[quote]chobbs wrote:
If you know of any girls like your wife in the 19-22 age range lemme know [/quote]
Well… there was this girl I dated last year – exercise science major. She was 19 when I met her, turned 20. Knew her way around a gym. Of course, after we split up, she quit college and joined the Army, but eh (correlation, not causation… I think)
You can find one though. They’re out there.
Ya LOL, my wife’s only just turned 24, and actually hates working out, and gyms really 
she’s been forced to run my gym for the past 2yrs, and forced to listen to me talk ( preach) endlessly about working out. Right now she’s one of those girls that holds on to a perfect figure with no exercise, and a pepsi, and pop tart diet, but we all know that will catch up to her.
The straps, were because she got into lifting before Christmas, with another girl I usually train, so obviously I can’t train her right now, and her and my wife started going to the gym, anyway long story short ( if thats possibe for me ) I lent my wife, and Arina my lifting straps, they left them in the gym, and someone stole them, so I’ve been bitching since Dec, my favorite set, they velcro’d on, and acted like wrist wraps as well. So yesterday, kind of as a joke, she bought me a new set for valentine’s day.
I usually don’t need straps, since I have big hands and forearms, but with all the squating lately, I’d like to be able to just work up to one all out set of deads ( end of workout), at around 85%, touch and go—rest pause, just one all out set for as many reps as possible. This is hard to do without straps, and so now I have a set
It’s weird being on house arrest, I seem to fall into some manic depressive behaviour, too much time, too much thinking. Last week was a bad week for me, but I realized it, and this morning got up early, got my wife off to work,( kids at grandma’s) and I went for a long run, out to the highway and back, then spent another hour or so on the heavy bag, shaking out the cobwebs. I haven’t been running lately, justy lifting, and I think the running, and conditioning helps with my mood. I’m feelin like a million bucks, cleaned the whole house, and tomorrow’s heavy day for squats and deads ( new straps) Looking forward to it, New adittude, New week, and some big PRs
her sister’s are fat
Sunday Feb 16-----heavy front squats—deads------------
front squats------banded good mornings
135x3x5
185x5
225x3
255x3
275x4 (Pretty happy about this, 4 solid reps, didn’t kill myself on warm-up)
225x3x3 ( should have video’d 275x4, wife had the iphone, next weeks 275x5, I’ll get that)
Deads---------banded leg ext.
225x5
295x5
345x5
365x3
385x3 ( added belt )
405x3
425x3 ( thought about doing a bunch of sets here, felt strong using straps, so; )
455x3 ( this is a good pull for me, as of late )
385x9
fucked around with some heavy shrugs, mainly because of new straps, but aslo because I have a big back, with no traps !
Good workout, making front squats a priority, I’ve been training myself into the ground, and haven’t gained ant new ground sionce Nov. I know I’m a great coach at getting young kids strong, but I seem to have no fucking clue whaen it comes to myself. Trying to get PRs every week, might work for 18yr kids, but it’s ruining me, and I’m not getting any stronger. I’m going to take the wisdom of my own advice, I tell kids to just find one strong guy they trust, and only listen to him, because trying to mix and match will only keep you weak. I’ve been running in circles, busting my ass to get PRs evey week. So other than Sundays the rest of my week is going to be a lttle more relaxed. Anyway good workout, Later
275 x 4 already? That was quick.
I pretty much got 3 last week, I blew off the third one, but after talking to reed I realized I was squating heavy 3 times a week, going for a PR on front squats on Tus, going for a PR on free squats on Thurs, and then pulling out all stops, and going for the heaviest PR I could get on Sun, using high boxes, ore whatevr I needed to over load my squat.
At the end of the day the only lift that was movinbg was my front squat,. because it’s new to me. I needed to take a breather, and step away from all the other shit, and just focus on front squats, since they’re actually moving, and getting strongher at them, will in the end benifit, my back squat.
Also today I warmed up totaly different, I focused on the 275, instead of killing myself at 225, and 255, then 265, before I even got to 275, I felt a lot fresher today, and next Sun, after taking it easy this week, I should be able to get the 275x5. I’m only going to squat one other day in the week, Thurs, for these CAT squats, where I do 7 set of 5 with 60%, and only take 1 min rest between sets. I only know one way to train, and thats with max weights, but I think I’ve hit the limits of where that type of training will take me.
I’m used to being the coach, but in the end, coaching yourself, isn’t always the best move. I’m going to trust my training to what Reed says, and take all the over thinking, and contiplating out. I’ve never been good at pulling back, but my weights haven’t been moving, and I know how strong my kids get, when they actually listen to someone thats not emotionaly involved, thats just looking at the number’s
We shall see, I have enough strong guys telling me the same thing,‘’ tone it down a bit’‘,and ‘’ less is more’’ I just hate going out to the gym, and feeling like I’m just going through the motions, not breaking new ground. Oh well off to eat. later
[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
Also today I warmed up totaly different, I focused on the 275, instead of killing myself at 225, and 255, then 265, before I even got to 275, I felt a lot fresher today, and next Sun, after taking it easy this week, I should be able to get the 275x5. I’m only going to squat one other day in the week, Thurs, for these CAT squats, where I do 7 set of 5 with 60%, and only take 1 min rest between sets. I only know one way to train, and thats with max weights, but I think I’ve hit the limits of where that type of training will take me.[/quote]
I have a feeling those CAT squats will do you some good if you really do focus on accelerating all the way through.
Reading-wise, I’ve been digging into some of the national-team olympic lifting programs, and some stuff like Sheiko and “The Russian Squat Program”. One of the common themes seems to be to always lift as explosively/fast as possible, to generate as much power. And then to see the same thing with CAT and Reed’s endorsement of it. There must be something to it.
Gotta say, it’s kind of cool to have a pretty direct channel to Sam Byrd’s training approach.
I been watchin all of chris duffins vids. He measures speed on every rep. When reps get below a certain speed he shuts it down. Kinda like that?
Shit I better get my 275 on Tuesday
Ya, thanks guys, first Chobbs, I think I am going to get 275x5 next week, but it will be a couple more weeks after that before my forms good enough to pass, and win any challanges. The last rep or two has been ugly lately, and most people probably wouldn’t even have atempted them, let alone pass them. Today I just wanted to get 3 clean reps, to make up for missing the third early in the week, but when I got 3, I decided to go for another it was ugly, but atleast I managed to hang onto this one, and ride it out. I did a bunch of holds, today as well, didn’t write them down, I’d unrack 275, beltless, and stand with it for a whole song, I actually managed two songs, for the first hold. Songs 2 and 3 on the 8 mile sound track, in case you want to beat it !
As far as the CAT training, I’ve been following, and exchanged a couple E mails, with Jay Nera, and he follows the exact same CAT system, as Byrd, so I was already contiplating this, I just hate training sub-max, but I have too many people telling me the same thing now to ignor it, too many strong people ! It’s funny I’ve always trained the same way, ramp up in 3s or 5s till I max out, then put in as much volume as I can squeeze into an hour, roughly. The funny thing is, up to my injury I was always really strong, but didn’t look it. Hense my nick name Farmer Jake, because I could always out lift my buddies, but I didn’t look like it. Now the oposite things are happening, I’m growing like a mother fucker, but I’m not getting any stronger. I don’t spend any time thinking about the science of things, but I have to wonder, if those 10yrs or so after my injury, I spent screwing around BBing, if I didn’t change my muscle fiber type :0 or somthing. Everything I’m doing lately, same style of lifting I’ve always done, is blowing me up, I’m 268lb this morning, still fairly lean 20%ish, but I’m not getting any stronger.
When I was at my strongest, at 27, I weighed around 200-215, and was squatting and deadlifting over 500, now it seems I’m carrying atleast 40 more pounds of muscle, and I’m struggling to get within a 100lbs of where I was. I know it’s been almost 15yrs, but other than down time for operation’s, I never stopped lifting, I never stopped lifting, just went into maintance mode, to acomplish other goals.(money, family, buisness, addiction )
I know I just went off topic, into a rant, but it’s driving me nuts, how hard I’m working right now, and spinning my wheels. I always expected, that when I was ready, and had the time, and focus to lift heavy again, that my strength would be there waiting. It’s driving me nuts. I’m going to give this system an honest effort. I’ll follow Reeds instructions to the letter for the next 3mth cycle, until June. If I’m no futher ahead, I’m either going to try and fix the problem with a boatload of juice, or just give in, and become a BBer, LOL it’s what I look like right now anyway. The funny thing is there lots of guys out there that would love to have this problem, not getting any stronger, only getting bigger, but it’s the oposite of what I want to happen, soon I’ll be a super heavy weight, lifting the same god-dam weights, fuck. later
You just completely validated my “maybe I should focus on strength for awhile, and then go back to caring about size” theory.
Good luck on the strength thing. Looks like Reed is steering you in a good direction.
I’ve always told clients, get the strength first, then the size will come easy, haha, but now I want to go back the other way. Anyway, if you were to get your bench up to 405 for one, then wanted to train for size, you’d be in a good place, being able to get sets of 10-20 with 300+ this would build a big chest faster, than starting with a 185lb bench, sounds funny, but it’s so true. If you spend the first couple years building strength, when you flip the switch, it’s that much easier.
In my case, my upper body training, was always pretty similar, it was the lower body I slacked on, for all those years where I only cared about how I looked shirtless, or a tight shirt. I did minimum lower body work. I know it by heart, once a week leg press–super setted with leg ext, then rack pulls–super setted with leg curls. For atleast the last 5yrs, thats all I did, other than the odd set of squats to explain to a client. So I can’t complain too much now, I put myself where I am, just too many other things on my plate, and training took a back seat. Only cared to look fit enough to sell people memberships men’s health look, for the sales pitch, and it took surprisingly little effort to maintain that look after years of hard, and heavy athletic training. Oh well, it’s the price I paid to be financialy stable I guess.
Some days it just gets frustrating, working so hard to acomplish what I’ve already acomplished. I know I bitch and whine, but I have no intention of giving up, or throwing in the towel. I just wish some days the process was going faster, but then I guess everyone would be jacked and tan, and it wouldn’t be so rewarding. had a good heavy day today, and tomorrow’s incline, so onward and upward. later
I have new update pic’s at the end of the month, but I thought I’d tyhrow one up from my last update, just to remind myself, that although strength was my main objective, also set out, to obatin a strong man look, like Bill Kaz, and Bill Goldburg, so even though my strength has stalled, I’m still making progress on the whole body image thing, Lttle more arms–shoulder’s—traps training, and I’m close to what I’m after. Off to do an incline workout, and just needed some inspiration. Later
Monday Feb 17-----Incline bench----531—1s week-------------based on 275-----------------
Incline bench---------------inverted row ( body completely horizontal, parelle to the ground)
135x10------------mex10
135x10------------mex10 ( I don’t know why I’ve never done these rows before ? )
185x5-------------mex10
225x5-----------mex10
245x5-----------mex10 ( max incline set, but I don’t think this a PR )
225x7-----------mex10
Dips----------Tbar-row, with tow strap ( ETD, max reps in 15min, back and forth)
mex15---------135x15
mex15----------135x15
mex15----------135x10 ( the rows were winding me bad, switched to sets of 10 )
mex15----------135x10
mex15---------135x10
total reps 75 dips, and 60 rows, funny enough thats 135 total reps, lungs kept me from doing more
Upright rows( clean grip)---------rev curls
65x20---------65x15
85x20--------85x10
95x20-------95x15 switched to reg curls at 8
Done, thanks to Lorez, I had a revelation, stop stressing about whats not working ( strength ) and start focusing on what is working ( size ) Thats why I posted the pic, before I went out to the garage, fuck it, Go back to what got me big, main move, then superset oposite moves to target certain area’s ( weakness’s ) I love training this way, and I got a huge pump today, and had alot of fun in the prcess. At some point the strength will come again, but in the mean time, might as well focus on getting fucking freaky huge, it seems to be what my body wants !
Holiday Monday, long weekend called family day here in Canada ( or Ont atleast) My daughter has been blasting the song all day ‘’ What dose a fox say’’ ting ting ting ting tingh, stupid fucking song, at least my son grew up listening to AC DC. Anyway were off to go bowling.
CAT squats on Wed, big bench on Fri, Life is good Later, and thanks Lorez, I needed to get my head out of my ass !
Lol, not sure what I did or said, but if it helped, congrats.
Lorez-----You said this
You just completely validated my “maybe I should focus on strength for awhile, and then go back to caring about size” theory.
Good luck on the strength thing. Looks like Reed is steering you in a good direction.
I’m just doing it in reverse, concentrating on whats working for a while. later
Fuck, Ok try this again these are the blocks I cut out of ply wood for ROM deadlifting, if thats what shows up :)Haha, the first time I sent this pic, a pic of my family showed up, but then when I sent this one, it disapered, strange. Anyway had the ply wood left over from basement flood last month, half inch thick, so I’ll need twice as many to make 7 inches high, but I think they’ll work, we’ll see this Sun. later
Looks correct. May break down vs. Rubber mats. Just start rotating what ones are on top each week for some lengevity.
For whatever reason, i’m manic since I came back with my lower body training, can’t make up my mind, mabey I’m just in too much of a rush to get my number’s back on lower body lifts, but all the jumping around, ends up acomplishing nothing I do know that for me, trying to push my squat and dead heavy on the same cycle dosen’t work for me, my low back gets beat up, and I get nowhere. I’ve tried simple 531 like I do with my upper body, but I get bunged up, posibly because since my injury, I use alot of low back when I squat.
I’m comited to try this set-up for the next 3mth cycle, where I do CAT squat on Wed, and not stress over weight, then on Sun, do one all out set for my deads with this ROM method. This set-up should be forgiving for my left knee, low back, and over active brain. Smolov worked well for me back in Nov, but it beats me up, and there’s no deadlifting, so settling into this should be a no brainer, and allow me to recover well. Alot of this could be my impending court date in April, and it’s coming out in my lifting. Whatever I just want somthing I can set, and forget. Hopefully this is that. later
AJ You Maniac,
New, new, new to this stuff.
Just found your log and just found the “subscribe” hyper.
I am impressed that you post yourself in your pic. Balls. Further, I am impressed on how you look in the pic you posted.
I need to study it (your log), but I did a once over glance and you are still a Maniac. Maniac is good, very good, as if you need such reinforcement from me…
Okay, great, now we are reciprocal.
Later,
Mike
To anyone following;
Really this return to PLing ( heavy lifting) and this whole log, and time spent posting, has been me distracting myself, since the last two years I’ve been on '‘house arrest’ wich is actually really Bail, real strict bail. I’ve not been allowed at my own gym ( that I own) or really able to leave my house, without my wife being a shaparone.
Anyway I’ve been waiting for a trial date, and finaly found out a few weeks ago, that it’s going to be in April. So even though I do bounce around ‘‘manic’’ with my training. I think the impending court date is filling me with nervous energy, and thats getting translated to my training, and posts lately.
It’s never been about me being guilty, it’s always been about shutting down my gym. I got charged with a ridiculous arson charge, with a max sentance of 5yrs, but they offered me 6 weekends, if I plead guilty ( fucking ridiculous) 6 weekends is nothing, but if I plead guilty, they’d use that to run me out of town. So I’ve sat for 2yrs waiting for a court date. My lawyer says they’re going to throw it out at the last minute, because they have no evidence, and that pisses me off.
Anyway the thought of going back to my gym after 2yrs, facing my member’s, and building my training buisness back up again. (I handed my clients off, thinking it would only be a couple months ) It’s all making me sick to my stomach. they thought my gym would shut down by now, but I’ve got a great suport system ( team ), and they’ve kept it going some how. It’s really not even my place any more.
Since I’ve been gone, I’ve had a new rubber floor installed, and 50 grand worth of new equipment added, all of this I’ve never seen. I’ll be walking into a strange place, this has been my dream since I was a kid, and now it all seems so weird and forgin.
I’ve been a recluse for 2yrs, sitting alone at home all day, every day, and suddenly I’ll be thrown back into my gym, and my 600 memeber’s. thinking about all this just makes me want to puke. This is the only sight I use, and i’ve posted my workouts and thoughts here for the last 2yrs. made some friends, and gotten lots of suport, both with working out, and the bullshit I’m going through. I just wanted to take a miniute and explain.
my posts and, and my workouts have been all over the place the last few weeks. Unless you’d been through what I have this past couple years, it would be hard to understand. Thanks to all !
from here on in, I’m going to try and stay focused on new program, try and quiet the nervous energy, and just focus on my lifting, and eating. I haven’t quite acomplished what I set out to do initally, but I’ve managed to find a way to squat pain free, and get some weight back on the bar.
I’ve also added a ton of body weight, and completely changed the way I looked. So I just need to get my focus back in the right place, like it was leading up to Christmas, when I was making gains, and not so distracted by other nonsense.
End of rant, and hopefully back to lifting heavy things