[quote]LondonBoxer123 wrote:
As ever, great stuff in here man.
x2 on staying away from girls. [/quote]
Great to hear from you champ; hope all is well for you & yours.
27.01.14 PM
Lunchtime session today… Moved into my new place last night. If I’m of the right mentality it will really attenuate my training well.
On of the joys of afternoon training is that I am warm; the 6am starts I feel develop mental toughness and resolve; but from a purely physical perspective going into the gym loose & limber is excellent… This session was almost a carbon copy of last Mondays;
Bound into Box Jumps 3 sets x 3 (Bounding maybe 6 feet and just busting myself for speed.)
Med Ball throws 3 sets x 3 (22lb ball throwing for height)
Sprints (5 sprints; intense today)
Military Press.
3@45lbs 3@70lbs 3@90lbs 3@110lbs
5 sets of 1 @ 100lbs
(This felt like a good weight for me today. I’ll follow the program.)
Incline DB Press
5 sets of 10 @ 50lbs, 50bs, 50bs, 45lbs, 45lbs
(Jumped the gun here- forgot the programme, dropped the final two sets to where I should’ve been working.)
Chins
3s @ 5lbs, 11lbs, 16.5lbs. 22lbs, 27.5lbs, 30lbs.
(Lovely feeling pulling through the scaps.)
DB Rows
4 x 10s @ 90lbs
Ez Curls
3 x 15s @ 55lbs
Note: Military Press is an issue- my triceps tend to take over immediatly, so if I want to use my shoulders I have to let my arms a little wider and go after it very aggressively. Have a feeling this is an exercise that would benefit me with more reps, so I am fortunate I programmed in shouldr press on Friday.
Had a nice phonecall before lunch; a new S&C wants to work with me.
This guy i like. He’s more understated than my past guys. But I think it could work.
At the weekend a girl I know won the ladies novice nationals.
She was all action for three rounds- like non-stop!
It’s kinda weird because she’s a really nice, kind girl (and like the prettiest ever…)
28.01.14 PM
Afternoon session again.
I didnt sleep too well the night previous, so frankly I missed my morning session and I hit it at lunch.
Step back Throw - 2 kg Med Ball
3s 3s 3s
Box Jumps
3 3 3 3
Jog into sprint
1 1 1
Deadlift
3s @ 155lbs, 176lbs, 200lbs, 220lbs
1s@ 250 250 250 250 250
(Note: had my form checked on these by the guy running the gym- he said it was perfect- my hips shot a little early for my liking, but it was good. Must do jokers next week determine my true max.)
Snatch Grip Deadlift
5s@ 132, 132, 132, 132, 132
Rope Crunches
10@ 110, 110, 110, 110
Side Bends
20s@ 45 45 45
Looking back on this I’m not really happy. I backed off on the SGDL’s because I was meant to be sparring.
Sparring was cancelled, so I feel like I didnt achieve a whole pile today.
I’ve preached and promised that I will take it slow going up the weights, buyt I’ll need to do jokers in all my compounds next week, just so I can assess where my load should be at; I definitely can push more with the DL, Press and Squat… My Bench is the ugly stepchild of all my lifts though. Will see how I can address that!
My core is actually surprising me at the minute; its nice and strong; going to explore it a little more and incorporate some things a little differently.
Im sparring tonight, helping that other pro out before his fight; but I really need to get a coach myself.
Surely the most visceral rapper out there;
30.01.14 PM
Crazy day; really crazy.
Hopped into my car to go to the gym… no gear bag.
Irregular, but not the end of the world. I high tailed it to a local sports store and grabbed a pair of soccer shorts and a shirt.
LARGE MY ASS
I slipped into these delicate little things and apparently I must have quads like Phil Heath, because I’m bursting out of these.
But I’m not Phil Heath- I’m not even even hyyooge; these shorts just happened to stick distrurbingly close to every contour.
Having taken a swift look around to make sure there were no children present I proceeded into the most rushed gym session ever.
Benchpress
3 @ 132, 154
1s @ 165 165 165 165 165
DB Shoulder Press
10s @ 66 66 66 66 66
Weighted Chins
3s @ 11lbs, 16lbs, 22lbs, 28lbs, 33lbs, 39lbs
DB Rows
8s @ 100lbs, 100lbs, 100lbs, s/s
EZ Curls
10s@ 60lbs
Raging that I couldnt get a proper session in.
But glad that next week I’ll be hammering out some jokers 
Met my cousin coming into the gym; he’s got my dad’s genes- broader than they are tall those bastards 
31.08.14 AM
Still a bit disappointed by yesterdays session. Additionally, I had no evening session, so I was left feeling like I’d overeaten for my demands.
Getting frustrating trying to find a full time boxing gym; but hopefully next week will see something pop up.
This morning I woke up easy, but I was tired admittedly.
Ovh. Throws 3 3 3
Sprints 1 1 1 1 1
Squat
2s @ 132, 155, 180,
1s @ 200 200 200 200 200*
Front Squat
5s @ 110 110 110 110 110
Captains Chair
4 x 10s
Decline Crunch
4 x 10s
Side Bends
20s
This felt ok. Tried cross arm with the front squat and it did seem a lot better for me.
Still not pushing any weight really- so it can be frustrating at times. However, on the bright side, mobility seems to be really good and the potential to get really strong seems to be there.
Next week will be good; cycling in some jokers to see what I’m capable of at the moment.
Busy weekend ahead. My daughter and I will be at my parents as I have to travel to a boxing tournament Saturday.
I’ll be getting back then Saturday night late; so we’ll do something laid back on the Sunday
nice log and very informative.
Keep up the good work.
03.02.14 pm
I typed this out yesterday, but it failed unfortunately.
I felt good going into the gym and I think this showed in my plyometrics & sprints.
Bound into box jump 5 5 5
Med ball throws 3s 3s 3s
Sprints 1 1 1 1 1
Military Press
2s @ 45lbs, 66lbs, 77lbs, 88lbs,
1s @ 94lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs, 115lbs, 121lbs*
Incline DB Press
10s @ 100lbs, 100lbs, 100lbs, 66lbs, 66lbs
Weighted Chins
3s @ 22, 28, 33
2s @ 37, 44
DB Rows
10s @ 100 100 100 100
EZ Curls
15s @ 55lbs 55lbs 55lbs
I really enjoyed this session, The incline press was demanding- but when I droped the weight I had the best feeling of muscle activation ever.
I can see why bodybuilders enjoy this stuff so much.
In the PM I was coaching. Went well and got some light sparring in after. I was serving as sparring partner, so I wasnt throwing really.
But he knew 
04.02.14 PM
These afternoon sessions are suiting me. Next week will be the second phase of this 5/3/1 programme, so I’ll consider placing strength sessions mid-day in my overall programme.
Today was definitely a day for a lunch session because a cold miserable morning would have been a crucifixion when approaching DLs
Box Jumps 3 3 3
Med Ball nThrows 3 3 3
Jog into Sprints 1 1 1
Deadlift
1s @ 132, 176, 200, 220, 243, 264, 286, 300, 309lbs
SGDL
10s @ 132 132 132 132 132
(Worried about my form here, but last week of them and may change for trap bar or rack pulls.)
Rope Crunch
10s@ 110, 121, 121, 121
Side Bends
20s @ 44 44 44
Ok, so overall, it was a fun session.
I feel that I need to work on my form a bit more as my natural leverage makes this lift an easy one for me.
I didnt hit my 1RM; I feel that at the moment thats gonna sit between 315 - 330 lbs.
We’ll see how I feel tomorrow; but if alls ok, I may work these tests in a week before my deload in future.
Pretty happy, I feel good… I absolutely tore my shins asunder today as I take the eccentric phase of these lifts really really slowly.
All aggressive on the way up, nice and slow down.
05.02.14 PM
This is my off day. I’m not scheduled to hit the gym today, but I did a little bit.
My lower back had a little twinge - Goodbye SGDL! It was fine though, I feel good.
And because I feel so well, I decided to do a test.
10 x 2s Power Snatch @ 90lbs
10 Prowler Sprints
3 x 3min Complexes.
After these, I can definitely confirm I’m stronger.
But more importantly I’m more explosive. The technique was familiar, but I still felt happy how snappy I got through them.
Should I integrate snatches again (as I do before fights,) I can load up nicely again.
My conditioning is far from its peak, but I am strong enough tyo bust through sticking points. Happy
A James Toney entrance song back in the day
06.02.14 PM
Half way through the week.
Work has been busy this week; but it looks like I’m over the worst of it. Had a manic morning, so I was literally shovelling down the carbs as I missed my pwo.
The gym is a strange place. It has become a psychological retreat where I genuinely enjoy myself.
I’m not supposed to enjoy training…
Next week I will add hard conditioning and I feel that will help me hone my resolve and mental toughness.
Bound into Box Jump 5 5 5
Med Ball throws 3s 3s 3s
Benchpress
5s @ 132, 155, 160
1s @ 166 166 166 166 166*
DB Shl Press
10s @ 78 78 78 78 78**
Chins
3s@ 22lbs, 28lbs, 33lbs, 39lbs, 44lbs
DB Rows
8s @ 100lbs 100lbs 100lbs 100lbs
EZ Curls
8s @ 66lbs 66lbs 66lbs
Very pleasurable session. Really enjoyed it.
I’m not sure if I should change the assistance exercsises or not for the coming 3 week block.
*My first set felt like I was at the right weight. For the remainder I set my feet and arched my back. I got some serious explosiveness on the way up. BP is something I’ve never help in my programme long, but I may hold it in for now and work it up.
**Went a little lighter on my shoulders today… Its not the weight- I can actually lift heavy with my shoulders- its lifting vertically for reps.
How very odd. Enjoy the burning feeling though.
I don’t know how this got on my iPod…
But if ever I find out whodunnit…
[quote]donnydarkoirl wrote:
22.01.13 AM
Just out of the gym here. Was stiff after training last night, but I got in a hot bath and had a bash of some mobility exercises.
Felt good this morning, though still not satisfied with the “Dynamic” portion of my session.
Must watch my form on the DLs. They dont take their toll on me the way they used to at all.
I’ll have to ensure I’m not overusing the legs as I’m finding them far too easy. Still not pushing the weights up at all; I’ll take my time.[/quote]
Sorry I’ve been away from the thread. You’re doing great work here mate. If you want to revisit and rephrased the question on mobility from earlier I’ll be glad to give it a go. Regarding the following:
[quote]However, I can feel that my rotation and subsequent speed is restricted from tightness within my hips.
My ranges of motion are fine, but to go through the motions of pivoting I know to be correct is resulting in dramatic speed loss.[/quote]
How are you testing ranges of motion, specifically? And what mobility drills have you been doing so far in your efforts to improve this?
Also regarding the DLs, well…you’re supposed to be using your legs rather than lower back to lift it. If you don’t find the DLs take their toll as badly on you any more, that’s a damn good sign IMO. Better overuse the legs (meaning hamstrings) than lower back. The legs are built to take punishment.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Sorry I’ve been away from the thread. You’re doing great work here mate. If you want to revisit and rephrased the question on mobility from earlier I’ll be glad to give it a go.
[/quote]
Good morning sir; good to get your input.
I hope all is well?
Regarding mobility, I feel that my handspped is restricted because of a lack of mobility between my legs and upperbody.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
How are you testing ranges of motion, specifically? And what mobility drills have you been doing so far in your efforts to improve this?[/quote]
My only methods of testing ranges of motion are through my performance in sports and in recovery sessions.
In boxing I find my speed impeded as I do not rotate quickly enough. The muscles involved are strong enought, its just a tightness through the hips that is slowing me down.
After every heavy session I incorporate one light recovery session, in which I perform;
10 Mins Foam Rolling;
Upper Back, IT bands, Quads, Glutes, Hams, Calves, Groin
Static Stretching;
Hamstring w/ elastic
Facedown Quad Stretch
Hip Flexors
Glute Stretch
15 Mins Recovery Circuit (Low intensity)
-10 bw Squats
-10/10 bw Lunges
-10 Pushups
-10 Inverted Rows / Facepulls
-10s Foot Marching Plank
-10/10 Med Ball Woodchop
Self Regulation;
Just the short term fixes that keep me training.
Curls if Elbows ache.
More Facepulls if my shoulders ache to the anterior…
well if anything to the front is sore.
I perform DeFranco’s Agile 8 before any strength sessions that require it and I incorporate a similar routine before all sports sessions.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Also regarding the DLs, well…you’re supposed to be using your legs rather than lower back to lift it. If you don’t find the DLs take their toll as badly on you any more, that’s a damn good sign IMO. Better overuse the legs (meaning hamstrings) than lower back. The legs are built to take punishment.[/quote]
Thanks for the encouragement here.
I had the gym owner check my form out. He recorded it, he was happy and I was pretty happy.
I dont want to hit the lower back at all. But I wanted confirmation that I was hinging correctly. There is scope to lift a lot more, but I’ll take my time as energy will be sapped the next couple of weeks.
07.02.14 PM
No pain or muscle soreness at all from yesterday. Not surprising as I had a pretty good steak last night.
I had another busy morning at work and was really looking forward to getting under a bar.
Med Ball Throws (verticals) 3 3 3
Bound into Box Jump 5 5 5
Sprints 1 1 1 1 1
Squats
2s @ 155, 176, 200,
1s @ 220 220 220 220 220
Front Squats
5s @ 132 132 132 132
After my main lift and secondary lift, I just dicked around with a miscellany of lifts.
Some pullups, some facepulls, some snatches. Nice & relaxed as I spar a good guy tonight at 6.30.
Well, it’s been a rough haul since New Years with some pretty serious family health stuff and a lot of late nights/workaholic days but trying to get back to things. I actually had a thread some generous soul started asking me how I train in BSL forum, which I totally let go down the drain. I’m just now getting back to posting training because my head hasn’t been in it at all.
Ok. Well a couple things. It seems like you’re getting in the ballpark with the stretches, but I have found that the specific WAY you stretch hip flexors, hams/quads etc is very important in finding an effective method, so I would encourage to you experiment with changing the specific stretches and experimenting that way. Secondly, the possibility exists that it’s not at the hips but at the thoracic spine. If the thoracic spine lacks rotational ability and extension ability that can lead to a downstream “binding” of other joints both at shoulder and at hip. Now, this is just a general tip, I’m not sure if that’s exactly what your issue is.
Another thing to look at is not just the stretching but the rotation of your femur. If you lack internal and/or external rotation at the hip (through the leg) it will likely very much impede your ability to generate speed. Your hip flexors and hamstrings may be just fine, but that your rotation ability is compromised. This is what I would look at first. However thoracic health is quite important for shoulder health because they feed on each other–if your body has to extend the arm overhead but lacks the range of motion it will compensate by extending the T-spine and/or lower back into an arch. The reverse is also true–if your T-spine lacks mobility then it forces more strain onto the shoulder (and low back sometimes) as it tries to compensate for lack of mobility up the chain.
Regarding upper body, get yourself a tennis ball and use it to dig into your pecs, anterior shoulder, posterior around the shoulder blades. Pin it against a wall and lean into it, using it like a focused foam roller. It will help a lot with tightness on pecs/anterior shoulder if you do it frequently. As with all that stuff, more frequent is better and you don’t need a 30 minute marathon session. Stretching the lats will also help. The lats internally rotate the upper arm and can feed into anterior tightness/pain along with the pecs. Especially with people who do tons of bench, punching, and/or hunching for protection lol.
Here’s the other thing: you’re doing next to no rotational work for abs. I mean, look at all your ab work–captains chair, rope crunch, crunch, side bends are pretty much the only oblique work in there right now and they are non-rotational.
I do want to give you serious serious props for being dedicated to doing the foam rolling, mobility, and Agile 8 every time you’re in the gym. If I could get half the people I tell to do this stuff to actually listen to me and do it daily I’d be considered a genius :P. That is going to save you from a lot of nagging injuries.
Hinge is the key to the deadlift, always good to get that down because it’s generally what messes people up. Slow and steady progression is a great rule of thumb. You don’t have to improve a lot if you can just improve a tiny aspect each time and not get stagnant.
I’d ask you to post a video of yourself doing some of these specific stretches, but obviously I’m not sure how much you want your face on the anonymous internet (I’m finicky about that myself). There are ways to improve your stretches but I have no idea how your are executing them (aside from the agile 8 of course)
I’ll try to post some helpful videos later but my work computer not liking any video download right now
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Well, it’s been a rough haul since New Years with some pretty serious family health stuff and a lot of late nights/workaholic days but trying to get back to things. I actually had a thread some generous soul started asking me how I train in BSL forum, which I totally let go down the drain. I’m just now getting back to posting training because my head hasn’t been in it at all. [/quote]
I’m sorry to hear- January can be a pretty bleak month after the holiday festivities and thats without family concerns.
I hope that all is well there.
Generally these forums seem to have a good understanding for peoples personal lives. There is noone on BSL that will resent you taking care of the important stuff!
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Ok. Well a couple things. It seems like you’re getting in the ballpark with the stretches, but I have found that the specific WAY you stretch hip flexors, hams/quads etc is very important in finding an effective method, so I would encourage to you experiment with changing the specific stretches and experimenting that way. Secondly, the possibility exists that it’s not at the hips but at the thoracic spine. If the thoracic spine lacks rotational ability and extension ability that can lead to a downstream “binding” of other joints both at shoulder and at hip. Now, this is just a general tip, I’m not sure if that’s exactly what your issue is.
Another thing to look at is not just the stretching but the rotation of your femur. If you lack internal and/or external rotation at the hip (through the leg) it will likely very much impede your ability to generate speed. Your hip flexors and hamstrings may be just fine, but that your rotation ability is compromised. This is what I would look at first. However thoracic health is quite important for shoulder health because they feed on each other–if your body has to extend the arm overhead but lacks the range of motion it will compensate by extending the T-spine and/or lower back into an arch. The reverse is also true–if your T-spine lacks mobility then it forces more strain onto the shoulder (and low back sometimes) as it tries to compensate for lack of mobility up the chain.
[/quote]
This all I find extremely interesting. My hamstrings are an issue by way of a hereditaru issue. However, they respond relatively well to rolling and stretching, so I will persist and improve on that if possible.
I am also bacl training a bit of BJJ- never have I felt looser than in my last stint, so I will monitor the effects on my overall joint & muscle health.
Very interested in the T Spine issue. I must read more into this.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Regarding upper body, get yourself a tennis ball and use it to dig into your pecs, anterior shoulder, posterior around the shoulder blades. Pin it against a wall and lean into it, using it like a focused foam roller. It will help a lot with tightness on pecs/anterior shoulder if you do it frequently. As with all that stuff, more frequent is better and you don’t need a 30 minute marathon session. Stretching the lats will also help. The lats internally rotate the upper arm and can feed into anterior tightness/pain along with the pecs. Especially with people who do tons of bench, punching, and/or hunching for protection lol.[/quote]
Excellent advice… I had a softball (not easy to get around these parts!) and a cricket ball for exactly this function. I will go in today and grab a couple of new ones.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Here’s the other thing: you’re doing next to no rotational work for abs. I mean, look at all your ab work–captains chair, rope crunch, crunch, side bends are pretty much the only oblique work in there right now and they are non-rotational…[/quote]
I should note that the core work I do in the gym is really only that which I load with weight. I perform Russian twists a lot-- though with the restyricted ROM, perhaps I should re-introduce landmines or paloff press? (Anti rotation I know, but it had helped me in the past.)
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
I’d ask you to post a video of yourself doing some of these specific stretches, but obviously I’m not sure how much you want your face on the anonymous internet (I’m finicky about that myself). There are ways to improve your stretches but I have no idea how your are executing them (aside from the agile 8 of course)[/quote]
I don’t mind in mthe slightest. I will try and bring a cam with me to the gym and record as much as I’m able. I have no issues with posting anything here. If I’m training hard enough I should be proud enough to show it off.
Aragorn- thank you sincerely for all the information you have shared. This is really benefitting me and I am lucky to have such contributions. I appreciate it.
08.02.14 PM
I travelled to my old gym on Friday evening last for some sparring.
My logic was that I am not in optimum shape to be sparring and that getting my ass beat would be the rude awakening I needed.
What transpired shocked me though. I sparred a very good friend of mine and a national champion at 91kgs. (202lbs?)
His first left cross laceratyed my lip and I elected to put on my thinking cap.
I don’t think I was hit after that. 4 x 3s and I felt elusive and extremely dangerous on the counter.
My output was greatly reduced and I was looking for value for money…
I wasn’t going to expend energy without worthwhile return.
So with this tall (and terrificly fast) southpaw my focuses were;
-Keeping my left lead outside of his lead right foot.
-Double jabbing over his shoulder, thus rotating him clockwise- keeping his power at a distance and inviting my own.
-If forced to rotate anti-clockwise, first taking a step back and removing my face from his range.
-In coordination with the step aforementioned, I alternated in a pull counter left hook, which not only changed my pattern, it again caused
him to rotate clockwise and open up for some straight rights.
-Slip & Step. I am lucky with my reflexes. But complacent in my defense. I find that if I force myself to step to an angle after I slip;
a) I will not be in any danger and b) it is very easy to counter.
08.02.14 PM
I travelled to my old gym on Friday evening last for some sparring.
My logic was that I am not in optimum shape to be sparring and that getting my ass beat would be the rude awakening I needed.
What transpired shocked me though. I sparred a very good friend of mine and a national champion at 91kgs. (202lbs?)
His first left cross laceratyed my lip and I elected to put on my thinking cap.
I don’t think I was hit after that. 4 x 3s and I felt elusive and extremely dangerous on the counter.
My output was greatly reduced and I was looking for value for money…
I wasn’t going to expend energy without worthwhile return.
So with this tall (and terrificly fast) southpaw my focuses were;
-Keeping my left lead outside of his lead right foot.
-Double jabbing over his shoulder, thus rotating him clockwise- keeping his power at a distance and inviting my own.
-If forced to rotate anti-clockwise, first taking a step back and removing my face from his range.
-In coordination with the step aforementioned, I alternated in a pull counter left hook, which not only changed my pattern, it again caused
him to rotate clockwise and open up for some straight rights.
-Slip & Step. I am lucky with my reflexes. But complacent in my defense. I find that if I force myself to step to an angle after I slip;
a) I will not be in any danger and b) it is very easy to counter.
I met a girl over the weekend, just made her acquaintance, nothing more.
Tiny little girl like 114lbs- squats about 250lbs.
Inspirational.
10.02.14 PM
Ok, so I was excited hitting the gym today. It’s the second 3 week phase of my S.S.S. 5/3/1 program, so that meant a change of exercises and rep schemes.
Bound into Box Jump 5 5 5 (double height)
Med Ball throw 3s 3s 3s
Power Snatches 1 1 1 1 1
Military Press
1s @ 88lbs 100lbs
1s @ 110lbs 110lbs 110lbs 110lbs 110lbs
Benchpress (for volume)
10s @ 132 132 132 132 132
Assistance
Chins 6, 6, 6, 6.
DB Rows
110lbs for 8, 8, 8, 8.
EZ Curls
10s @ 66, 66, 66.
Very tricep dominant on my presses, but hopefully gravity will transfer the weight down!
yes… yes; I’m sore in the shoulders now
I think volume on the bench is going to be a help… At a light weight my first 5 reps were explosive; before lagging for the last 5.
So… 185lbs…
I don’t feel as badly about this as perhaps I should. I feel stronger in nearly every area…
My bodyfat is still in the low teens and in the absence of my usual workload, this has been a lesser jump than anticipated.
Nutrition has been good- and thats my next step- to log that here.
Todays session was a fun one
Box Jumps 3 3 3
Med Ball Throws 3 3 3 (Supersetted)
Sprints 1 1 1 1 1
Deadlift
2s @ 132 176 200 220
1s @ 265 265 265 265 265
Rack Pulls
10s @ 180 180 180 180 180**
Landmine Twists; 4 sets of 10s
Leg Raisers; 4 sets of 6s (med weight on ankles)
**Love this exercise- Just need to get me some lower boxes.
So that was about the lot for today. Very comfortable. Lovely feeling in the lower back with the rack pulls.
Braced hard for the DLs and made them look easy.
Youtube is now blocked at work…
You bastards. You may have won this round- but you havent heard the last of me and the worst, most eclectic taste in music ever exhibited by a testosterone fuelled pentadactyl.