I meant the motorcycle high pull on your new avatar.
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
I meant the motorcycle high pull on your new avatar.[/quote]
oh.
I’ll go get my dunce cap.
12/31/08 DE Squat
Box Squat
225x 2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/6
Reverse Hypers
90x 8/8/8/10 ^
Pull Downs
190x 8/8/6/4
Glute-Ham Raise
4/3/3/2 negatives
Not a bad end to the year. 225 didn?t feel as fast as 205 last time, but it still felt pretty fast, especially after the 4th set when I found a groove. New PR on reverse hypers, 10 reps at 90 lbs. First set of pull downs felt good, then deteriorated, and GHRs (as usual) were a frigging joke.
Professionally, this has been one of the worst years in my career, but it has ended well with a decent job with good prospects. I am working a 2d job to pay off the debts I generated when I was trying to do my own business. Another year or so of that. Live and learn.
In September I committed to compete in powerlifting, and on Saturday I will finish my first Westside/conjugate training cycle. I?ll take 4 days of rest, then weigh, test, measure, and report here. I?ll then do Dave Tate?s Westside for Beginners template for another cycle, then I?ll probably do a cycle of Jim Wendler?s 5-3-1.
New Year?s Resolutions are for people that don?t have goals. My goals are to squat and deadlift over 5 wheels and bench 4 wheels by the end of 2009, in competition, raw (no cash for gear), at 240 lbs. My first cycle goals were to bench over 305 and squat/deadlift over 400, and I?ll let you know how that went next week.
I?ve decided to make 2009 a good year. I don?t know that I have ever committed to making it a good year before, but I am now. I will make some good things happen.
I am glad to say that I feel like I have made a bunch of new friends here. A happy new year, full of PRs and other worthy events, to you all.
Train Harder,
john
1/2/09 DRAGGY-SLED!!!
Sled + 25lbs, half-mile
Sled + 50 lbs, Tabatas
I really need to do this at least twice per week in order to drop some waist-lard. I?ll find a way to work it in.
Train Harder,
John
1/3/09 DE Bench
Bench:
195x 3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3
DB triceps extension
45x 3
35x 6/6/6/7^
Reverse grip pushdown
160x 15/14/13
Rear-side-front delt raises
15lbs x 60/60 (20 each way)
Pull Down Abs
0x0
This was training session #32 in a cycle of 32. I won?t do any training until Wednesday, when I?ll test my maxes.
The bar felt pretty fast on the last several sets of bench, but I think my form might suck. I could use a little coaching on this. With a little luck, I may pay a little visit to the PL gym for a session or 2, and get a little help. We?ll see what the schedule allows.
I?ll start my second cycle with the addition of more shoulder work starting Saturday.
As I?ve mentioned, I like trying to make my own equipment. I?m trying to figure out how to build a GHR. ?natural? glute-ham raises are very hard on my bad knee. They are also really difficult unless you already have massive hammies (or don?t weigh 300lbs). I?d like to be able to do GHRs every day for a couple months without wrecking my knee - both glutes and hammies need major work (like everything else, I guess?).
Train Harder
john
1/7/09 - 1/8/09
tested my lifts. Here are the new maxes:
Squat 405 - 40lb PR
Bench 305 - 30lb PR
Deadlift 405 - 80lb PR
The deadlift increase was so big because last time I tested was the first time I used a sumo dl stance, plus I was real tired. Today I did my warm up sets Sumo and did my max attempts conventional.
Im a little disappointed, but at least my bench is a true max, I’ve never benched that much before. I’ve squated and DLd about 450 in my younger days, so Im looking forward to hitting those soon. These lifts came up real hard, so I’ll take tomorrow off, and start the new program on Saturday
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
1/7/09 - 1/8/09
tested my lifts. Here are the new maxes:
Squat 405 - 40lb PR
Bench 305 - 30lb PR
Deadlift 405 - 80lb PR
The deadlift increase was so big because last time I tested was the first time I used a sumo dl stance, plus I was real tired. Today I did my warm up sets Sumo and did my max attempts conventional.
Im a little disappointed, but at least my bench is a true max, I’ve never benched that much before. I’ve squated and DLd about 450 in my younger days, so Im looking forward to hitting those soon. These lifts came up real hard, so I’ll take tomorrow off, and start the new program on Saturday[/quote]
John… excellent work! that’s 150 lbs added to your complete total… guys would give their left nut for that!
Keep it up!
150 lbs…I may give a kidney. Great work. I was reading you may try the Wendler program. I think you’ll like it. Quick and effective. The only hang up I had was it had me benching only once a week. I added a bench day and everything was great after that.
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
1/7/09 - 1/8/09
tested my lifts. Here are the new maxes:
Squat 405 - 40lb PR
Bench 305 - 30lb PR
Deadlift 405 - 80lb PR
The deadlift increase was so big because last time I tested was the first time I used a sumo dl stance, plus I was real tired. Today I did my warm up sets Sumo and did my max attempts conventional.
Im a little disappointed, but at least my bench is a true max, I’ve never benched that much before. I’ve squated and DLd about 450 in my younger days, so Im looking forward to hitting those soon. These lifts came up real hard, so I’ll take tomorrow off, and start the new program on Saturday[/quote]
…maybe I need to do what you’re doing…
Thanks skid and eco! The first 150lbs is easy 8*)
If I had done it in competition, Id be a whopping Class IV.
This was my first real cycle training as a powerlifter, so I am pretty pleased. Ive done more reading, and watched your logs, and can see some things Ive been missing, which will get put into my next cycle.
the next total goal is 1227, which would make me a class III in the 275s. I dont expect to hit that in cycle #2, though.
I’ll do one more round on the WSB beginner template, with a couple small additions. Ill do the Wendler program after that.
It’ll be 3 or 4 more cycles before I feel Ive advanced enough to do some of the programs I see you guys doing.
Thanks for your support
john
I don’t look at what class I’m in. Its just to depressing.
Did you make your own sled? If so, with what?
Yeah, I made my own out of a tire. Here is how I described it to Skidmark a few weeks back if you’d like to make one:
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
One of these days, I’m going to post a video and charge 5 bucks, but this is special for Skidmark. I got the idea from one of Dave Tate’s articles.
Old Lardass’s Guide to Building Your Own Cheap-Ass Dragging Sled
First, go to the tire store. They have to pay to get rid of their old tires, so they will give you one for free. Try to get a tire from a pickup truck.
You need a 3/8 in drillbit and a drill. you take 2 scrap pcs of 2x4 (about 6 in long)and drill a 3/8 in hole in them. Then, you lay the tire on its side, and drill a 3/8 in hole about 1 or 2 in down from the top of the treadline.
Get a 3/8 in eye bolt (less than a dollar at home depot) and push the threaded end into the tire. Reach inside the tire and impale the scrap pcs of 2x4 on the threads of the eye bolt. put washer and nut at the end.
Use loctite on the threads so you don’t have to constantly tighten the nut. So, what you have just done is used 2 pcs of 2x4 as a big washer, so that the the eye bolt wont punch through the tire.
Take a scrap pc of plywood and cut it so it will fit inside the tire. This is so you can load the tire with all manner of heavy shit without it falling out the middle.
The rest of the stuff you need is available at walmart inexpensively. You will need 2 each of 1/4 in replacement chain links (a 2-pak is about 3 bucks). a 10’ chain (the 880 lb chain at walmart is 11 bucks) a 6 inch snap link (4 bucks). a 20 ft tow strap (15 bucks - you could also use an old fire hose).
Now, take one of the replacement links, and use it to connect one end of the chain to the eyebolt. use the other link at the other end of the chain to connect the 6 in snaplink. connect the ends of the towstrap together to make a long loop.
Run the loop through the snap link so that you now have 2 loops, one on each side of the snap link. put these over your shoulders like pack straps, or crossed over your chest. Load the tire with rocks, children, old sears cement weights. Drag lots.
I leave mine in the back of my Outback so that I can drag at the park or anywhere else.
Now, if you dont mind dragging in your nieghborhood (or you have a gym or someplace where you can permanently abandon your sled), here is a great way to pimp your sled. Get 2 very large yard bags, and put 1 inside the other. put it inside the tire.
get an 80 lb bag of cement, and dumpt it inside the bags. Add water and stir. You now have a 80 lb sled once the cement cures. You want a permanent place for the sled, cuz lifting it in and out of your car can be a pain.
For my next trick, I’ll show you how to make a power rack out of 3" galvanized pipe.[/quote]
today I’m in Laramie, WY in the high plains about 7,000 ft elevation. Colder than s)*%t and windy as hell.
I’ll bet they have a pl gym here somewhwere, but I haven’t found it yet. laramie is bigger than Sparks, NV (Disciples of Strength), and its a college town, so I’ll find one this trip, and bring my workout stuff next trip. In the meantime, since I didn’t bring my stuff, I’ll try to do some rehab on my knee, which still hurts like hell from maxing last week. somebody call me a whaaaambulance.
Train Harder,
john
John, thanks for the sled instructions. What a simple yet great idea.
There’s a tire store right down the street…
Where’s the power rack instructions? I’m dancing around like I have to pee waiting for those… 
after the power rack, he is gonna show us how to knit a stove outta steel wool!
Seriously, I have cut and pasted the instructions for the sled… gonna make one when the snow melts. If it ever does.
Finally got back on the bus with a ME squat workout on Saturday. I took over a week off. I don’t have the details with me right now, I just popped by the office and checked email.
I found out that I have major imbalances in my hips and back, worse than I thought. This stems from my bad knee and torn calf. Years of not squatting or deadlifting and favoring that leg has screwed everything up. Heavy good mornings are good for that.
Right now I’m considering delaying my next PL cycle and devoting a cycle to single leg work to try and repair my imbalances. I doubt it though. I love the heavy stuff way too much.
good weekend living to all!
john
1/17/08 ME Squat (here are the numbers from last saturdays GM-fest)
Good Mornings:
5x 135/185/225
3x 315/315/315
1x 335/355/355
Reverse Hypers:
100x 8/8/5
Doing the singles was when I found my lower back imbalance. 1-leg RDLs should help with that. I hope.
Ive been pretty tired lately, so my workout was slow, and I had to leave for work so my assistance didn’t happen. I owe the Iron God some pull-down abs and leg raises. I hope to make my offerings today.
j
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
1/17/08 ME Squat (here are the numbers from last saturdays GM-fest)
Good Mornings:
5x 135/185/225
3x 315/315/315
1x 335/355/355
Reverse Hypers:
100x 8/8/5
Doing the singles was when I found my lower back imbalance. 1-leg RDLs should help with that. I hope.
Ive been pretty tired lately, so my workout was slow, and I had to leave for work so my assistance didn’t happen. I owe the Iron God some pull-down abs and leg raises. I hope to make my offerings today.
j[/quote]
I find that if you sacrifice small furry animals at midnight under the moon whilst naked and chanting Seiko percentages also seems to appease them…
[quote]mjnewland wrote:
Right now I’m considering delaying my next PL cycle and devoting a cycle to single leg work to try and repair my imbalances. I doubt it though. I love the heavy stuff way too much.
[/quote]
I have fleeting thoughts of fixing imbalances as well.But I love lifting heavy stuff too much as well.