Try to play around with your elbow tuck. Search for Mark Bell tips on elbow flare while benching.
I’m kinda dealing with a problem myself… Have you ever had soleus pain/strain? If so then how would you suggest to treat it? I’m guessing this is because I uped the running frequency and intensity a lot lately.
MattyG35: Hahaha yea, I know man, thanks for all of your support! It is just the ONLY lift in which I haven’t progressed in for years now. Then again, I perform it less than any other as well…It is definitely my fault, but now I actually feel ready to do something about it!
Regev: Yea man, that is what i have been working on with my bench…As far as a soleus issue…We have all kind of calf problems with all of the yoke walks and loaded carries we perform, but most of which get better with ice, epsom salt soaking, PVC Rolling and LAX ball work. But since you believe yours is due to running excessively, it is kind of a different type of problem.
Firstly, if I were you I would try all of the above and cut back on the running a little bit. Maybe your body just needs a little more time to adapt and you can build up the amount you run as you progress…Also, I am not sure if they have them where you are located, but here is the US we have many different shoe stores that will assess your gait and running position. Running is a learned skill and if you can become better and more efficient at it then the pain my go away as well.
I really hope it is just a little strain or cramp so that it does not impede your progress.
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“To be nobody - but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” --e. e. cummings
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” --Aristotle
WEDNESDAY, 03DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
SPEED - 15 Rounds
3 Front Squats @ 245lbs
15 Seconds Between Rounds
SKILL
Worked on my Squat Set-up using doubles. Kept it light. Was more about getting tight and walking the weights out. Ended up doing 20 Sets of walkouts/Doubles, all weights vacillating between 315-405lbs
GIANT SETS - 5 Rounds
5 Paused Squats @ 365lbs
5 Good Mornings @ 275lbs
10 Glute Ham Raises
100 Foot Offset Kettlebell Waiter?s Walk: 70lb High Kettlebell, 88lb Low Kettlebell
CONDITIONING
At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes Complete 7 Bodyweight ManMakers
NOTES:
- Normal Rucking first thing in the morning.
- So through my sponsor, I got in contact with a Powerlifting coach named Matt Gary who is pretty local to me. I am headed out to see him tomorrow to see if he can help me out on the big three lifts. He sent me a squat set-up/walkout video last night and i tried to apply all that I learned in today’s session.
- Getting tight and settled, then walking out correctly made a HUGE difference in how the weight fly on my back! i can’t wait to see what i learn tomorrow! Hopefully he can give me some things to work on and I will be able to beat a lot of my current PRs
I’m foam rolling which is helpful but the pain’s still there. I’ll try icing and massaging.
I just finished a workout and now the upper leg hurts so I don’t feel that much the calve’s pain haha.
I ran a lot at a younger age so I bet I’ll recover quickly!
Thanks man, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help and support.
The giant set seems like a killer! Do you mind sharing the tips the coach gave you? I you can’t since it’s through the sponsor or whatever reason that’s of course fine.
Regev: Hahaha that is how it goes man! It is just floating pain…One day the pain falls on you calf, the next day it is in your leg, the next day will be your back! Just kinda is what it is! I am more than happy to help!
I am going to do a write up article over on my site about what Matt Gary worked on with me. I would go more into it here, but we spent 2 and a half hours breaking down all of my stuff this morning and it is waaayyyy too much to write down twice. Hopefully that article will be up today or tomorrow!
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“According to decades of research, there are two fundamental mindsets that determine how people respond to struggle, setbacks and failure. In one mindset, you’re likely to get discouraged and give up on your goal. In the other, you tend to embrace the struggle, learn from the setbacks and keep moving forward - you persevere.”
“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.” --Thomas Carlyle
THURSDAY, 04DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
MORNING
So this morning I headed to Supreme Sports Performance and Training in Rockville, MD. It is a powerlifting gym owed and operated by Matt Gary and Suzanne Hartwig-Gary. It is a great facility and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who can make it over there to get some training in.
Today I worked with Matt Gary on the big three lifts in hopes of breaking my current PRs and after 2.5 hours of his cocking, I have no doubt that this will not be a problem.
We kept everything pretty light, just working on form, but I got a lot of reps in on everything, practicing on how to do the lifts correctly. Here is a vid. i know I can see and feel a difference in my lifts already and can’t wait to start loading up the bar.
AFTERNOON
EVENTS - As Many Rounds As Possible in 30 Minutes
3 - 15 Foot Rope Climbs
5 Keg Clean & Presses @ Bodyweight
150 Foot Prowler Push
150 Foot Sled Rows
NOTES:
I am going to do a full write up on this morning and some of the tips Matt gave me over on my site for those of you interested. I’ll let you know when the article is done and uploaded.
I see shoes on your feet in this recent video at the powerlifting gym. A few different types, even.
I’ve always lifted pretty raw myself, all beltless and in Vibrams. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on footwear. Are you donning shoes at the recommendation of your new coach?
This is all very curious to me, as I recently contacted the owner of a serious powerlifting gym for some coaching on my big barbell lifts. I’ve done well figuring them out on my own, but I believe I am well past due for some serious instruction.
Thanks for putting all of this effort into your log. Very insightful.
floating pain…never heard that before but I really like the term. Very bad ass mindset.
Alpha, maybe you can help me out here.
I finally joined the “Sick of your gym” crew and ponied up for a Garage Gym. As a gym owner yourself I was wondering if you could help me on what kind of Gym Flooring to get to line my garage with. This feels like an area where “I dont know what I dont know” so I’m hoping you can guide me so I dont spend $100-300 on something that wont be what I need.
I was going to get two of these ( Rubber Mats - Virgin and Recycled Rubber Matting ) which are a bit different than the normal “Jigsaw Puzzle” style pieces that are also out there, but easily cover an 8’x6’ piece of floor, which is plenty for what I need at this time. The price seems right too, not dirt cheap but not super expensive.
How say you, Alpha?
@Lonnie, just butting my own input in here…
A lot of people use and recommend these: http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/rubber-horse-stall-mat-4-ft-x-6-ft when building homemade lifting platforms.
Price is comparable to the ones you mentioned, but might be available locally. They’re certainly less stylish though.
I have some thicker (3/8" maybe?) jigsaw style tiles, but they don’t handle deadlifts very well; they just get compressed under the weights. They’re great for everything else though.
For mat pulls and deadlifts, these have held up incredibly well: http://www.menards.com/main/p-2238625.htm
Solid reps Alpha! Great focus!
Lonnie, I can attest to the 4x6 horsemats, I’ve had mine for over 5 years now, and it still looks newish. They’re the perfect size for a barbell for deadlift, and if you had to you could probably get away with putting a rack in between with 4’ of width to not have any seams where your feet are.
Flawless technique! Good job man!!
twojarslave: Thanks brother, I really appreciate the kind words!
An yea, I had to put some shoes on for this session. Not my house, not my rules…Also, Matt advised me that I would have to wear some sort of footwear at a Powerlifting meet so I he let me borrow a pair of “Freis” Wooden heeled olympic shoes. They definitely do help make you feel more stable in the squat and on your bench press. I ended up buying them and am going to see if they can help me up those PRs as well as my overhead stuff. We will see what happens. Thanks for checking in, man!
law8: Hahaha yea man, it’s not my term. I cannot remember who I heard it from originally, but I stole that one. Fits every serious lifter’s daily life though!
Lonnie123: Yea man, I am going to have to go right along with what LoRez said. I just go to TSC and buy horse stall mats. They are less than $50 bucks for a 4’x6’ Section and are about 1/2" thick. For the price, you cannot beat them. You can always upgrade later and then cut your stall mats into smaller parts for mat reads and other deficit lifts.
My only complaint about the stall mats are that they are not all completely uniform. The size and thickness seems to vary between batches they get in stock. Not but much, only 1/2" in size and maybe 1/8" in thickness at times. For the type of training i run out of my facility, people who complain about something like that get kicked out! For the most part they are all the same, but if you are looking for uniformity, puzzle pieces may be a better choice. I hope that helps man!
LoRez: Thanks for jumping in on that man, you always have good things to contribute. Also, i love the last few posts of your log, talking about other interests and some different aspirations in your life. Keep it up!
MattyG35: Thanks man! I’m not sure if others can see a difference in my form, but I can definitely feel a difference!
and you are spot on about using the horse mats for platforms, they would be perfect for that!
Regev: Thanks brother! Hopefully the new form leads to bigger numbers!
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For those of you interested, I layout a lot of the take-away points from my training session yesterday.
Or you can just head over to the articles section of my site.
Thanks, as always, for reading!
The focus observed in your reps reminded me of Mike Tuscherer, if you’re familiar with him
[quote]Alpha wrote:
…and after 2.5 hours of his cocking…
.[/quote]
Man, you must be sore…
MattyG35: I was not aware of him, but I am now! I’ll take that as a compliment! That guy is a monster!
Whiteflash: Hahahahahahahahahaha oh man, probably should have caught that one! hahahahhahahahaha not sure if that was Freudian or not…
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“You go on. You set one foot in front of the other, and if a thin voice cries out, somewhere behind you, you pretend not to hear, and keep going.” --Geraldine Brooks
“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That?s the essence of it.” --Vince Lombardi
FRIDAY, 05DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING - As Many Reps as Possible in 12 Minutes
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
50 Foot Bear Crawl
STRENGTH
8 Sets of 2 Log Clean & Presses @ 275lbs
10 Glute Ham Raise Sit-Ups & 2:00 Minute Plank Between Rounds
EVENTS - 5 Rounds of the Following Medley
50 Foot Yoke Walk
50 Foot Prowler Push
50 Foot Atlas Stone Carry
50 Foot Duck Walk
NOTES:
- Just got a new equipment order in tonight which included another yoke, another pair of Farmer’s Handles, 1,000lbs of plates and 2 more benches. UPS freight gave me a window of 11:00-7:00 today so I was waiting around for 8 hours before the guy showed up at 6:50…Stupid UPS…Just unpacked it all and headed home. Will do the assembly early tomorrow morning…
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“Fear can make you do more wrong than hate or jealousy. If you’re afraid you don’t commit yourself to life completely; fear makes you always, always hold something back.” --Philip K. Dick
SUNDAY, 07DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING - For 9 Minutes
:20 Seconds Thrusters - with 135lbs
:10 Seconds Rest
:20 Seconds Burpees
:10 Seconds Rest
STRENGTH
8 Sets of 2 Deadlifts @ 565lbs
1:00 Minute Rest Between Sets
GIANT SETS - 5 Rounds, Adding Weight Every Round
3 Farmer’s Handle Deadlifts - heaviest set of 3 was @ 680lbs
10 Pull-Ups
10 Knees to Elbows
50 Double Unders
SPEED - Loaded a barbell with 245lbs then:
Minute 1: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 2: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 8 Deadlifts
…Continued this pattern for 14 Minutes
I’m about to get my morning workout on, and felt the need to rev it up even more, so I came to check out the carnage Alpha has imposed.
This log is literary adrenaline, plain and simple. Great shit Alpha, as always.
Alpha, I’m late to the game on this one, but wanted to thank you for your Thanksgiving day article. I have a lot of professional responsibilities freaking me out right now and you’ve helped me look at those opportunities as gifts, not burdens.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
“Fear can make you do more wrong than hate or jealousy. If you’re afraid you don’t commit yourself to life completely; fear makes you always, always hold something back.” --Philip K. Dick
SUNDAY, 07DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING - For 9 Minutes
:20 Seconds Thrusters - with 135lbs
:10 Seconds Rest
:20 Seconds Burpees
:10 Seconds Rest
STRENGTH
8 Sets of 2 Deadlifts @ 565lbs
1:00 Minute Rest Between Sets
GIANT SETS - 5 Rounds, Adding Weight Every Round
3 Farmer’s Handle Deadlifts - heaviest set of 3 was @ 680lbs
10 Pull-Ups
10 Knees to Elbows
50 Double Unders
SPEED - Loaded a barbell with 245lbs then:
Minute 1: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 2: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 8 Deadlifts
…Continued this pattern for 14 Minutes
__________________________________________[/quote]
I would collapse in a pile of my own vomit and feces if I tried to do this training session. Holy crap, you are an absolute animal.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
SPEED - Loaded a barbell with 245lbs then:
Minute 1: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 2: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 8 Deadlifts
…Continued this pattern for 14 Minutes
__________________________________________[/quote]
The next logical progression is 2^n
MaximusB: Thans so much brother! Those are some great compliments, especially coming from you!
Liftingstrumpet: I am so glad to hear that! That is the entire reason why I write those things! I hope things get better for you at work!
loftearmen: Hahahaha nah man, you would be alright! You wouldn’t be happy, but you would be just fine!
MattG35: I’m a little slow, but I have no idea what that meant!
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“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” --Jordan Belfort
“We may place blame, give reasons, and even have excuses; but in the end, it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams.” --Steve Maraboli
MONDAY, 08DECEMBER2014 - Work For Today
CONDITIONING ? 20, 15, 10, 5 Reps of
Inverted Ring Rows
Plyometric Push-Ups (Onto an 18" Jump Box)
Medicine Ball Slams
SPEED
At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes Complete 3 Paused Bench Presses at 315lbs.
GIANT SETS ? 5 Rounds, Adding Weight Every Round
5 Barbell Bent Over Rows: 315, 335, 365, 385, 405
5 Log Incline Bench Presses: 245, 275, 295, 305, 315
10 Kettlebell Swings: 150, 150, 150, 150, 150
:30 Seconds Battle Ropes
:30 Seconds Static Hanging ?L? Sit-Holds
EVENTS
Tire Flips - :30 Seconds Work / :30 Seconds Rest for 10 Minutes
NOTES:
- Normal Rucking first thing in the morning.
- Worked a lot on the new bench press set-up that I went over with Matt Gary last week. I am really starting to like it and hopefully it leads to bigger numbers. 315 felt like a complete joke. Reps were fast.