Them Texas Boys

Training Training Logs
321

Tuesday 04/12/2011. Back

Morning jog: 14 minutes

After work Workout
Chinese Rows: 80-140. 14 sets
Power Snatch: 135-205. 8 sets
Hammer Curls: 30-45. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 1xSome
Wind Sprints: 3x10/20/30m sprints.

  • Starting to do morning workouts. Was too heavy, needed to make some changes, so here are the changes I’m making:
  • Calves felt kinda floppy, weak and all-too-willing to spasm on Power Snatch, but by the time I started sprinting… fucking redonkulous. I got 7m into the wind sprints and felt a spasm, so I intentionally didn’t flex my calves the entire run. Still made it in 24sec.
  • Tried using mwoar of the hook grip on heavy chinese rows. Didn’t really need it until final set, and then, had to use chalk to make the grip actually work (hooked index and ring finger around thumb, but would have slipped off sans-chalk).
  • Power Snatch felt powerful, maybe coulda got 5-10 more pounds on there, but figured ‘eh, what the hell. This is good enough for today’.
  • California, which was the reason I didn’t work out for five days, was a blast. Delicious food, ate too much, DisneyLand, smiling and friendly people, and an uncomfortable number of pre-teens (the hotel I was staying at was right next to the convention center, where I think there was a national jamboree of middle school cheerleaders).
  • Running on 1/2 hour sleep from last night because of a good book and because I couldn’t manage my schedule. Will do better tonight.
322

Wednesday 04/12/2011. Legs

Morning Jog: 15 minutes

Afternoon Workout
Front Squat: 225-295. 5 sets
Back Squat: 295-355. 6 sets
Deadlift: 365-425. 4 sets

  • Psyching up is real, and it works. For top sets of squats and deadlifts, I’ll stomp the ground, growl, yell, and then get calmly focused on my root and breath, and dominate the weight.
  • used a new, thick-ass bar for front squat and back squats. Initially felt heavier, but by higher weights, after my nervous system was ramped up, was launching the weights with regular speed.
  • six and a half hours of sleep last night. Not gonna beat that tonight. I need to sleep more, but I’m having a lot of fun doing what I’m doing, so thats probably not gonna happen until it sets back my weekend schedule by a couple of hours.
323

Thursday 04/14/2011. Push

Military/Push Press: 115-215. 10 sets
Bench Press: 185-285. 8 sets
1Arm Ropedowns: setting 5-8. 8 sets
Sprint: 2x200mx-

  • After second sprint, felt sharp pain in right side of rib-cage. Painful to breath, but not if I inhale deeply or rediculously shallowly. Laid down, waited for pain to go, and called it a day.
324

Friday, 04/15/2011. Pull

Chinese Row: 80-140. 10 sets
Power Snatch: 135-205. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 1xSome

  • Had to get somewhere, no time for biceptzasaurouses.
325

Sunday 04/17/2011. Legs

Front Squat: 225-275. 4 sets.1x295.

  • Didn’t feel like I could give it my all. Too much smoking last night. Must stop. Was caughing DURING sets, and didn’t feel safe to continue. Felt angry at myself, got road rage during traffic and suggested anatomically impossible things to irritating motorists. Tomorrows another day, I’ll finish my leg workout and finish my PWO drink tambien.
326

Monday 04/18/2011. Push

Military/Push Press: 115-225. 10 sets
Bench Press: 185-285. 9 sets
1Arm Ropedowns: Setting 5-9. 9 sets
BlastAbs: 2xSome
Sprints: 3x200yds. About 80-05% max effort. Just to get some cardio in.

  • Back in November, I figured I’d drop by max percentages by 10-20 lbs to work on speed. I had the time to waste, I wasn’t trying to get BIGGER, so much as I was trying to maintain while I lost weight. Well, turns out that dropping the weight was a bad idea. My body stopped being used to the heavy weight, and I had to steadily re-condition it. So I’m just now back where I was pushing weight back in December, or so it looks. Ah, me.
    Moral of the story is, don’t ever back off your weights for an extended period of time. Or Chet’ll find you. And he’ll make you get that money.
327

[quote]Otep wrote:
Monday 04/18/2011. Push

Military/Push Press: 115-225. 10 sets
Bench Press: 185-285. 9 sets
1Arm Ropedowns: Setting 5-9. 9 sets
[/quote]

Holy sets batman. Does that include all your warmups?

328

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:

[quote]Otep wrote:
Monday 04/18/2011. Push

Military/Push Press: 115-225. 10 sets
Bench Press: 185-285. 9 sets
1Arm Ropedowns: Setting 5-9. 9 sets
[/quote]

Holy sets batman. Does that include all your warmups?[/quote]

Kind of. The way I ramp blurs the boundary between ‘warm-up’ and ‘work’ sets. So for example, for military/push press, I’ll do;

115, 125, 135, 145, 155, and all these sets will be sets of three with a one-second stop at the bottom to break the golgi-tendon reflex. This makes them slightly more difficult, which means that the top speed is decreased, which means the bar doesn’t fly out of my hands at the top due to the compensatory acceleration I impart to the bar. They’re not warm-ups per se, but they’re easier sets and therefore faster. But all my shit is fast. Then I’ll do;

165, 185 with sets of three WITH the golgi-tendon reflex, because that shit is heavy and I can’t move it that fast, but to continue moving as fast as possible I’ll incorporate the stretch-shortening bit to help the lifts.

For 195, 205, and 225, I push press, using as little leg-drive as I can get away with while still moving the bar at a fast clip and making sure I make the lift.

All my workouts start with ten military presses and ten behind-the-neck presses to warm up the shoulders and maintain the shoulder flexibility I have. I used to do the same with squatting, until I realized I don’t have to do anything special to maintain my squat flexibility.

So actual ‘warm-up’ includes only those first sets of ten with an empty bar. The rest, I’m seriously trying to get a training response from moving that shit fast and powerfully.

Also, incorporating the stretch-shortening method only when I need it helps to make those first few sets more productive, because theres a greater strain on the muscle (one can feel it more) when you start from a dead-stop each rep and because the weight is so light you can still accelerate like a motherfucker. For example, I start ‘bouncing’ the weight on bench at 245, start using stretch-shortening on MilPress at 165, on 1Arm Ropedown on setting 7, on front squats at 275, always for back squat, never for deadlifts, never for power-snatch, at 100 for chinese rows, just to throw that out there.

329

Tuesday 04/19/2011. Pull

Chinese Rows: 80-140. 15 sets
PowerSnatch: 135-205. 8 sets
Hammer Curls: 35-50. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 1xSome
Sprint: 2x200m@80-85%. 1x200m@65%

  • Final sprint, abs hurt, didn’t really want to push, but wanted to make sure I got in all I could get in. 65% was the best I could do. Wasn’t that bad. More volume, get my body used to doing more sprints, figured it couldn’t hurt.
  • Increase on top weight for hammer curls is less strength increase and more willingness to use momentum to ‘fake until I make’ a strength increase.
  • Got 7 hours of sleep last night. Felt invincible in the gym. Might have something to do with coffee right before.
330

Wednesday 04/20/2011. Legs

Back Squat: 275-355. 11 sets
Deadlift: 365-435. 5 sets

  • Rushed for time. Got 4 hours sleep, only had an hour for gym, and left my slippers at home, so I had to workout in my sneakers.
  • Front squats got nixed because I didn’t want to take the 15 minutes to warm-up my shoulders and wrists for it- too pressed for time.
  • 11 sets of back squats felt pretty solid. Had a hard time holding a belly-full of air. Kept wanting to cough. I blame cigarettes and coffee. Must quit.
  • Thought about doing abs. Then laughed.
  • Back squats in sneakers is a bad idea. It throws the movement pattern a couple inches forward due to the height increase (an inch in the heel makes a big difference, apparently), which meant I felt it more in my knees. Its been so long since I’ve squatted in anything but flat-soled shoes or barefoot, let me tell you, it makes a significant difference.
  • Deadlifts, I just kicked off my shoes and did’em in my socks. Rocked out with my socks on, apparently. Was good. Like typical deadlifting situation.
331

Thursday 04/21/2011. Push

Military/Push Press: 115-215. 11 sets
Bench Press: 185-285. 9 sets
1Arm Ropedown: setting 5-8. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 2xSome
Sprint: 3x200mx85%

  • Got some tips on my bench form from Ehab. Specifically, that leg-drive is when you activate your hams and glutes by pushing your heels into the floor, which helps with stability and also delivers a brief bump off the chest, that my back cramps might be caused by a lack of mobility in the spine and hips which can be corrected by stretching out before benching, and that many of the mightiest benchers start their workouts with an empty bar, you arrogant prick.
  • Joe’s leg looks fucked up and scares me. Was sprinting, 3/4 of the way through football practice, hamstring just randomly decides to tear. Was warm, was well-conditioned, was not pushing, just running at top speed trying to catch a pass and BAM! no leg workouts for two months, and nothing but limping for several weeks at the beginning. Random, unexplained injuries that can’t be avoided scare the living daylights out of me because I can’t plan for them or plan around them.
  • Blast Ab workouts are fucking awesome. I’m doing them on a box now. It makes them more difficult, which was good, because I hate going for distance or time. I want my abs to be prepared to withstand a tsunami that lasts 15 seconds, no more.
332

Friday 04/22/2011. Pull

Chinese Rows: 80-140. 15 sets
PowerSnatch: 135-205. 8 sets
Hammer Curls: 35-50. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 1xSome

  • Did BlastAbs between rows and snatch. Made ribs hurt, in same place as when I sprint and my diaphragm decides not to like me. Thats why I only did one set of abs, and didn’t do any sprints. Both of those tear up my core, in a good way, but it seems like its something I should patiently build up to when I do mwoar.
  • First time I lost a snatch behind. On two reps I got 205 up, but was out of position and had to step forward or be crushed. The first time I took a walk, psyched myself up to finish the set, and went back. I got a good rep in, and the second rep I lost due to grip. So I walked, psyched myself up some more, pulled the weight, got it over my head but out of position (same thing as the first time) and had to let it go behind. Last rep I calmed, focused, and tried to lift but only got it a little higher than nipple-height. Not bad, but not a full lift. I had completed the set, I just wanted to end on a positive note. Well, the positive note is that there’s always next time to nail all the lifts.
333

Sunday 04/24/2011. Legs

Front Squat: 225-265. 3 sets
MASSIVE DUMP!!1!
Front Squat: 255-275. 3 sets
Back Squat: 275-335. 5 sets
Deadlift: 365-405. 3 sets

  • Massive dump was massive. So massive, I had to restart my ramping for front squats, because my body was shaking and sweating, trying to recover.
  • Weighed 257 on Friday morning. Something must be done.
  • No, seriously, the massive dump was like a life-changing experience. All I had yesterday was a bunch of eggs bacon and sausage for breakfast, and then dinner was an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet. I forgot to take my regular psylium husk, so by the time the warm-up and the sets of squats get to me, I’m all ready to let loose a flood that could bury Babylon. I make it to the toilet in time, and when the spasms subside, what’s left is a man with a (temporarily) shattered spirit atop a mound with the color and consistency of rotten tofu. Stir fried in soy-sauce, for color and flavor, I suppose. But not all of it is that healthy brown texture. There’s some random ruby-red that gives me cause for pause, and some mildew-green in there that I guess was from some shrimp but could also be from some horrible disease thats infecting my gut-lining because of the absolutely ridiculous amount of meat I eat on a daily basis. But whatever, its done now, so I’m just gonna flush and…

It doesn’t work.

The fuck? The fuck you mean it doesn’t work?

I pop open the lid and sure enough, all the water in the basin backing of the toilet is gone, and none is being refilled from the small line of water attached to the wall, like it should.

I temporarily consider mucking around with the wall attachment. Its possible someone timed it to turn off for repairs or some nonsense and then forgot to turn it back on. But fuck that- I’m not a plumber. Then I figure I’ll tell the owner. But fuck that, I’m a man, and real men handle they business.

So I’m gonna flush my massive and mottled 3.2 couric turd if I have to kill it with a shovel first. I spy a plunger and a foam-roller in opposite corners of the bathroom, but decide not even Macguyver could jury-rig water pressure out of wood, stick, and foam. But theres an empty water bottle. And a sink. And game on.

Pop open the toilet backing, turn on the faucet, and start filling the bottle and emptying it into the basin. It’s slow, so I find another water bottle in the trash (I have no idea what these guys are doing with water bottles in the bathroom. Metroflex is a strange gym in many ways, though, so I assume Bear Grylls works out here) and start dual-wielding water bottles, filling and emptying the transparent reservoirs like a Final Fantasy minigame. Soon, I’ve got enough to flush, and the giant pile of refuse traverses down the gullet of the porcelain god like so much vengeful sacrifice.

I exit like a boss, nodding to the gym owner like I just banged his girl without a condom on.

334

[quote]Otep wrote:

I exit like a boss, nodding to the gym owner like I just banged his girl without a condom on. [/quote]

Wow…is it weird I find this small part of such a DISGUSTING story to be very hot?

335

Under the heading of ‘something must be done’, because I’ve been at 257 for about the last month and its damn time I start dropping fat again, I’m gonna up my cardio and decrease my carbs.

I guess where I’m at, I probably don’t really NEED carbs. I dropped from 2 to 1 scoop of Ze Surge! in my PWO drank, and while my workouts this week weren’t Tony-The-Tiger-GREAT! they weren’t bad either. So I’m gonna switch to having all Surge Workout Fuel during the workout. I’ll bring the regular surgary Surge Reocvery back when I’m leaner and need it to recover mwoar.

Also, I’m gonna go jogging in the morning. I know, I know, I’ve said this before, but I mean it this time. LOL.

And I’ll slowly increase my sprints from 3 sprints, 3x/week to doing more*. I’ll manage this by doing them before I work arms. Doing arms drains me, because it feels purposeless. I don’t have a lot of arm-meat to prevent from catabolizing and I sure as shit don’t do enough to make them grow while I’m cutting. So I might as well relegate them to the bottom of the priorities list.

*Doing more looks like bumping to 4x/week, then 4 sprints 4x/week, then 5 sprints 4x/week, then 6 sprints 4x/week.

Part of me wants to decrease cheat meals to every OTHER week, but that seems ridickaliz. If everything else is on point, I shouldn’t need to do that.

Lastly, starting this upcoming week (week 5 of the cut) I’ll be takeing 2 HOT-ROX/day. This will continue until week 10, when it gets bumped to 4 HOT-ROX/day. For added progression.

336

Monday 04/25/2011. Push

Military/Push Press 115-235*. 13 sets
Bench Press: 185-275. 9 sets
1Arm Ropedown: Settings 5-8. 4 sets
BlastAbs: 2xSome
Sprints: 3x200m x85-90%

  • Good workout. Finally back in PR zone with the push press. Joe double-dog-dared me to go for it.

  • Joe’s having a really shitty time with his fucked up leg. Its so bad, he’s taking to curling. In the squat rack no less. If this continues, we may have to put him down.

  • No morning jog. Mondays are hard enough as it is, though today was a good day. I didn’t even have to use my AK.

  • Bench press felt good. I finally started using some LEG DRIVE, but could barely get in that last rep at 275. Tried it a second time, did no better, so figured would let 285 wait a 'lil bit.

  • People yelling at me doesn’t help me concentrate, even if they’re cueing technique (ESPECIALLY if they’re cueing technique, because their technique is usually different than mine, and I try to do theirs, and it all goes tits-up). It makes me wonder why other people do it, even if it sounds encouraging. I have to out-yell them to get my focus back, so it sounds like twin tribes of barbarians fighting over the last Twinkie left in existence.

  • Recently received shipment of protein. My secret pleasure is getting up in the early morning, setting up the bubble-wrap outside my roommate’s door, and suddenly jumping repeatedly on the bubble wrap while banging on his door yelling ‘THEY’RE COMING THEY’RE COMING THEY’RE HEEEEEERRRRRREEEE!’ to activate his PTSD. He’s ex-military.

  • Also, stole some of his shaving cream. Smoothest shave ever. I think it works a lot like liquor, in that it works better if its stolen. Brand is EDGE, fragrance free. Would recommend. Would shave again. Probably will too.

  • Just realized what a horrible person I am.

337

[quote]BlackWidowGirl wrote:

[quote]Otep wrote:

I exit like a boss, nodding to the gym owner like I just banged his girl without a condom on. [/quote]

Wow…is it weird I find this small part of such a DISGUSTING story to be very hot?[/quote]

Being only barely familiar with the symptoms of female arousal, I assume that all female arousal is good female arousal. However, if symptoms persist for more than four hours, you should consult a professional.

I’m available, and my rates are very competitive.

338

Tuesday 04/26/2011. Pull

Morning Jog: 17 minutes.

Chinese Row: 80-160. 15 sets
Power Snatch: 135-205. 7 sets
BlastAbs: 1xSome
Sprints: 3x200m x 85%

  • The one thing that SUCKS about Metroflex is that almost all the bars are bent. They’ve got like, 20 bars, and 16 are bent. And I’m not talking about safety squat bars, either.
  • Also, cut short power snatch because ripped callus. Hurt to grip things, so didn’t bother doing hammer curls either.
339

Wednesday 04/27/2011. Legs

Front Squat: 225-305. 6 sets
Back Squat: 295-345. 9 sets

  • Ripped callus off left hand. Didn’t feel like doing deadlifts, so did mwoar squats.
  • Back Squats felt shitty. Couldn’t get INTO the hole, much less out explosively. Still feel I went pretty heavy.
  • felt like impingement in left shoulder. Pushed through it. Don’t feel like did damage.
340

Thursday 04/28/2011. Push

Morning Jog: 20 minutes

Military/Push Press: 115-225. 10 sets
Bench Press: 185-275. 8 sets
BlastAbs: 2xSome

  • was tired, didn’t wanna finish workout, went and carb-loaded at shitty taqueria. On second thought, probably a bad move.