I think I’m setting mine up like:
Monday:
coan deadlift
Tuesday:
-ME press (floor press, bench press, close grip alternating)
-overhead press
-dumbell bench
Thursday:
snatch
squat
I usually do boxsquats after going for a max on squats, durin gthe coan DL cycle I think it will mess with recovery
Friday:
DE press
jerk press
repetition DB row
weighted chins
[u]Texas Method - Coan/Phillipi Deadlift Cycle[/u]
Today marks the first day of my new training cycle. Rippetoe has been good to me, but it is time for a change.
The Texas Method is the next routine, or step, after Starting Strength. It allows for more recovery and hopefully longterm gains. I plan on following this schedule for 10 weeks.
The Coan/Phillipi Deadlift program is guaranteed to put 100 lbs on your deadlift in just 10 weeks. Ok, I just made that up. It is proven to add pounds to your dl, which I’m all for doing. I used the calculator inputting 385 for my starting max, and 425 for my desired goal. Too low of a goal? A 10% gain would be great.
Today’s Training
back squat, no belt, narrow stance
5x5x275
military press
5x5x135
power clean
5x5x145
dips
3x5xbw+35
pull-ups
1x5xbw+10
3x5xbw
bw = 248
Little bit of a slow start. Weights felt slightly more heavy then I anticipated.
Back squats felt good. I tried a narrower stance - narrower than shoulder width. The intention was to break parallel. I just can’t seem to mange to break parallel with a wide stance. My hips lock and prevent me from getting deep. I took videos; should be posted in a little bit. I also did the Third World Squat for a couple of minutes today. I had to lean against a wall.
Military press was fine. Last rep of the last set was slow going up. Probably a good starting weight.
Power cleans sucked the life out of me. 5x5 is just grueling. I think I kept pretty good form throughout. Video taped my first set of these as well - post later.
Dips and pull-ups were difficult. I’m not sure if I was whooped from the entire workout or just weak from lack of activity. Dips were slow - slower then I thought. So good starting weight on those. Pull-ups downright sucked. I thought I could at least do them with 10 lbs. Oh well.
power cleans
5x145
Any helpful comments are appreciated.
5x5x275
Any comments are appreciated. I did notice some reps were a little high. I also looked like the last rep of each set was parallel.
Just figured I throw in: the power cleans are probably a bad idea before coan DL day. I’ve had ME deadlift sessions thrown off by doing full cleans 2-3 days beforehand.
Yeah, my upper back and traps are fried today.
Any suggestion? You can’t say not to do an exercise and then not offer an alternative 
Today’s Training
front squat, no belt
3x3x215
bench press
3x3x215
power clean
3x3x115 (messed up, should have been 125)
barbell curl
6,4,3x115
knee raise
2x25
bw = 249
Great workout. Felt energized afterward. Not really sure if that is the point. It is supposed to be easier for the body - sort of like speed work. Maybe Zep can comment on whether it is similar to Westside or not.
Front squats felt real good. I haven’t done these in a long time. I was really focusing on my depth. Video to come.
Bench was … bench. I really focused on bar speed. I think I accomplished that. The bar was controlled, but moved quick.
Cleans were nothing special. It was a weight I could have reverse curled. Ok, maybe not. The most difficult part was the depth. It was like doing a clean from a deficit.
I added the barbell curls and ab work on purpose, but not as written in Texas Method. I enjoy a good arm workout. Nuff said. Ab work will only benefit every other area of my training.
Rest time was 2 full minutes. Way too much. I’ll probably cut that back to 90 seconds or even just a minute. I was fully recovered and ready to go after 30 seconds. All in all a good workout. Can’t wait for Friday!
front squat, 3x215
depth check and criticism please
looked good. try sticking your butt out at the start so your back is more tight. i learnt that little trick from a huge dude at olympic lifting. cant tell if you do it from the video but i thought i’d just throw that in.
as for the powerclean form, you must learn to let the weight HIT your thighs. you will definitely feel it.
try starting with the weight touching your legs. before you start you should feel the weight on the front of your heel(midfoot), make sure back is straight and arms extended, then simply… JUMP through your heels with the bar. also consciously try to put your shoulders DOWN and a bit back, if they are too forward and the barbell also doesnt stay on your leg skin then it will fly forwards or backwards. which makes it harder too.
start by doing them slowly(not too slow) with 110lbs till you can feel the weight bumping on your thigh(Around mid-high thigh)
if you keep shoulders down and back and dont bend them till after the bar hit them you should be fine.
and depending on the bar and where the rough parts of it are, you may even not scrape your legs at all if your stance is close enough.
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
power cleans
5x145
Any helpful comments are appreciated.[/quote]
Look pretty solid. Nice and quick reps. I’m no expert, but it looks like you bend your elbows slightly just before the first pull. You can probably fix that easy. I thrashed my back with a bigger bend (biceps tear is also a potential danger).
I always catch the bar in front squat position before finishing the rep. Probably it’s just a matter of preference, but at some point supporting the weight at top with your arms is out of the question.
Wearing non-squishy shoes helped out my power clean more than any other lift. I dunno what you wear, but it’s something to keep in mind.
[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
looked good. try sticking your butt out at the start so your back is more tight. i learnt that little trick from a huge dude at olympic lifting. cant tell if you do it from the video but i thought i’d just throw that in.
as for the powerclean form, you must learn to let the weight HIT your thighs. you will definitely feel it.
try starting with the weight touching your legs. before you start you should feel the weight on the front of your heel(midfoot), make sure back is straight and arms extended, then simply… JUMP through your heels with the bar. also consciously try to put your shoulders DOWN and a bit back, if they are too forward and the barbell also doesnt stay on your leg skin then it will fly forwards or backwards. which makes it harder too.
start by doing them slowly(not too slow) with 110lbs till you can feel the weight bumping on your thigh(Around mid-high thigh)
if you keep shoulders down and back and dont bend them till after the bar hit them you should be fine.
and depending on the bar and where the rough parts of it are, you may even not scrape your legs at all if your stance is close enough.[/quote]
I know the goal is to keep the bar as close as possible to your body. However, wouldn’t making a stop at your thighs slow the bar down, i.e. momentum?
Coan/Philipi Deadlift Cycle Week 1
deadlift
2x320
speed deadlift
8x3x225
Circuit
stiff-legged dl 2x8x185
barbell row 2x8x185
reverse lat pulldown 2x8x180
good morning 2x8x65
bw = 249
Well that was a good workout. If this cycle exposes your weaknesses then strengthens them, I will be happy. The weakness brought out today was my lower back. Wow. Tight as something that is really tight. I like the variety of this program. Couple of heavy lifts. Some speed work. Then accessory lifts. Good all around.
I already messed it up though. The circuit was supposed to be three rounds, not two. I could have gotten through it with the weight I selected. The only exercise that could have given me trouble was the reverse lat pulldowns.
Stiff legged deadlifts and good mornings were fun. I have never done those before. I need to double check my form on the stiffies. The weight could have been higher on both, and will be for next week.
Barbell rows were a piece of cake.
Time to recover.
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Coan/Philipi Deadlift Cycle Week 1
deadlift
2x320
speed deadlift
8x3x225
Circuit
stiff-legged dl 2x8x185
barbell row 2x8x185
reverse lat pulldown 2x8x180
good morning 2x8x65
bw = 249
Well that was a good workout. If this cycle exposes your weaknesses then strengthens them, I will be happy. The weakness brought out today was my lower back. Wow. Tight as something that is really tight. I like the variety of this program. Couple of heavy lifts. Some speed work. Then accessory lifts. Good all around.
I already messed it up though. The circuit was supposed to be three rounds, not two. I could have gotten through it with the weight I selected. The only exercise that could have given me trouble was the reverse lat pulldowns.
Stiff legged deadlifts and good mornings were fun. I have never done those before. I need to double check my form on the stiffies. The weight could have been higher on both, and will be for next week.
Barbell rows were a piece of cake.
Time to recover.
[/quote]
sweet deal, I start the cycle on monday
Just don’t forget to do the three cycles :0 My hammies and upper back is quite sore.
Got an iPod Touch 8 GB this weekend. Long story short, I ordered a Mac Book Pro for an employee, they come with an iPod free after rebate. Who gets the iPod? That’s right, the network administrator. My title really should be Director of Technology. I am IT.
Any good PC programs to rip DVD’s into iTunes?
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Any good PC programs to rip DVD’s into iTunes?[/quote]
Uh one of my friends has one, If I hear from him at all I’ll let you know. Otherwise check out rockbox. If you’re the kind of nerd I am you can play the original doom on your ipod.
DVD Decryptor. Seems to do the job. I don’t plan on anything illegal. Just putting some movies on it for my kids to watch.
Well yesterday flat out stunk. I was able to get through the bench just fine, sort of.
On Sunday, my wife and I spent all day outside. Let’s just say I have a good base tan now.
So my back was a little sore to begin with. I didn’t sleep enough - I was even drifting off throughout the day. I wasn’t “amped” for the workout - really not in the mood. I think I was also recovering from Friday’s workout.
I did try back squatting. The warm-ups felt heavy and awkward - I wasn’t in the groove. My first rep of the working set - lift bar (felt like a ton), squat down, riiiiiiip. Yup. I shredded my undies. I kind of lost my concentration after that and called it a day.
Enough with the excuses. I’m going to be doing the rest of the workout today and probably skipping the scheduled Wednesday workout which is a reduced volume and load.
“You gotta know when to hold’em. Know when to fold’em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run.”