June 27, 2007 [speed day] squats and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight

High box squats

9x2x77.5kgs

-no problem, felt easy today

Low start speed deadlifts

10x1x85kgs

-used 20kgs plates and 1 plate as platform

Zercher squats

3x8x50kgs

-was quite difficult

Weighted situps

3x12

-no problem

Leg raise

5x15

-no problem

Barbell curls

3x10x22.5kgs

-no problem

Note: overall it was a good workout. Tried to maintain proper setup in the deadlift and pop out of the hole.

Guidelines to Designing Your Own By Mark Prater for www.EliteFTS.com

Guidelines to Designing Your Own: "In Practical Programming, author C.M. Rippetoe uses a chart to explain which rep ranges accomplish which things in the intermediate and above stages. The 1–3 rep range is best for pure strength, myofibrillar hypertrophy, ATP storage efficiency, neural adaptation, and bone density. The 3–5 rep range is best for power and explosiveness, and 20 reps are best for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Extremely high rep ranges are best for pain tolerance and lactate production. Catch all that?
Don’t worry about it. Basically, 1–5 reps are best for pure strength (I wouldn’t recommend anything lower than three reps for anything lower than the intermediate level because of neurological demands). Anywhere from 6–15 reps are best for hypertrophy (highly individual), and really any rep range works for endurance depending on how much endurance is required. Anything over 20 reps is probably a little much. However, people make the mistake and think that 12 reps won’t do anything other than hypertrophy. Wrong! Twelve rep maxes will make you good at things that require the endurance of something that replicates a twelve rep max."

June 24, 2007 [max day] bench

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Bench (6)

1x15xbar

Shoulder prehab (upper arm in front instead of side)

1x6x30kgs

1x4x40kgs

1x2x50kgs

1x1x70kgs

Work set

1x2x80kgs

1x1x80kgs

1x3x80kgs

2board press, competition grip (6.5)

3x4x70kgs

Dips (toes pointing downward to focus on triceps) (6)

3x5xbody weight

-last set only made 4

Total abs (5)

3x15x didn’t note load used

Cuban press (6)

3x8x10lbs

Note: I was very pleased with the outcome of Sunday’s training. Got a new PR (80kgs.) Dips also improved.

June 23, 2007 [max day] squat and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Deadlift (8)

1x8x70kgs

1x4x90kgs

1x2x110kgs

1x1x130kgs

1x1x140kgs

Work set:

1x1x165kgs fail

1x1x165kgs got it

1xall out x 150kgs (made 3 reps)

-deadlift woes still continues!

Low Start deadlifts (4”) (6)

3x5x100kgs

-tried 110kgs at start but was spent from the max effort attempt

Pull thrus (5)

5x8x(didn’t note weight)

Leg extensions (5)

3x8

Note: deadlift woes still continues. Deadlift had stalled (regressed might be a good word for it).

June 14, 2007 [speed day] bench

Sets x reps x weight ()

Speed bench (5.5)
9x2x50kgs don’t change grip (regular grip) (+2.5kgs [~5%])
- no problem

Tricep lockouts (5)
3x10x67.5kgs (+5kgs [~7.5%])
-no problem

Bench dips (5)
3x10x (bodyweight + 5kgs)
- no problem

Bent over rows (5)
3x8x62.5kgs (+2.5kgs)
- no problem

Front raises (4)
3x10x10kgs
- no problem

Hammer curls (4)
3x12x20lbs (+2reps)
-no problem, added 2 reps per set from last week’s numbers

Note: took a short nap (about 15 minutes before starting). Felt good so I added some load/volume to the assistance work. Postwork out shake ( ¼ serving ON mass gainer + ½ serving Impact ) and ½ teaspoon glutamine. Had dinner an hour later.

June 21, 2007 [speed day] bench

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed bench (6)

Jumping jacks 30 counts

1x15x20kgs

1x6x30kgs

1x3x40kgs

1x1x50kgs

9x2x52.5kgs don’t change grip (regular grip) (+2.5kgs [~5%])

-no problem

Tricep lockouts (5)

3x10x70kgs (+2.5kgs [~5%])

-no problem

Bench dips (5)

3x10x (bodyweight + 5kgs)

-no problem

Bent over rows (5)

3x8x62.5kgs

-no problem

Front raises (4)

3x10x10kgs

-no problem

Hammer curls (4)

3x12x20lbs

-no problem

Note: no problem encountered throughout training. Breezed through it quite fast, ~40 minutes. Average rest time between sets used was 1 minute and between movements, ~2minutes.

How To: Easily Prepare Meals in Advance

How To: Easily Prepare Meals in Advance: "How To: Easily Prepare Meals in Advance"

One of the most difficult things in trying to maitain a 'diet' is food preparation. This article gives good ideas on the subject. There are also a ton of resources in T-nation written by Dr. John Berardi, Jen Heath, Dr. Lonni Lowery and others, check them out. I'll post the links of the articles that helped me in my own quest for improving my strength and my body composition.

How to make your own lifting platform

"Deeps Plan for Way too Heavy Bulletproof 8'*8' Platform No blueprint but the platform I made for the meets was made as follows:
1) seventeen 2"x6"x 8' boards
2) 2 3/4" (or thicker if you can find it) sheets of plywood. Get the good stuff, with no surface holes or gaps, etc
3) 1 3/8" sheet of plywood
4) 3/8" rubber flooring

1)Lay the 2x6's left to right to make and 8'x8' square
2) Screw the thick plywood sheets on top of the 2x6s in the same direction (left to right). The seam between the sheets will land in the center of one of the 2x6's. That will allow you to break it down into two peices if you ever need to move it.
3) Paint the 3/8" sheet of Plywood with Tuf Trac. It's a non-skid acrylic coating made by Sonneborn. I special ordered it at Sherwin Williams. The color is French Gray. Actually, you have to roll or trowel it on.
4) When that is dry and has set up - 3 days - screw it onto the plywood sheets in the opposite direction - front to back.
5) Cut the 3/8" rubber sheets into 4 4'x2' sections and screw in place one the sides of the center plywood section. It helps to glue them down with contact cement. I left the edges near the center unglued to facilitate breakdown for moving. IT works pretty well with the grippy stuff in the center and the rubber on the sides. The rubber absorbs the dropping of the bar during deads and dumped squats and the grippy stuff gives good traction for squatting and benching. The only negative is you will have to mop up powder if you use it for benching and pulling in training as the powder will wind up making the feet slip when benching. Nothing a quick mop job won't fix either.
Options: 1)Use 1/2" rubber and plywood for top surfaces - more durable. 2) Make separate center section which is covered with carpet for the bench. That eliminates the chalk/powder from the squat/dead affecting the bench footing."

Got this from http://www.ironmind.com/ (I think). Google still shows the link to the article to http://www.ironmind.com/ but keeps getting 404's when I click on it. If anybody knows who the author is post a comment.

June 20, 2007 [speed day] squat and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Low box squats (6)

9x2x72.5kgs (+2.5kgs [~+5%])

-no problem

Speed deadlifts (5)

12x1x85kgs (+5kgs [~+5%]

-no problem, enured proper set up everytime (butt down, chest up, shoulders behind the bar...)

Good mornings (6)

5x8x65kgs

-no problem, got through the set but the heat in the room was terrible

Shrugs (4)

3x10x60kgs

-no problem

Weighted situps (4)

5x12x10kgs

-no problem

Weighted leg tucks (3)

3x12x2kg medicine ball

-no problem, would have been better if ankle weights are used

Total time: ~70mins.

Note: overall it was a good workout (6), started being conscious of setup in the deadlift once again but keeping in mind the need for speed

Deadlift diagnosed!

Last June 10, 2007 was an ME day and I tried 150kgs in the deadlift shooting for 5x5. I only managed two sets. The lift was slow, the ‘pop’ at the bottom when I lifted 160kgs just a few weeks back was gone. At that time we were scratching our heads what went wrong. There were a number of things that changed in my setup that was observed by coach. My butt was higher during the setup compared to past efforts, my legs were narrower, and my shins are farther from the bar. A week passed and we tried again last Sunday, June 17, 2007. This time the load was 155kgs and tried to shoot for 5 sets of 3 reps each. For the first set I was allowed to do I my way. I finished the set, but it was quite slow and the speed off the bottom wasn’t there. The same problems I had last week was still there plus coach also observed that I was ‘stiff-legging’ the lift. For the next set, coach asked me to widen my stance a little bit, bring my hands as close to my legs as possible, align the bar to the second or third (from the bottom) eyelet of my Chuck Taylors, and most importantly to put my butt down and bring my chest up, ensuring that my shoulders are atleast directly above the bar if not behind it. In the first set my shoulders were in-front of the bar because my butt wasn’t low enough. The second set was a lot better than the first, the first rep was fast and felt easy, but the 2^nd and 3^rd rep was not that satisfactory. I managed to get 3 more sets.

To attempt to remedy the problem we did 5x5 @110kgs of low start conventional deadlifts (on ~4” platform). The low start position forces me to put butt down since won’t be able to do the movement properly and safely if I am started high. Rounded out the training session with leg curls (to balance out the leg work), and some direct ab work like toe touches and leg throws.

I tried to think it over on why my form changed from my last PR. I think it was my focus on getting speed out of the bottom during speed day. I got too pre-occupied with lifting it as fast as possible with out really taking precautions to ensure proper setup every time. Thus my work for the next few weeks would be to learn setting up properly and focusing on technique without sacrificing speed.

One Legged Squat

One Legged Squat: "The One Legged Squat
(a.k.a. The Pistol)"

An article from http://www.beastskils.com/ about "The Pistol". It shows proper form, variations and progressions if you want to incorporate the exercise in your training. It is very difficult (atleast for me). I once did a variation of the pistol, the one where you stand on a box about knee high, and then attempt to single leg squat. I used my arms extended in front of me as I go down as a counter weight. I went as low as just about parallel, am not strong and stable enough to go below parallel.

"The Westside protocol"

Tsampa.org: Under the Bar: "The Westside protocol"

Kristoffer Lindqvist gives an overview of the Westside training protocol. A very good intro about the subject. I myself have been using a modified version of the "westside" training, sort of a westside protocol for mortals. Instead of trying to go for max singles on the major movements on ME days, I shoot for 3's and/or 5's. I found out that max singles are too taxing for me.

Board Press - Bench Press Board Presses

Board Press - Bench Press Board Presses: "How to make your own boards:
Boards are easy to make. To make a full set of boards (2 through 6-board), purchase 4-2x6 boards, 10 feet long.
Cut 5 36' lengths of board. These are the bottom of the stack, and the part the spotter holds.
Cut 15 18' lengths of board. These are the stacks.
For the 2-board, stack 1 18' board on a 36' board. Place one end even, and attach the two boards together. You can attach them any way you like; I have seen people use nails, glue, duct tape, you name it. I prefer to use 3' drywall screws. I use 6 screws to connect the two boards together. This makes a nice, tight arrangement.
For taller boards, repeat attaching the 18' board until you have the desired height.
I recommend making a full set of 2 through 5-boards. If you have long arms, a 6 board may also be useful. (by Shawn Lattimer from http://www.criticalbench.com/ including photos)"

Would try out this intructions to make my own boards. Currently I am using 5kg rubber coated plates. I can only manage to do 2 board presses, 3 boards are just to heavy! Just imagine 15kgs on your chest even before landing the barbell on it. I'll post pictures when I have them made.

May 24, 2007 [speed day] squat and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed box squats 2 inches above parallel (6.5)

1x6xbar

1x4x30kgs

1x3x40kgs

1x3x50kgs

1x2x60kgs

1x1x70kgs

Workset:

10x2x85kg (+5kgs [~5%])

-felt heavy today, but was able to complete the exercise, 45s rest

Deadlifts (5)

12x1x85kg (+5kgs [~5%])

-no problem, took 1 minute rest between sets

Stiff legged deadlifts (5)

3x10x70kg

-no problem, 1 minute rest

Shrugs (4)

8x5x60kg

-felt light, resisted temptation to bump up weight, but last two sets did 8 reps

Bicep curls (5)

4x10x20lbs

-no problem, 1 minute rest

Weighted abs (4)

5x12x10kgs

-no problem, 30s rest

Note:

May 23, 2007 [speed day] bench

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed bench (6)

3x9x47.5 (+2.5kgs [5%])

-no problem

Off the chest (6.5)

3x8x52.5 (+2.5kgs [5%])

-quite slow

French Press (5.5)

5x8x20kgs

-no problem

T-bar Rows (5.5)

5x10x50kgs

-no problem

Inclined front raises (5.5)

3x8x15kgs

-no problem

Hammer rows (5)

3x8x30lbs

-no problem

Note:

May 30, 2007 [speed day] squat and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed box squats 2 inches above parallel

Workset:

8x2x85kg (-2sets)

-no problem but felt heavy, tried dynamic warm-up

Deadlifts

12x1x95kg (+10kgs )

-no problem

Shrugs

8x5x60kg

-no problem

Single leg Stiff legged deadlifts

3x8x15lbs

-no problem

Weighted abs

Used 2kg medicine ball

-3x30x2kg

Note: bench speed day and squat speed day exchanged

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed bench

9x2x45kgs don’t change grip (regular grip)

-no problem, I think my warm up wasn’t enough

Tricep lockouts

3x10x60kgs

-no problem

Bench dips

3x10

- no problem

Bent over rows

3x8x60kgs

-no problem

Front raises

3x10x10kgs

- no problem

Hammer curls

3x10x20lbs

- no problem

Note:

June 7, 2007 [speed day] bench

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed bench (5)

9x2x47.5kgs don’t change grip (regular grip) (+2.5kgs [~5%])

- no problem

Tricep lockouts (5)

3x10x62.5kgs (+2.5kgs [~5%])

-no problem

Bench dips (5)

3x10

- no problem

Bent over rows (5)

3x8x60kgs

- no problem

Front raises (4)

3x10x10kgs

- no problem

Hammer curls (4)

3x10x20lbs

- no problem

Note:

June 6, 2007 [speed day] squats and deadlift

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed box squats 2 inches above parallel (6)

Workset:

8x2x92.5kg (+7.5kg [~10%])

-no problem

Deadlifts (4.5)

12x1x105kg (+10kgs [~10%])

-no problem

Shrugs (4)

8x5x60kg

-no problem

Single leg Stiff legged deadlifts (6)

3x8x20lbs (+5lbs)

-no problem

Weighted abs (4)

Situps

3x12x10kgs

-no problem

Note:

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Speed bench (5.5)

9x2x50kgs don’t change grip (regular grip) (+2.5kgs [~5%])

- no problem

Tricep lockouts (5)

3x10x67.5kgs (+5kgs [~7.5%])

-no problem

Bench dips (5)

3x10x (bodyweight + 5kgs)

- no problem

Bent over rows (5)

3x8x62.5kgs (+2.5kgs)

- no problem

Front raises (4)

3x10x10kgs

- no problem

Hammer curls (4)

3x12x20lbs (+2reps)

-no problem, added 2 reps per set from last week’s numbers

Note: took a short nap (about 15 minutes before starting). Felt good so I added some load/volume to the assistance work. Postwork out shake ( ¼ serving ON mass gainer + ½ serving Impact ) and ½ teaspoon glutamine. Had dinner an hour later.

Testosterone Nation - Troubleshooting the Deadlift: Part III: "Troubleshooting the Deadlift: Part III
by Eric Cressey"

Very good article from T-nation. Part of my training are different deadlift variations, either as the primary or an accessory exercise for the day, of course adjusting the volume and intensity based on the objective for that workout. Looking back I have done rackpulls, low-start deads (pulls from a deficit), sumo, semi-sumo, snatch-grip deads, speed deadlifts. I haven't tried chains and bands yet, hope to do that this year.

A year or so ago I weigh around 211lbs with about 30% body fat percentage. That means my LBM (lean body mass) was around 162lbs and fat weight was at 48.69 lbs. The numbers now stands at 201lbs and at 20.5% body fat, translating to 34.19 lbs of fat and 166.8 LBM. I gained around 4.8 lbs of muscle and lost 14.5 lbs of fat. I tried to eat as healthy as possible, but I guess it wasn’t enough to really boost my muscle gain. My training have been powerlifting based, thus more on the strength side, hypertrophy is just a side effect of the training.

Strength wise I could say I have improved a lot. When I started I can’t bench press a bare Olympic bar, can squat it properly too, and my deadlift was around 40kgs. Now my numbers are up, personal PRs stand at 77.5kgs for the bench press, 130kgs for the squat and 160kgs for the deads. I can also do pushups and dips, a year ago I can’t even hold on to the roman chair or support my bodyweight on the starting position of the pushups.

There are still a lot of room for improvement. For the next year I would like to bring down my body fat % about 5 points lower, increase my LBM by 10 lbs, reach 200kgs in the dead, bench press my body weight, and squat 150kgs, do 30 pushups, and 10 body weight dips, and be able to do even one un-assisted pullup and chinup. I think the goals I am setting are quite attainable for the next year. I myself was amazed since I didn’t think that I could sustain the 4 workout a week regimen. All my previous attempts were short lived, have no direction, and based on false information.

Sets x reps x weight (<additional rep, set, or weight from previous week>)

Low box squats (6)

9x2x70kgs

-completed sets and reps, placed ring finger on the rings, thus effectively tightening the setup, previously I use the middle finger

Speed deadlifts (5)

12x1x80kgs

-no problem, most were satisfactory in speed

Good mornings (5)

5x8x65kgs

-no problem

Shrugs (4)

3x10x60kgs

-no problem

Weighted situps (4)

5x12x10kgs

-no problem

Weighted leg tucks (4)

3x12x2kg medicine ball

-no problem

Note: overall the workout was a 5, except for the very humid conditions during the workout, don’t feel the same type of tiredness in FF.

I forgot to put the dates on when the training I posted just recently. I would remedy that in my next posts. :)

Sets x reps x weight

Speed box squats 2 inches above parallel

10x2x80kg

-no problem

Deadlifts

12x1x80kg

-no problem, got confused here, should I do the set continuously? What I did was to set up each time with 15 seconds rest between reps. Every rep I try to lift as fast as I can with proper form.

Stiff legged deadlifts

3x10x70kg

-no problem

Shrugs

8x5x60kg

-no problem

Bicep curls

4x10x20lbs

-no problem

Weighted abs

5x12x10kgs

-no problem

Sets x reps x weight

Speed bench (controlled descent explosive ascent) (6.5)

Warmup set

1x12x straight bar

1x6x30kgs

1x3x40kgs

1x1x45kgs

Work set:

6sets x 3 reps per grip (narrow, medium, wide) x 55kgs

-no problem generally, but speed was quite slow this time

Off the chest (6)

4x5x55kgs

-no problem

French press (6)

3x8x25kgs

-no problem

Supported Rows (5)

3x10x40lbs

-increased reps by 2

Bentover lateral raise (5.5)

3x8x20lbs (+5lbs -2reps)

-no problem

Hammer curls (5)

5x8x20lbs (+5lbs -2reps)

-no problem

Shoulder prehab (4)

3x12x10lbs

-no problem

Note: (6)

Sets x reps x weight

Parallel box squats (6)

1x12xbar

1x6x30kgs

1x4x40kgs

1x2x50kgs

1x1x60kgs

6x2x77.5kgs

-no problem

Snatch grip deadlifts (6)

4x5x77.5kgs

-no problem, used straps

Good mornings (6.5)

3x8x65kgs

-no problem

Front raises (5)

3x10x10kg plate

-no problem

Bicep curls (5)

3x10xstraight bar

-no problem

Weighted situps (5)

3x12x10kg plate

-no problem

Note:

-overall I rate the work out a (6 to 6.5), no problem encountered

Sets x reps x weight

Speed bench

3x9x45

-no problem

Off the chest

3x8x50

-no problem

French Press

5x8x20kgs

-no problem

T-bar Rows

5x10x60kgs

-no problem

Inclined front raises

1x8x10kgs

2x8x15kgs

-no problem

Hammer rows

3x8x30lbs

-no problem

Note:

Sets x reps x weight

Speed bench (controlled descent explosive ascent) (6)

Warmup set

1x12x straight bar

1x6x30kgs

1x3x40kgs

1x1x45kgs

Work set:

7sets x 3 reps per grip (narrow, medium, wide) x 52.5kgs

-starting to slow down but generally no problem encountered

Off the chest (6)

6x5x52.5kgs

-no problem

French press (6.5)

3x8x25kgs

-no problem

Supported Rows (5)

3x8x40lbs

-no problem

Bentover lateral raise (4)

3x10x15lbs

-no problem

Hammer curls (4)

5x10x15lbs

-no problem

Shoulder prehab (4)

3x12x10lbs

-no problem

Note: (5.5)