ME Football Bar JM Press (tried cambered bar, hurt my right elbow):
Warm-up
135 x 5 x 1
135 x 3 x 3

b1) Inverted Rows, feet elevated:
BW x 4 x 7
b2) Roman Deadlift (last 3 sets more of a Dimel DL):
205 x 4 x 1
225 x 4 x 3
265 x 4 x 2
245 x 4 x 1

c1) Elbows Out DB Tricep Extensions:
30's + light band x 10 x 3
c2) One-Arm DB Rows:
75 x 15 x 3

d1) 3 way Neck Machine (back and sides):
70 x 15 x 2
80 x 15 x 1
d2) One-Arm DB Farmer's Walks:
110 x 20 yds (est.) x 1
130 x 30 yds x 1
150 x 25 yds x 1 (two-arms on that set)

e) Corrective Stretches, Cable Scap Retractions, Feet Elevated Scap Push-ups


What I learned today:
1) Today was apparently vag day in the gym, I didn't get the memo. I'm doing my sets of inverted rows and RDL's and I notice the only other two people in the leg area are two guys, both wearing jeans and work boots, one's doing leg presses, the other's doing seated calf raises. The 'guy' doing leg presses had gloves on too, and talked on his cell phone between sets. Then he moves over to the seated leg curl machine and can't figure out how to lower it all the way, so vag #2 who's still just sitting on the calf machine tells him he has to pull the little lever. Just made me crack up. In the time it took these guys go through the motions of a couple sets of machine exercises I did 14 balls out sets of rows and RDL's. I'm not suggesting that the bigger, stronger guys always know more about what they're doing, that's not true at all, but you'd think they could take a hint from me. Here's a guy (me) who's bigger and stronger than them (i.e. has achieved their goals) and he's busting his ass on hard, heavy free weight movements while they plop their ass on a machine and 'do a set' every 10 minutes. Do people really think it's going to just happen one day from just showing up and going through the motions. The body IS NOT GOING TO GROW unless you make it!! I'm not trying to sound high on myself, I know I still have a long way to go as well, I just wonder what people think, when you want to get bigger and stronger, and everyone who is bigger and stronger than you trains in a completely different way, wouldn't that tell you something??

It didn't end there though, among the other highlights of the day were one guy who asked me what the bands were for, I explained accomidating resistance to him while he did incline db curls. Later on, after a set of farmer's walks, he commented that he always see me doing stuff 'out of the ordinary' and that it's obviously working, I wanted to ask if his ordinary crap was working, but I didn't, I just said 'thanks, I don't want to be ordinary.' Oh yeah, this was while he performed high cable curls (the super gay biceps pose facing the mirror one). He also said he was going to try the 'hanging things' (hanging leg raises) he's seen me do, but wanted to do it when the gym wasn't crowded. I told him you should never be embarrased to try a new exercise in the gym, you're their to better yourself, not impress anybody else. And as I'm leaving, he had moved on to low cable curls . That's just the highlights, nobody knew what the fuck they were doing today. I need some good training partners.

[slimsaw00]

I see many days like that too. . . . . I need to start taking my iPod again; I've got this guy who always like to chat it up.

I'll be watching ya prep for your meet. . . .should be awesome to read/watch. I hear ya on the training partner thing too.



-Matt

[Alcoholiday]

can you do football bar presses? or do they hurt your shoulder? What about board presses so you can get some tri strength while rehabbing?

Your story was awesome. It reminds me of the college gym. I walk by it and stare every day, and see guys in cut off tees doing curls while looking at themselves in the mirror. Apparantley they caught the gay.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Alcoholiday

can you do football bar presses? or do they hurt your shoulder? What about board presses so you can get some tri strength while rehabbing?

Your story was awesome. It reminds me of the college gym. I walk by it and stare every day, and see guys in cut off tees doing curls while looking at themselves in the mirror. Apparantley they caught the gay.

I can do football bar presses, but I should mention it's not a real football bar, it's one of those tricep/hammer curl bars, the grip is a little narrower than shoulder width. The JM Press hits my tri's harder than close grip press anyway. And I think board presses would be just as bad, maybe worse with the added weight. It's the straight bar that gets me, although my shoulder felt fine today. It's the weirdest thing, comes and goes. Started ice again yesterday, that should help, 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes. I kind of slacked on my rehab movements the last couple weeks too, guess I have to keep on those.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by slimsaw00

I see many days like that too. . . . . I need to start taking my iPod again; I've got this guy who always like to chat it up.

I'll be watching ya prep for your meet. . . .should be awesome to read/watch. I hear ya on the training partner thing too.



-Matt

Thanks man.

[Alcoholiday]

Originally Posted by Jason B

I can do football bar presses, but I should mention it's not a real football bar, it's one of those tricep/hammer curl bars, the grip is a little narrower than shoulder width. The JM Press hits my tri's harder than close grip press anyway. And I think board presses would be just as bad, maybe worse with the added weight. It's the straight bar that gets me, although my shoulder felt fine today. It's the weirdest thing, comes and goes. Started ice again yesterday, that should help, 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes. I kind of slacked on my rehab movements the last couple weeks too, guess I have to keep on those.

what was wrong w/ it again?
do you ever do tennis ball rolling on your back/scap area? It feels soooo good.

[Jason B]

Sprained AC joint, at least I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Could possibly be impingement, but I can raise it up overhead fine, it's just random pain in random positions at random times. It's right where the AC is, and reading about the causes of AC sprain I'm pretty sure that's it. Thought it might be a bicep tendon, but did a test for that and it's not.

And yeah, I've got a giant tennis ball that's actually a dog toy. Found it at Target, it works great. It's a little smaller than a softball, but hard as a rock, it's almost downright painful!

[Matthew]

Sweet dude, good luck. I'll be visiting.

[Jason B]

9 Mar 07 - DE SQ/DL; Cycle 1, Week 2

Mobility
Ab Stabilization
Hip Flexor Stretch / Bird-Dogs
90-90 Stretch / One-Legged BW GM's

*Key - Weight x sets x reps
(Sorry, posted it backwards last time, I like this way better)

a) DE Box Squat
205 x 10 x 2
225 x 1 x 1
255 x 1 x 1
285 x 1 x 1
315 x 1 x 1

Surprised I felt good enough to work up today, when I work up on DE day I go until I slow down or until I hit a rep over 80%, whichever comes first, today both happened at the same time, 315 was a little slower than all others, but still very fast, felt strong. I work up once in the 3-week cycle, whenever I feel good.

b) DE Deadlift:
315 x 4 x 3 (step back from bar b/t sets)
405 x 1 x 1
275 x 1 x 10 (kept hands on bar, but no bouncing)

Tried something new today, was training with a couple guys I met a couple weeks ago, both powerlifters. The older guy powerlifted for about 9 years and squatted 800+, benched 500+, and pulled 700+, and he's not that heavy, he's a strong dude. So he's showing me some stuff

c1) Back Ext. GHR:
light band x 3 x 12,12,8
c2) Hanging Leg Raise:
BW x 3 x 10,10,8

d1) Cable Dimel DL:
190 x 1 x 15
200 x 1 x 15
d2) Side Cable Oblique Crunches:
120 x 1 x 15
130 x 1 x 15

d) Corrective Stretches


What I learned today:
1) Turning my feet out slighty on deadlifts helped me drive my feet into the floor and use my hips more.

2) I wish we had a heavier cable stack for those cable Dimel deadlifts.

Quote of the day:
"...easy and strong are usually opposing concepts." - Mark Rippetoe, Starting Strength

[Jason B]

11 Mar 07 - Form Bench; Cycle 1 - Week 3

Dynamic Mobility
Shoulder Circuit:
Scap Push-Ups on Swiss Ball
Prone Internal Rotations
Face Pulls
Band Shoulder Traction
Prone Plank (1:30)

a) Form Bench Press:
About 10 sets of 3 with 135
Couple sets with 185

Still just feeling out form. Trying to get tight, just doesn't feel right yet.

b1) Rolling DB Tri. Ext. on Floor:
35's x 6 x 5
b2) Chest Supp Row:
115 x 6 x 5

c1) Cable Face Pulls:
60 x 15, 50 x 15
c2) One-Arm DB Protractions:
35 x 2 x 15

d) BB Complex - 10 reps each:
Snatch Grip High Pulls
BB Rows
Clean Grip High Pulls
Bradford Press
Back Squat
GM
RDL
Reverse Curl

e) Steep Incline Treadmill Walking:
15% incline, 2.8mph, 8 minutes

f) Corrective Stretches


What I learned today:
1) I need waaay more mobility work, I'm just sick of being tight all the time and foam rolling to death to try to loosen up. Changing up my off-day GPP from the band work to mobility/activation/stretching stuff. I'm adding in unilateral leg work 2-3 times a week (nothing hits my glutes like uni work), and I'm gonna work a little more mobility work into the training session, probably have to cut down a little on acc exercises, which is fine, I'm sick of being beat up.


Quote of the Day:
"The person who makes the excuses is always the common denominator. Responsibility always falls back on the person who makes the excuses." - Dave Tate, Under the Bar

[Jason B]

12 Mar 07 - ME SQ/DL; Cycle 1, Week 3

General Warm-Up (2 circuits):
High Knees
Buttkickers
Side-Shuffles
Backpedals
Jumping Jacks
Push-Ups
Hip Mobility
Glute Activation / Hip Flexor Stretch

a) ME Safety Squat Bar Concentric GM's
325 x 1
345 x 1
305 x 1

b1) DB Bulgarians
30's x 2 x 10
20's x 1 x 10
b2) Reverse Crunches
3 x 12

c1) Sumo Stiff-legged Deads (using glutes hard)
135 x 3 x 6
c2) Push-Ups
1-1/4 reps x 3 x 12

d) Corrective Stretches

e) Incline Treadmill Walking


What I learned today:
1) Think I like the general warm-up better than just doing mobility stuff, I like breaking a little sweat and getting the heart-beat up, I feel a lot more loose.

2) Bulgarian split-squats are fucking killer. I already knew this, but I re-learn it every time I do them again.

Quote of the Day:
"There are many components of persistence in pursuit of success. There is much more to it than sticking around and trying over and over. That's easy for anyone to do. There are many things along the way that will make you want to quit, force you to quit, cause you pain, set you back, and make your life a living hell. Being persistent in achieving your goals means overcoming all the obstacles you run into along the way. Trust me when I tell you that all the pain and hell you have to go through is always worth it in the end. Just make sure you're suffering for what you really want and believe in."
-My favorite paragraph from Under the Bar, Dave Tate's book.

[Steve-O-68]

Good stuff Jason. Looks like you've got a solid plan in place. Omaha's only a few hours drive from where I am. If I've got a vehicle with air conditioning, I may come up and check it out. I'd like to enter a raw comp in a few years and want to get as much exposure to this stuff as possible.

Quick question, why so many reps on the DL?

[Jason B]

14 Mar 07 - Upper Body

General Warm-Up Circuits
Thoracic-Scapulae mobility
Corrective Shoulder work

a) Flat DB Press
110 x 5 x 5

Shoulder felt fine, but I bet I'll be feeling it tomorrow, we'll see, I got ice on it right now.

b1) Straight bar cable rows: 140
b2) Single Leg DB RDL's: 35's
10 minutes EDT; 5 reps

c) Core Stabilization:
Prone Plank: 2 minutes
Isometric Back Ext (knees bent, contracting glutes and hams): 2 minutes

d1) DB Farmer's Walks
130 x 20 yds (est)
150 x 30 yds (est) x 2
d2) 3-way Neck Machine (back and sides)
80 x 3 x 15

Don't know where it came from, but those 150# farmer's were cake, I pulled them off the rack and they felt like nothing. Good thing the gym wasn't crowded, I was almost sprinting!

e) Hanging Leg Raises / Prone Lower Trap Raises: 2 supersets

f) Corrective Stretches


What I learned today:
1) Cable Rows suck when you're lower back is tight and tired, just holding myself erect was a chore.

2) I definitely prefer a general warm-up to get the blood flowing over just doing mobility exercises.

Quote of the Day:
"Sometimes you gotta throw out the exercise science books and just TRAIN LIKE A MADMAN!!!"
-Joe DeFranco

[slimsaw00]

that DeFranco quote is a good one.



-Matt

[Jason B]

17 Mar 07 - DE SQ/DL; Week 3

General Warm-Ups
Anterior Pelvic Tilt Correction Circuit
Shoulder Prehab Circuit

a) DE Box Squats
225 x 8 x 2

b) DE Deadlift
225 x 5-6 x 1
275 x 4-5 x 1
325 x 3 x 1

c1) Wide Pull-Ups
BW x 18
BW x 12
c2) Walking DB Lunges
55's x 2 x 8 (each leg)

d) Sprints
20yds x 4
40yds x 5

Started conditioning today with a little sprinting, upping the fat burning.

e) Corrective Stretches


What I learned today:
1) Expect a change in my program after I deload this week. I tried it last summer and this year I'm already finding the same thing, and that is that westside type training is too hard on the body on a restricted calorie diet (for me at least). It's only been one cycle and I feel beat down and weak. I absolutely love it when I'm eating to gain, it will make you bigger and stronger than any other programming in my opinion, but it's just too much without the extra calories (for a drug free lifter anyway). Sure, you could tone it down and stick to the basics with it, but that just water's it down in my opinion. Westside is great because it builds all types of brute strength that carryover to all lifts because of all the different exercises, but the downside is that you need a ton of recovery (cals + rest + GPP) for that to work, which isn't possible while cutting. That plus the fact that I don't want to BB bench yet, means I'm gonna change my plan to a full-body, higher frequency approach with fewer exercises, getting stronger through nueral adaptations. I'll limit my accessory work and concentrate only on my weak points, and add in more and more conditioning. This will be a good opportunity to work on posture problems as well. I think I've got a good plan, I'll post it later once I'm happy with it and see how it goes.


Quote of the Day:
"Some are afraid to live. Some are afraid to die. Which one are you?"
-Louie Simmons

[Frank.S]

Yep westside is a damn good program when your eating a ton of food. I couldnt do my modified westside (Westside with an extra DE deadlift day thrown in) while eating 500cals under.

I like that Defranco quote as well, reminds me of this one:

"Too many guys are looking for the right program instead of just "Smashing Fucking Weights".
-Vincent Dizenzo, a 308 lbs. powerlifter with an 800 lbs. bench press.

[Jason B]

After a week off to deload, got back at it today. Last week I played racquetball a couple times, and drug the sled once. Wanted to do mobility work every day, but I got lazy and that didn't happen, partly because my fiancee was in town last weekend and it took me 3 days to clean my 1 bedroom apartment, pretty sad. Plus the fact I'm actually a little busy at work now, but you know what they, excuses are like assholes... Anyway, here's what I did today, I'll post an outline of my new training program if I have time tonight, but I've never tried anything like this, so it's liable to change in the coming weeks.

26 Mar 07 - Heavy Squat Day

General warm-up circuits
Lower Body Dynamic drills - hip mobility, glute activation, etc.
Shoulder Prehab - Scapular movements

a) Back Squat - 'Normal' stance, slighty wider than hips, 2-3 inches below parallel
Warm-Up sets - Bar to 315, plate and quarter increments
365 x 1
395 x 1
415 x 1
315 x 3
225 x 3

Was pretty happy with 415 today, felt good. Haven't had that much weight on my back in a while, been using the manta ray, safety bar, low boxes, etc. So I was pleasantly surprised with 415 after not touching a weight in 8 days.

b) DE deadlift
225 x 10 x 1 - 30 second clock

c) Core Isometric Stabilization
Prone Ab Planks - 1 min with feet on small swiss ball, then drop to floor for 1 min
Back extension hold - 2 min with purple band

d) L-Pullups
BW x 10,8,6

e) Treadmill HIIT
3 rounds - 9.5/6.0 - 1:2 work:rest


What I learned today
1) Definitely found out that I prefer to tighten up before I go down to get the bar on deadlifts. Used to never really think about it. But today I tried tightening up then going down to the bar, stay tight and pull. And I tried going down to the bar, then tightening up and pulling. The former felt much better and stronger. I was able to keep my hip and back angle constant and drive my feet through the floor much easier at the start, and the bar came up much faster. Think this definitely helped with stretch reflex too, tighten up the spring before you stretch it.

Quote of the Day:
"Men don't have style. Men wear clothes. Women have style."
-Joe Pesci, Easy Money

[slimsaw00]

not a bad comeback day then huh? I'd take 415 coming off a break

those are some big numbers bro!



-Matt

[Alcoholiday]

do you wear briefs? or are you planning on for your comp? or are you entering a raw division?

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by slimsaw00

not a bad comeback day then huh? I'd take 415 coming off a break

those are some big numbers bro!



-Matt

Thanks man. But that's pretty much the same weight I squatted in competition almost a year ago so I'm kinda dissapointed about that. There's been a lot of crap in my life come up in the last year that's fucked with my training though.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Alcoholiday

do you wear briefs? or are you planning on for your comp? or are you entering a raw division?

No. And it's the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation, so no briefs. Or wraps. Bring your belt and go.

[Jason B]

27 Mar 07 - Medium Intensity Assistance Day (for lack of a better title)

General Warm-Up Circuits
Lower Body Prehab/Corrective
Shoulder Prehab/Corrective

EDT - 15 minutes
a1) Blast Strap Push-Ups - Feet elevated, light band
a2) Inverted Row - Feet elevated, BW

EDT - 15 minutes
b1) Reverse Lunges off 6" box - left leg
b2) Reverse Lunges off 6" box - right leg

c) Core Isometric Stabilization
Prone Ab Plank - 2 min
Back Extension Hold - 2 min

d1) Side Low Cable Oblique Crunches
120 x 2 x 15
d2) Face Pulls
70 x 15
60 x 12

e) DB Farmer's Walks
140 x 20 yds
150 x 30 yds

f) Seated Bike HIIT
3 intervals - 1:1 work:rest


What I learned today:
1) Reverse lunges are way better than forward lunges. Easier to put the emphasis on the glutes/hams as opposed to the quads.

2) 15 minutes of EDT makes me sweat like a freakin pig. I'm glad I have wet-suit seat covers in my truck.

Quote of the Day:
"It's all about the quads, posterior chain is so 2006"
-Jim Wendler (that's a joke by the way, if you know Wendler's sense of humor)

[Jason B]

Here's the new program I came up with I'm gonna try out while I still try to work my way back to BB benching. Hopefully I can get at least a couple bench cycles in before the meet, but we'll see. Again, the goal here is strength in the squat and deadlift (and the bench for all I can do), with conditioning and fat burning just as big a goal. So volume is low, intensity is moderate to high. This is new to me, so they'll be some tweaks I'm sure, but here's the basic gist:

Day 1 - Heavy Squat Day
a) Squat Variation (back, manta ray, safety bar, different stance widths) - 1,3, or 5RM
b) Speed/Form Deadlifts - 5-10 singles with a weight I can move fast (50-70%), short rest
c) Pullups - 3-4 sets, alternate heavy weight or high reps each week
d) Core Stabilization Isometrics (ab planks, hanging leg raise holds, glute bridge holds, etc.) - 2 min
e) Accesory Supersets (optional)
Lower Body options - single leg movements, abs, glute specialization
Upper Body options - grip, neck, triceps, post deltoid/upper back
f) Conditioning (HIIT of some form, complexes, tabata, sprints, etc.)

Day 2 - Light Conditioning
Recovery Work - light sled, jogging, band/BW circuits, pick-up sports, etc. Just do something

Day 3 - Assistance Work (or Conditioning (heavy sled, hills, sprints, agility, etc.), depending on weather)
a) Single Leg Exercise - EDT or 3-4 x 8-10, moderate weight/difficulty
b1) Push-Up Variation - same
b2) Row Variation - same
c) Core Stabilization Isometrics (ab planks, hanging leg raise holds, glute bridge holds, etc.) - 2 min
d) Accesory Supersets (optional)
Lower Body options - single leg movements, abs, glute specialization
Upper Body options - grip, neck, triceps, post deltoid/upper back
e) Conditioning (HIIT of some form, complexes, tabata, sprints, etc.)

Day 4 - Same as Day 2

Day 5 - Form Squat Day
a) Competition Squat - 5x5, moderate intensity perfect form (or DE Box Squat - 8-12 x 2)
b1) Press Variation (will be DB for now) - 5x5
b2) Row Variation - 5x5
c) Core Stabilization Isometrics (ab planks, hanging leg raise holds, glute bridge holds, etc.) - 2 min
d) Accesory Supersets (optional)
Lower Body options - single leg movements, abs, glute specialization
Upper Body options - grip, neck, triceps, post deltoid/upper back
e) Conditioning (HIIT of some form, complexes, tabata, sprints, etc.)

Day 6 - Light Assistance/Recovery Day
a1) Push-Up Variation - 2-3 x 12-15, light
a2) Row Variation - same
b) Single Leg Exercise - same
c) Core Stabilization Isometrics (ab planks, hanging leg raise holds, glute bridge holds, etc.) - 2 min
d) Accesory Supersets (optional, again, very light)
Lower Body options - single leg movements, abs, glute specialization
Upper Body options - grip, neck, triceps, post deltoid/upper back

Day 7 - Off or some light activity, depends on the weather

[slimsaw00]

looks like fun . . . .


conditioning is something that I need to get going on, I'm thinking about adding in some GPP days depending on the weather very much like you have. or I'll go to the gym and do some interval work. . . something regardless.


-Matt

[Jason B]

29 Mar 07 - Form Squat Day

General Warm-Up Circuits
AT correction mobility circuits
Shoulder prehab circuits

a) DE Box Squat
185 x 10-12 x 1 - 1 min running clock

Was fighting MAJOR soreness today, esp. in my thighs. Every time I come back from a week off, I feel great so I push it hard and pay the consequences. My back finally felt somewhat better today, but my legs were still toast. Once I warmed up I felt okay and was actually able to get a good session in, 185 felt heavy, but I still moved it pretty fast. This day would usually be tomorrow, but my Dad is coming into town for the weekend, so I moved everything up a day and pushed through since I have the next 3 days off.

b) Flat DB Bench
110 x 5 x 5 - 90s rest

c) Chest Supported Rows
115 x 5 x 5
90 x 10 (drop set)
45 x 10 (drop set)

d) Core Stabilization
Prone Plank
1:07 with feet on small swiss ball, :53 seconds on floor; 2 min total
Glute Bridge Hold
2 min

e) Complexes - 10-15 reps, no rest
DB Unilateral RDL - 25's - 30's
Face Pulls - 60
Hanging Leg Raises
Thumbless Zottman Curls - 30;s

Wanted to do HIIT on the treadmill, but there's only 5 that I can sprint on, one was broken and the other 4 were taken. 3 of them were taken by fat people walking. I hate that, the other treadmills are crap, I tried sprinting on them and I thought they were going to blow up, they couldn't even keep speed with my 205lb ass on them. They need a sign that says if you're going to walk, use the shitty treadmills. I wish there was a place near the gym I could just go outside and run sprints.


What I learned today:
1) God I saw a lot of stupid shit in the gym today, don't even know where to start. Let me say this though: if you have 12 inch thighs, you don't need to be doing cable crossovers.


Quote of the day:
I you doubt yourself, you've already lost. To fail is okay, to think that you're going to fail is not.

[slimsaw00]

I bet that was quite a sight. . . watching the cable crossovers. It really makes you scratch your head sometimes and look like this .

I've been going mid-morning so that may attribute to the fact that I've yet to see ANYBODY do a lower body lift. LOL. I know its probably just circumstantial and could be a result of the time I go, but still.


-Matt

[Jason B]

2 Apr 07 - Heavy Squat Day

General Warm-Ups
AT Corrections
Shoulder Prehab

a) 1RM Competition Squat
385 x 1
405 x 1
405 x 1
365 x 1

Thought I'd do more than last week today, but it just felt so heavy for some reason, I was surprised I got those 2 with 405, they were ugly and slow, but still good squats. Next week I'll switch to a different exercise.

b) Speed Deadlifts
295 x 8-10 x 1

c) Core Isometric Stabilization
Prone Planks - 1:30 with feet on swiss ball, :30 on floor - 2 min total
Glute Bridge Hold - 2 min

d) Weighted Pull-ups
45 x 2 x 5
70 x 1 x 5

e) Treadmill HIIT
3 x 10.0/5.5; 1:2 min work:rest


What I learned today:
1) Think I need to work on hip strength along with mobility/flexibility, I'm really weak in a wider stance. And my hips are usually more beat up than my glutes/thigh muscles after squatting, I'll go wide next week.


Quote of the Day:
"If you want the ultimate, you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price."
-Patrick Swayze, Point Break

[Frank.S]

How wide is your stance? i know that without using any gear (and I know you dont) I cant squat near as wide. With gear I dont fit in a power-rack, not even close.. Without Im about 2-3 inches in on most racks. I think without gear its pretty easy to start squatting a bit to wide.

Nice workouts though, those pullups are very impressive.

[Jason B]

I squat just outside of hip width. I'm not planning on trying to go wide for competition or anything, I'm always stronger in close, but I'll go wide in training for extra emphasis on the hips, even though the weight is lighter.