Unlearning Everything Traditional

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
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Monday 11/21/22

Squats-
no rack clean and press on/off shoulders
125 x 56 reps

1.5# and 1 rep increase from last week (I’ve done more). This was not speed reps, can’t do that every week. I kept a pace of 1-2deep breaths between each rep (every 10, took a few more breaths). I really didn’t want to do these today, but I felt very good through the set.

Floor Press-
120 warm
130 x 20 wide
130 x 21 narrow

I’m really seeing progress in the shoulders and pecs from this frequency, I was feeling more tired than usual on the first set maybe cause my biceps are fuking sore from the 51 rep curl yesterday.

But the “look” is what I’m after now, whether I’ll get close, doubt it, but it’s progress. This was a day I had to train on how I was feeling, meaning two sets of 20 with the same weight instead of increasing weight or trying to increase reps.

I’m still having fun and enjoying this, if that means I’ll never get there, so be it…

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I just wanted to put a thought down, well it’s thought/action.

For most of my training I was lost kinda, I mean things work but I was still “lost” it wasn’t till I got fat and out of shape I realized that the answer was so simple…so simple.

I hated being out of breath doing a 20-30 rep squat with barley 135#, so what I did was I said to myself, let go of the BS, I’ve got NOTHING to loose and everything to GAIN.

It was 1-year ago in November I decided to just go to my garage every other day and squat the empty for 40,50,60+ reps. I eventually squatted 117 x 120 reps in one set. It was a 12 minute set, but I did it.

The only thing I lost was fat, I gained muscle all over, I even had a pump in the arms afterwards even though it didn’t add any size to the arms, but it did make my rib cage bigger, harder.

I haven’t looked back, I’ve taken that mindset and applied to the rest of my training.

I believe many champions started out the same, they didn’t follow some program at age 13, they got a barbell set for Xmas with minimal weights and plugged away, and got bigger than everyone before they even grew up.

In a way being lost all started with the instruction manual from the weight set I got at age 12 (because I read it and followed it) and the phys ed weight training class, I didn’t “learn” how to train myself, I just followed and I watched two fat azzes (yeah, they were strong, but FAT) compete in the bench in that class and everyone busted a nut over it. I bet these two dudes are still FAT, LOL.

Nothing personal, just a thought, maybe it’ll help someone, maybe most already know this. Just something I wanted to share.

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Tuesday 11/22/22

I may not know much, but I do know something about grip work. Today I’m doing Dead Lifts using a standard dia barbell, this is smaller dia. and I’m using double overhand grip. The goal is quick touch and go unbroken reps.

Why not thickbar (fat bar)? Thick bar does train grip obviously, but you are limited with the fat bar. The standard bar is skinnier than the Olympic bar which means you train the “closed” portion of the grip and you can train much harder this way. This is a real wrist strengthen’er bigtime.

My goal was to beat 220 x 25 unbroken reps.

225 x 26 DOH NO HOOKGRIP, no sir, no hookgrip.

What else does this do? The lats are being worked too because of not letting go of the bar.

Here is the vid.

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Remeber way back when Tom Platz of the amazing legs was told he’s legs overpowered his upper body so he started doing high rep squats for his chest.

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I didn’t know that, cool.

I did meet a guy in NY who trained with several of the bodybuilders in the early 60’s, he said high rep squats was common practice and I don’t think he meant only 20reps. Those guys of that era had the best rib cage development which enhanced the chest. I went to his garage with my friend who’s a strength and conditioning coach. That’s where I first learned about doing reps north of 50. He had me squatting, and I thought he was going to have me do 225, nope, much, much, lower. I learned more from that one set than all my books etc.

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Tuesday continued-
neck curls - 22# x 80

Wed. 11/23/22

Floor Press-
120 warm
138.5 x 21 wide

one arm shrugs (vid)
50+bar 10ea.side x 3 never set the bar down

I don’t know much about shrugs but doing one side a time and rotating hits my traps hard.
The floor press was rite on target.

I thinking of an off day tomorrow.

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Thursday Thanksgiving - off

I only ate one plate of food, no desert, best TG I felt in awhile.

And yes I will be eating left overs all week!!!

Friday 11-25-22

Floor Press-
120 warm
130 x 21 wide
158.5 x 16 narrow (this is PR territory for me on this).

100# plate BOR-
100 x 12, 110 x 12 (load and lift, 2 rep progress)

Upright rows
tricep/hammer bar 50+bar x 28 reps (2 rep increase)

situps with 50#plate x 30 reps

All this was done while working too, I’m technically off today, but had some fires. I would do a set, then do some computer work, back and forth. This is one reason why I don’t cater to the traditional high volume of pounding set after set.

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Saturday 11/26/22

Squats (stienborn, I don’t have a rack)-
95 x 12
132 x 12
163 x 43
I’ve done more, but I’m more consistent now, this was a 1.5# and 1 rep increase from last 40-repper.

Played the geeter while recovering and had to run an errand.

Barbell skull crushers -
65# x 45 PR for reps

The skull crushers was like doing high rep squats for the upper body, nothing else was needed.

Hel320, you may appreciate this one, since I’m making progress in being in better shape I’m back into cigars, just one here and there. I smoked a La Gloria Sere R Maduro with a double whiskey on Friday evening. Now what I look for in a cigar is I like to get an aroma profile when I blow out the smoke, which means I sniff the smoke. It didn’t affect my wind at all on the squats today. That was a good smoke, but I’m still looking for something stronger, that may be my last smoke till the weather gets better. It was windy too, I think I puffed that sucker down in just over an hour, little fast than I prefer, but I wanted to keep the burn going good and neat, not messy.

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I’m not going to kid myself, compared to many on the BB’ing/lifting community I eat like crap, but I believe I’ve figured out how to utilize what I’m eating and use it for training and get results (in my world, or my current state). My way takes longer but as stated, “it’s the journey” or “slow and steady wins”.

Today is a good example, I woke-up (didn’t eat much the day before), ate a banana, and about an hour later (noon) (I slept in) I ate a full Thanksgiving leftover meal, all the fixings and rolls. I trained about 2hours later.

The idea here is to use this fuel for lifting and to not eat anything else big the rest of the day/evening.

Sunday 11/27/22
Floor Press-
120 warm
122.5 x 33 wide (2rep increase) PR for reps.

Barbell curls-
65 warm
85 x 27 PR for reps.

2 PR’s for reps. am I hungry afterwards, yes about 3-hours after, I ate a turkey sammich 3 hours later, no shakes, no snacks needed, I don’t feel or look any fatter.

Even a high carb meal with mashed taters, stuffing, rolls, baked corn, green bean cassrole can be utilized, and why not, times are rough, and I don’t see this inflation BS going away.

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Monday 11/28/22

DeadLifts DOH Standard bar-
122.5 x 10
220 x11
280 x 16 vid

Goal was 15 unbroken, got 16.

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First time I smoked La Gloria Sere R Maduro was when I was at Soto Cano Honduras and we would get them from across the border in Nicaragua where they were made. Most of your stronger smokes are coming out of Honduras and Nicaragua now. Lot cheaper then and there. For aroma you can’t beat the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Maduro Silky.

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Thanks for that info. hel320.

Tuesday 11/29/22

noon workout
Floor Press-
120 warm
132.5 x 26 wide
159.5 x 15 narrow

Evening workout
warm up 100# side bends x10 ea. side

One arm shrugs (did both side and front shrugs) tricep/hammer bar-
50+bar x10ea side, x 15 ea. side rotated arms.
60+bar x 10 ea. side

Neck curls-
22# plate on forehead x 90 reps (brutal).

I’m thinking about doing a trap exercise daily (like Floor press, which means I’d need to back off on floor presses, time). I what more thickness there. We’ll see.

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Wednesday 11/30/22

Squats-
106# x 82 reps

Upright rows-
50+bar x 10 warm
61+bar x 20

3-days in a row doing trap work (deads, shrugs, upright rows) already I’m feeling some thickness right in the middle back, really felt it today after the upright rows.

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Thursday 12/1/22

Floor Press-
120 warm
133.5 x 26 wide

100# plate BOR-
100 x 10, 110 x 13 load and lift

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I totally forgot to add that I did a super set on Thursday Floor Press / Tricep Extension Pushup x 10.

Friday 12/2/22

Floor Press-
120 warm
135 x 23 wide
150 x 19 narrow
Staying in PR territory here!!!

Sat 12/3/22 GYM BW 203#
lost a pound in 2-weeks, but here’s the kicker, I walk in and the owner and his brother (both folks I grew up with) said “who is this guy” They said I’m “lean” now. Now they aren’t just saying that, I completed in strongman with the owner back in the day.

Now, for those who want to say that me using a skinny bar is weak or anything (not saying anyone is thinking that, but ya never know) I’m gonna show how today I’m using a REAL dead lift bar and my grip is just the same. In fact my skinny has no gripping knurling, I find the knurling on this dead lift bar HELPS, like a MOFO!

Dead Lifts (Dead lift bar, real one, powerlifting bar)-
135 x 10
225 x 3
275 x 12 DOH - EASY, EASY, EASY!!! I was good for over 15 DOH here.
315 x 14 mixed grip (touch and go as fast as possible)

I’ve done close to 20 before, but SLOW, I think these 14 were the quickest I’ve ever done. I wasn’t going all out either.

Atlas Stones - shouldering on ea. shoulder up to 175. I did 155 ea. shoulder, 175 left shoulder without a rest. Then did right shoulder with 175.

Went home, ate then-

Barbell tricep extension-
70.5 x 40 reps.

Gotta get that arm work in.

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Classic over 40 material here, who knows what todays woke think of this film. I owned this movie at age 11 at least. Back in these days chuck could of been Action Jackson or Fred Williamson for all we cared.

Miss the good ole USA…

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Bad ass here, loved the Ken Patera vs Tony Atlas stuff, although Ken was always the real strongman (the dude unoffically pressed 500 overhead before anyone in America) Atlas was crazy strong in the upper body.

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Im on a roll here tonight, im looking up all this old school stuff, look at this, Buzz Sawyer (who was the man, btw) vs Rowdy Piper, Piper really smashes a beer bottle over his head here, but the hang by the neck was not real, you csn see there is a support rope here, plus ive hanged myself before and your body spins . I did it once for a strenght feat, my buddy had a rope hanging and i put my head thru it and lifted my feet. I was dating my wife at tge time and i had a mark on my neck we were out at dinner, so i told her i hanged myself, she cryed right there at the table, true story.

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Sunday 12/4/22

Curls-
65 x few warm
76 x 36 (vid)

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Sat and talked with (former) A1C Carlos Norris twice at airports. First time I was in uniform and he just sat down and we talked most about Korea and when he first strted in Tang So Do. Second time he remembered me and we had a beer together.