Core night.
Rev grip Bench
135 x 50 x 3 this was kinda tough.
Incline Bench
225 x 10 x 3
Shrugs
100’s x 25 x 3
Kennelly Db’s
40’s x 10 x 3 long pause on the bottom I was really tight.
30 minute core class. f’n sucked!
BW 206
I notice you hit the sauna regularily.
recovery related ?
whats with the core classes? do u benifit from them even though they suck?
They suck because it is 30 minutes of core work with no rest. It sucks because Im weak and need more core work.
DE Bench
Got to the gym late, all the guys were there and rolling when I finnally showed up.
135 x 45 x 2 (3 hand Poss)
225 x 3 x 12 (3 hand Poss)
Kennelly DB’s
40’s x 10 x 4
Grip circut x 3
BW Dips
20 x 3
Quick night. Took it easy…
[quote]marlboroman wrote:
I notice you hit the sauna regularily.
recovery related ?
[/quote]
I think so. Its relaxing more than anything. It is really good if you sit in there and drink as much water as you can…
…
Bad blizard hit town this week end. I was a little late to the gym.
ME Bench
NO warm up and that was really stupid.
bar x allot three hand poss
135 x 45 x 2 three hand poss
225 x 10
315 x 5
add 4 board
405 x 3
455 x 3
add 46 single ply super Katana
545 x 5
635 x 3
725 x 1.5 Kinda sucks just not feeling it.
Rev grip bench
135 x 50 x 3
Sauna and steam room. BW 206
Short HL video from last ME session
DE Bench
bar + 100lb chain x 45 (all sets alternating 3 hand poss)
135 + chain x 3 x 3
185 + chain x 3 x 12
Incline iso hammer strength
2 plates x 15
3 x 10
4 x 10
5 x 5 x 3 + 2 20 second neg on last rep
Rear delt and grip circut
Good night bw 207 and some sauna
Crazy snow in PDX.
We are in the middle of the biggest storm in 40 years in PDX. Ive been out of the gym for almost a week and it is killing me. Airports, roads etc are all closed. We never get snow in Dec and in the past week weve had almost 2 feet.
Crazy
I get asked quite a bit what program I follow and why I train like I do. Here?s the story?3 years ago I was pathetic. I weighed between 210 and 220 with 33% body fat. I hadnt lifted weights in over 10 years and years of competitive wrestling had left me with doctors telling me that I would need surgery on my right wrist and both shoulders.
I have bone fragments in my wrist and minor tears in my left rotator cuff and a buildup of scar tissue in my right shoulder that made it very difficult to sleep at night. Several times per night I would wake up and have to adjust from my normal sleeping position to restore the blood flow to my arm. My wrist was constantly in pain. I thought it was carpel tunnel syndrome because not only was the pain constant but it would go numb several times per day and swell.
In the military I messed up my ankles really bad in Airborne training exercises and military doctors told me I would have to get the torn ligaments reattached.
I coached wrestling for many years and every year I would injure my neck at the beginning of each season. Chiropractors told me I was slipping a disk in between my traps. I treated this my regular visits when it bothered me?. In general I sucked.
I competed at the national level at the US nationals in free style wrestling at 165 lbs (cut about 25 lbs to make wt). After losing that tournament I gave up. I broke a couple fingers in that tournament and was beat up for weeks. My businesses were flourishing and I had more money than I knew what to do with. That last thing on my mind was to stay in shape. I was partying in Vegas almost monthly and my health reflected it. My blood pressure skyrocketed to 160 / 110 and my body weight reflected it.
Then in 2000 I got married and started the family. When my second daughter was born I remember stepping on the scale and was shocked to see 228 on the scale. For years I had custom clothes made so I talk to my tailor and he confirmed what I suspected. I had a 38? waist, 14? arms and 28? quads. I knew something had to change.
I stepped into the gym on January 1, 2005. I knew I had to cut some fat so I crawled onto the Elliptical machine and at 120 revs per minute I was done in less than 3 minutes. So I tried the treadmill and couldn?t walk a mile. So I tried lifting some weights. I had always been a good bencher.
In high school I bounced 315 of my chest at a BW of 145 for a sloppy school record. So I laid down and went up to 225 for what seemed like a 30 second uneven press. I probly rested for 10 minutes after that rep and everything hurt. I tried to do some curls but my elbows hurt so bad I quite after a couple reps. Couldn?t do 10 sit-ups and everything else was a joke.
I stuck with it though and in 6 months was leaning up and could now run a mile, bench 275 and squat about the same. I was happy with my success but was already bored with the 3 sets of ten programs I learned in high school. I started taking NO Explode and I herbal T booster, eating right and my results went up. I began reading about Westside barbell and other Power lifting techniques.
Louie Simons was a HUGE inspiration I loved hearing him talk about all his injuries and how he trained in a prehab method. He seemed to always be trying to predict whatever inherent weaknesses he faced and even inventing movements to train those weak or damaged area?s to a higher standard. This inspired me tremendously because of the nearly constant pain I experienced.
I immediately began focusing on the laundry list of issues I had. I found that the Kennelly DBs almost overnight strengthened my cuff?s to the point that I could sleep without pain and the pain in my elbows and wrist were alleviated my tons of grip work. My ankles were helped by doing calve work 3 or 4 days a week, Another 6 months and my body weight was stable at 205 @ 10% body fat.
I was benching in the 350 range and I got 405 on squats. I started really diving into the Westside method and got a Bench shirt and Dead lift suit. I planned on my first comp for May 15 of 2006. My training consisted of me putting on the shirt and seeing how much I could do full range once or twice a week then doing all the normal body parts I focused on.
In my first comp I did OK. I got 457 by some miracle and pulled 605 which I thought was pretty good. But the biggest thing I took away from the comp was all the different training techniques the guys at the meet told me about. I learned about boards, bands and ME and DE days etc?. I was really excited to get back into the gym and began trying all these new ideas.
I did my board presses on the smith rack for the next couple months because I didn?t have any training partners and was starting to use enough wt that I was scared to go on the regular bench. I was still going heavy once or twice a week on bench and squatting and dead lifting every week. I stopped doing any cardio and my strength continued to go up.
I moved gyms in July of 06 and found some guys that were interested in power lifting and quickly had a pretty good team of guys showing up each week. At the new gym I began developing the program that I currently follow. It is loosely based on the Westside method and is as follows.
At the core I follow a few basic principles.
- Prehab is the Key. Everyone has inherent issues or ?Weak Spots? To continue to progress we MUST try and predict what will be the first thing to break. For me it was years of abuse that led to performance restricting injury. As it was when I first started you have to train you weakest points with intensity and regularity to progress. This means finding movements that will ?fix? these issues and then continue to train them.
Just because you don?t have any more pain or feel better doesn?t mean they are strong enough to handle the wt your stronger body parts will be able to handle. So re injury is inevitable. So I base my warm up and ancillary movements? around these weaknesses. My wrist and shoulders are better than ever but will they still feel good next year when Im board pressing 900? You get the point. Many times in addition to the warm up and ancillary work I will spend on day a week working on these weaknesses. This is a good way to break up the staleness.
- Strength comes from technique and a properly tuned central nervous system. Muscle size does not equal strength. I weigh the same as I did 3 years ago. In fact I?m a little fatter right now than I have been. But I?m working with triple the weight I did 3 years ago on bench. I don?t train squats, dead more than once a month but I raw squat 500 and raw pull 500 any time I try. (I?ve had some low back issues and am trying to rest it up to identify the real issue) The most effective way I have found to train your CNS is thru partial movements.
The idea is that your CNS controls your ability to coordinate the muscle group?s contribution in performing a specific movement. For example on bench the body builder will bench with his elbows out for 10 or so reps and try to focus the contraction of the chest muscles. First of all his CNS is getting very little push.
He isn?t forcing his body to learn to handle more weight at a very fast rate. You can get a really strong chest and beach allot this way but eventually even the most genetically talented lifter will hit a plateau. By using primarily your chest and secondarily your tri?s and delt?s you reach a biomechanical limit and will risk injury if he was to continue to try and progress past that limit.
But with proper form and the incorporation of additional muscle groups the biomechanical limit is raised and progression can continue. Then thru the use of partial movements? your CNS gets accustom to the increased loads and in a safe way you become accustom to the weight. This is essentially teaching you body to use the groups necessary to accommodate the loads the partial movement will allow you to work with.
On Bench this is accomplished thru board work, Squats you can use boxes and in deads use rack pulls. I recommend only going full range for max effort no more than once per month.
-
All workouts should be enjoyable and intense. I keep the workouts fresh by switching my ancillary movements on a regular basis. On DE days rotate your implements every 3 weeks. (the implements I use are Chain, bands and hanging kettle bells)If you?re not enjoying what you?re doing you won?t do it for very long and if you?re not progressing change.
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Listen to your body. If something seems wrong it probly is. Back off figure it out and press on.
So that is the reason why I train the way I do this is an outline of the program:
ME Bench
5 week board cycle. Start on week one with a 4bd. Then do all your sets following warm up on that board height. The next week go to a 3bd and do the same. Then the next week 2bd and do the same. Then 1bd and do the same. Then on week 5 go full range.
The workout should look like this:
Warm-up Grip, Bies, Tries and Cuffs
BB Bench
Bar x allot (I like to go 3 hand positions for the first 3 sets)
Then add wt until you reach a 3 ? 5 rep max
Add the boards for that week and continue to add wt to a 3 rep max
Then add shirt and continue to a 3 rep max
Do 3 sets at that rep max wt (more advanced lifter may continue to add to a 1 rep max)
Ancillary work
Choose 3 or 4 exercises that you need to work on and do 3 or 4 sets on each. I usually go sets of 10.
DE Bench
DE Bench is a 3 week cycle alternating thru 3 implements. So I go 3 weeks using the band in addition to 40 ? 50% of my 1 rep raw max in strait wt. The after 3 weeks I go to Chains plus wt. Then after 3 weeks I go to Kettle Bells hanging off the bar suspended by mini bands. Each cycle has specific benefits.
Warm-up Grip, Bies, Tries and Cuffs
BB Bench
Bar x allot (I like to go 3 hand positions for the first 3 sets)
I perform all sets alternating 3 hand positions.
Warm-up to 40 ? 50% strait wt then add implement for that cycle? Perform 9 to 12 sets at that level.
Ancillary work
Choose 3 or 4 exercises that you need to work on and do 3 or 4 sets on each. I usually go sets of 10.
For Squats and deads I follow the same template but only do DE for one primary movement per week. So on week one go Bench ME and DE, Squat ME and Dead ME. Then week 2 go Bench ME, Squat ME and DE, Dead ME. Then week 3 go Bench ME, Squat ME and Dead ME and DE.
I always spend one day per week in the gym working on whatever I feel like. This is my fun day and usually includes allot of core and grip.
So that is it in a nutshell. I?m still new to this whole thing and know I have allot learn. This program has yielded some pretty good results but I know I will probly change things as time goes on. So far so good though and until I hit a plateau I won?t change too much.
I am looking for advice, suggestions or comments, please feel free as the input is appreciated!
Thanks all and Merry Christmas!
Christmas Eve Bench workout
Normal warmup Grip, Bies, Tries, Dips
Rev Blue bands full range bench
135 x 45 (3 hand poss)
225 x 15
315 x 10
Add rev bands (-80 on top, -120 on bottom)
405 x 5
495 x 3
545 x 1 Freeking grinder press took about 10 seconds
ISO hammer stgth
3 plates x 5 x 3
Rev grip bench
225 x 10 x 3
Sauna BW 205
Once a month Squat workout
No spotters last 2 days.
Smith Rack Squats set the stops about 2" above parralel
bar x 20
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 10
Add belt
405 x 8
Add rev tension blue bands (-80 on top and -160 on bottom)
495 x 10
585 x 10
635 x 5
675 x 5 nice set last 2 reps were really grinders
Timed DB presses 2 minute sets
40 x 5 sets
Sauna and bw 207
ME Bench night
Good warmup, right cuff has been hurting. I think from the heavy bench on Friday then great squat night on Saturday. Took some time to loosen it up then got in the shirt pretty quick to protect it. The Kennelly DB’s at the end of the workout really helped allot. Feels great right now.
Bar x allot
135 x 45 (3 hand poss)
225 x 10
315 x 6
Add 3 board
405 x 5
Add SP 44 Katana. Shirt is looser than a new 46 at this point. Not getting much out of it, but that is good. Ill get a new 44 super in the next couple months.
495 x 5
585 x 3
675 x 3
705 x 2
Rev band bench. Left the shirt on and stayed with the 3 bd. Bands are getting wore out too. Mesured at -60 at the top and -100 at bd’s
625 x 5 really fast should have done 10
715 x 3
625 x 8
Kennelly DB’s
35’s x 10 x 3
BW 205, sauna and out. A good night.
How long did it take for your bands to get worn out?
about 18 months, they still work but I can tell they arnt as stiff as they were. Ill bet they have 20,000 reps on them.
what elbow and shoulder rehab exercises do u like?
hey nate.
For Elbows tons of grip work. for Shoulder Kennelly db’s have saved me.
thnx ill start adding htose in my elbows have been killing me, what kind of grip work pinches or more holds?