SEP. 27TH

Tried Power Clean with an Olympic bar even with straps for my bad right wrist and I still suck at these!! :( 115, 135, 155 lbs. x 5 (kind of)
Pullovers 5 x 20 50 lbs.

Deadlifts (Olympic bar) 135, 225, 275, 295, 315, 335 x 3
Pullovers 6 x 20 50 lbs.

Bent over Rows 135, 225 x 5
315 x 3 x 5

Close Grip and Wide Grip Chins 4 x 10 supersetted

Cable Crunch with whole 150 lbs. stack 1 x 50

Did Log bar Cleans afterward since the barbell ones sucked so badly.
45, 135, 185 lbs. x 5

Boxing class at www.steelcitycrossfit.com 1 hr. for cardio.

I'm starting the Phil Pfister TRAIN LIKE A CHAMPION dvd set 12 week program Monday! www.philpfistertrainingvideo.com

QUICK ONE

MON. SEPT. 24TH

LEGS

Bottom Position Squats in the power rack: 135, 225, 315 x 5
**375 lbs. x 2 x 5**
(Got 10 lbs. more here. Amazing what you can do when you're annoyed.)

Cable Straight arm Pulldowns 5 x 20 70 lbs.
(Standing infront of the high cable, using a long bar from the Lat Pull. With a wide grip pulling it down into my navel.
Didn't feel these that much so went back to DB Pullovers)

Zercher Squats 4 x 8 295 lbs.
Dumbbell Pullovers 4 x 20 50 lbs.

Lying Leg Curls 5 x 10 115 lbs.


Seated Calf Raise with smith machine 5 x 20 200 lbs.
(Sitting on the end of a bench doing the toe raises with the smith machine bar resting on my thighs. Instead of the seated calf machine where the handle to unlock the weight is right handed and I'm not. Soooo...)

(Quicker 1, long day and the gym was closing earlier today to do with the electrical work.)

THUR. SEPT. 20

JUIJITSU 1 hr. (belt techniques and stand up sparring. Fealt awesome but jammed my 4th toe on my left foot. Thought I broke it when one of my kicks got shin blocked and went all dark and black n blue after.

Finished the last round though.)



FRI. the 21st: Legs at the gym. Pretty status quo, nothing of note.



SAT. SEPT. 22ND

BACK



Back Extensions 1 x 40 (no added weight)



APOLLON AXLE Deadlift (Did these to change things up a bit.)

110, 200, 220, 250, 270, 290 lbs. x 3

(Back was tight and a little tender on these. Went for 320 and 310 but missed.)

supersetted each time with...

Dumbbell Pullovers x 20 50 lbs.



Barbell anchored T Bar Rows 45, 90, 135 x 5

225 x 2 x 5 (HEAVY!)



Wide Grip Chins

supersetted with....

Close Grip palms facing Chins

2 x 20 each.



Cross Bench Dumbbell Pullovers 5 x 20 50 lbs.
(Done laying across the bech this time as the name indicates. Upper back on bench. More abs and lower back involvent keeping me stable and aligned.)



Log Power Cleans (at home in my shed.)

135, 155, 165 lbs. x 5

185 x 2 x 5

(Fealt really good here just nailed the positioning on them and technique keeping the log tight against me as I cleaned it up. Elbows up and out bringing my shoulder blades together as I transitioned from the thighs in a squatting style clean. Got a good rythmn with my reps too.)



Good, fun day today. Gym was quiet too. This Back & Legs specialty training cycle lately is based on the SPECIALIZATION chapter in KEYS TO PROGRESS by John McCallum. Good read at www.ironmind.com or amazon.com

BETTER

SEPT 13

Standing Calf Raise 400 lbs. stack 5 x 20
Seated Calf Raise with smith machine 5 x 20 200 lbs.

Bottom Position Squats 135, 225, 315, 365 lbs. x 5
DB Pullovers 4 x 20 (50 lbs.)

Zercher Squats with smith machine 4 x 8 (80% or 295)
DB Pullovers (Again) 4 x 20 (50 lbs.)

Smith machine "hack" Squats with feet forward farther. 4 x 12 420 lbs.

Lying Leg Curls 5 x 10 100 lbs.

(Go for 2 x 5 with the 365 lbs. in squats next time.)

SEPT. 14

Olympic bar Deadlifts 135, 225, 245, 275, 295, 315, 335 lbs. x 3
Alternated with...
Pullovers 7 x 20 with 50lbs.

Power Cleans 135, 145 lbs. x 5
165 lbs. x 3 x 5
Pullovers 5 x 20 with 50lbs.

Barbell anchored T Bar Rows 45, 90, 135 lbs. x 5
180 lbs. x 2 x 5
I went and found a triangular bar handle like from seated cable row or Lat Pull and did them the old way hooking a bar up in the corner with a 50 lbs. dumbbell weighting down the empty end.

Wide Grip Chins 4 x 10 (bodyweight only)
Close Grip Chins 4 x 10 (bodyweight only)

(Both days were better all around. More recovered from last Sat. with no back soreness. No straps on the deadlifts. Did the Back work out at the Norfolk Fitness Centre visiting back home this weekend.)

BAD BACK DAY OUCH!

TUES. SEPT. 11

JUIJITSU 1 hr. (Strikes)



WED. SEPT. 12



BACK DAY

(Really scattered and hurried here and gym was super busy. Was going to train at CROSSFIT but things at work were running late so just stayed and trained at PHOENIX FITNESS. Tried some new things too with T Bar Rows and Deadlifts.)



WG and CG Chins alternated 4 x 10 each with bodyweight only.

(Highlight of the work out here. )



Deadlift (done off the floor inside the power rack. Not good as the plates on the 1 side found a crater in the floor mats that they always found their way to roll into. 1 set it came up lopsided turning and getting caught against the rack frame and I had to unwedge it off there to lock out! )

135, 225, 315 x 2

335 lbs. x 1 (where it got caught against the frame.)

365 lbs. *MISS* Didn't even budge it.

(Was debating whether to deadlift atall that soon after Saturday's event. The answer probably should've been no.)

I lost a lot of focus and psych for the rest of the work out after the deadlifts went.



T- Bar with straps 90, 135, 180 x 5

Went for 225 but only got half assed reps on that. I really don't like the suspended T Bar where you have to unhitch it from the side and over and then up. That's NOT a natural way to lift something or body movement!

Some guru will probably say "It's better for your core!" though. SIGH!

But your rotator cuffs and biceps will go flying across the room and splatter on a mirror instead.



So I went back and found a triangular bar handle like from seated cable row or Lat Pull (scavenged it from the busy area)and did them the old way when me and another trainer hooked a bar up in the corner with a 75 lbs. dumbbell weighting down the empty end

(so it won't teeter totter up as you lift) and setting the handle across the bar.
I saw Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler doing it this way in their training videos so I wanted to try it. http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2007olympia/oseries/2007oseries12.htm
More straightforward way especially if/when you don't have an actual T BAR machine.

I got 90, 135, 180 lbs. x 5 (no straps)



Hyperextensions (bodyweight only) 1 x 40

(These even hurt with no extra weight! )



Log Cleans 135 , 155 x 5

165 x 3 x 5

(Was really conservative on these with weight )



Gotta get it together on Friday and Saturday.



Well a good thing today was I did a great on the spot orientation with a member who wanted some real strength training! COOL!!

LEGS DAY

SET. 10


TENTATIVE is the word of the day.

Smith Machine "Hack" Squat (with feet farther forward than normal.)
4 x 12 (70% or 425 lbs.) (Really fealt the first 2 sets here in the back and knees still sore from Sat. Adductors from the kettlebell snatch fealt like knives in them!)

Standing Calf Raise 400 lbs. stack 5 x 20
Seated Calf Raise with smith machine 5 x 20 (60% or 195 lbs.)

Hip Belt Squats with chin/dip belt chained to smith bar in the middle.
5 x 4, 5 plates a side
3 x 5 with 6 plates a side.
Alternated with
DB Pullovers 5 x 20 (50 lbs.)
(These saved my low back and I haven't done them in a long time so a new thing to shock the legs too. The pullovers gave me a good stretch in the back that I liked.)

Zercher Squats with smith machine 4 x 8 (80% or 295)
(I stuck with machines mostly today. Being tentative and safe after still feeling it in the back and legs from the TACTICAL STRENGTH CHALLENGE. Still being able to train around it smart.)

DB Pullovers (Again) 4 x 20 (50 lbs.)

Seated Leg Curls 5 x 10 140 lbs.

Wasn't into it and really dragged myself through the work out.
Going for some hypertrophy work outs for the next while after my new max weights and a break from all out heavy weight for my tendons, joints and ligaments. Adding some new muscle mass as well.
-JEFF

TACTICAL STRENGTH CHALLENGE SEP. 8TH

SEP. 8TH

Did the crossfit thing this morning. www.tacticalstrengthchallenge.com Won the deadlift easily with a 385 lbs. with a belt only. Had it won at 365 lbs. earlier but came out and did my 3rd with the 385 I knew I could already get. Token for show 3rd lift. 355 lbs. got 2nd. Scary thing was that I fealt good enough to do 10 or maybe 20 more lbs. after that! Happy with that event!

Good start but screwed up on pull ups thinking a close palms down grip would be better because I could use more biceps too. Nope! Blew my lead.

The 5 min. 53 lbs./24 kg kettlebell snatches was A BEAST! I could only do with my left side so was tougher because you were allowed to switch but it was too awkward for me to switch arms so did the whole 5 min. left handed.
Didn't have an expectation on this event because it was so different and weird and you can't know really.

Funny because the pull ups were something I really trained hard before this and I haven't deadlifted in about 6 weeks before today. (1 trap bar work out in Australia with rack partials after but that's it and not the same thing.) Was surprised that I won the thing I didn't train for and didn't with the one I'd worked on for like 2 monthes leading up to.
(??????????????????????????????????)
But I think all the Bottom Position Squats I did in the power rack built my back and hips enough to carry over to the deadlift maximum weight power. Starting the squats in training at parallel dead stop/start and it either goes up or it doesn't. Same as a deadlift. Same muscle groups as well.

Chins are also a "lighter guy " event and was the heaviest there at 207 lbs. which helped in the deadlifts. But still.

I'll be back for the next one for sure! Better than now.
Interesting that there are no pressing events in this thing just back and hips pulling events. ??

2 ADAYS

TUES. SEPT. 4TH
Back to Juijitsu after a month break. Fealt GREAT! with the grappling on the mat and my throws in class. Surprised because I expected to be a step or 2 off after the time away. But not atall! Endurance was good and fealt strong like a monster of the mat!

WED. SEPT. 5TH 2 A DAY! (Any football player or other team athlete will know about 2 a days. As in 2 practice/training sessions a day.)
A.M.
All 50 reps goal each exercise.

Squat Plyometric Jumps
Alternating with...
Toe (Calf) Raises off the end of a step.

Monkey Chin ups (combining a close grip chin up and a knee raise to chest in 1 movement, lower and repeat.)

Bands Tricep Extension Press ups
(Standing on an angle suspended pushing up against the bands with hands close and at my forehead)

2" Thick Bar Body Rows (Lying partial chin up)
(More of a grip exercise with the thicker bar.)
Alternating with...
Ab Wheel Roll outs with a push up at the end.
(Roll out as far as I can and then do a push up holding the wheel handle before rolling it back up.)

Ideas from Brooks Kubik's DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING www.brookskubik.com

P.M.
Juijitsu 2 1/2 hrs. of Grappling and stand up striking/kickboxing sparring.
I'M BACK!!!

THURS. SEPT. 6TH Juijitsu 1 hr.

Bench Press 20 1's

SEPT. 3

Bottom Position Bench Press:
1 x 25 with empty bar to warm up. (45 lbs.)
20 singles with 275 lbs. (85%)
Resting 1 - 2 min. inbetween.

An idea from Brooks Kubik High Set Heavy Singles and an article in an old IRON MAN magazine about doing 20 - 25 single rep sets at 85% 1RM. July, 2001. www.ironmanmagazine.com www.brookskubik.com

(By the 11th one it was getting HEAVY! Got a second wind somewhere and got to 20. Chest is still feeling tight and blown up and shoulders, triceps too as I type this the next afternoon.)

Ab Wheel Roll out - Push ups as many reps as I could.
(Roll out as far as possible then did a push up at that point as I rolled it back up. I got 12 reps.) These are evil for abs, low back, shoulders, triceps and hamstrings. Did this to stretch out as well after the bench pressing.