030109 -- ME Squat Day

This is the 4th Squat Day in a row. It is the first week following an intensive Thursday Deadlift Day with standard bar. 4-Stage Pulls, Pendlay Rows, RDLs and Rack Pulls.

WORKLOG

4-Stage Pulls, Front Squats, Squats and Leg Presses

Warmup:

______________________________

4-Stage Pulls DE:

135 lbs x 3

145 lbs x 1

155 lbs x 1

165 lbs x 1

______________________________

Front Squats ME:

135 lbs x 3

185 lbs x 3

205 lbs x 2

225 lbs x 1

______________________________

Squats ME5/ME3:

225 lb x 5

275 lb x 5

315 lb x 5

335 lb x 3

365 lb x 1

______________________________

Leg Press RE: knee wraps

225 lb x 10

315 lb x 10

405 lb x 5

405 lb x 5

405 lb x r skipped

405 lb x r skipped

EPILOGUE

Could feel a little stiffness in my lower back early on in the workout, but I was not weaker for it. Eventually worked through it and stretched it out after being warm. Other than that things felt good. No issue with knees. Used knee wraps for a couple of Leg Press sets. 4-Stage Pulls are working out nicely.

_________________________________________________

022809 -- Upper Prehab

Shoulder has been feeling better. The last set of band dislocates popped something back into place on my rear delts that relieved much of the pressure on the front. This obviously caused by hours on end in front of the computer and not working out regularly.

Even better, my back has been excellent. Not going to forget about last years herniated disc. Going to concentrate on form and progressive overload. Poundages are down, but I am now laying the base for building it back. Again, just very thankful that I am able to do what I now can. Being able to go to the gym and load up a bar and lift hard is just a great feeling.

I am really jacked about what the hip mobility and other warmup work has done for me. Joe DeFranco's training philosophies have just flat improved my life.

Keeping it going ...

Prehab will be Saturday this week. This is due to the great Thursday Deadlift session. The week I do Pendlay Rows I ideally need to schedule Prehab on Saturday since I do Lying DB Rows as part of the workout.

WORKLOG

DB Floor Press / Shoulder Complex

Warmup: @ .5 lap 2:30 incline 1
______________________________
DB Floor Press RE:
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 4
95 lb x 4

DB Lying Rows RE:
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
______________________________
DB Flyes RE:
25 lb x 8
30 lb x 8

DB Lying Rear Delts RE:
25 lb x 8
30 lb x 8
______________________________
DB Lateral Raise RE:
30 lb x 8
35 lb x 5

DB Front Raise RE:
35 lb x 8
40 lb x 5
______________________________

DB Cubans RE:
15 lb x 10

DB Cowboys RE:
15 lb x 10, 10

EPILOGUE

Decided to bump the weight for DB Floor Presses and DB Lying Rows from 85 to 95. Only concern is keeping reps up.

Replacing Hammer Curls for a while with something called DB Cowboys while my Bicipital Tendonitis is treated. Learned them from a friend, Earl Funches who did them for shoulder health when he was lifting heavy. They are also good for elbows and wrists. I have done them in the past with good rehab results. They are almost a skipping rope motion except more forward with elbows held close. The circular motion is done first in one direction and then the other. So ten in and then ten out and so on.

I can see the volume and intensity of this routine being waved over time. This as an effort to ensure this workout does not get skipped. Weights are still down from "usual" but are slowly coming up. Since the purpose of this routine is primarily Prehab/Rehab, I need to not worry too much about poundages but consistency in performing the routine weekly. I do see the Floor Presses and Lying Rows as Repetition Effort however and therefore the poundages and rep ranges are more important with these.

022609 -- ME Deadlift Day

This is the 2nd Deadlift Day, but the first with traditional bar.

WORKLOG

Warmup
______________________________ 4-Stage Pulls ME: with press
135 lbs x 3
145 lbs x 2
155 lbs x 1
______________________________
Pendlay Rows RE3:
225 lbs x 3
225 lbs x 3
225 lbs x 3
225 lbs x 3
______________________________
RDL ME:
225 lbs x 3
275 lbs x 3
295 lbs x 1
315 lbs x 1
______________________________
Rack Pulls ME:
315 lbs x 2
365 lbs x 2
405 lbs x 2
455 lbs x 1
______________________________

Barbell Shrugs RE5:
315 lbs x 5
315 lbs x 5

EPILOGUE

Well this kicked my butt like it is supposed to.
Good start back but of course all lifts are way off poundage and rep wise.
Everything is off about 50 pounds from before the disc problem.
This said, I am very thankful that I can do these at all.
This will really test my ability to recover.

022409 -- ME Bench Day

This is week two of Max Effort for Bench.

Moving Close Grip Bench Presses after Seated Presses and before Bench Presses. Thus a pyramid of weight of Seated Presses, CGBP and Bench Press. This worked very well for me in the past. Taken to extreme this would be a type of a bodbuilding Pre Exhaustion tactic. However, these are used to warmup and acclimate to poundages later used in the Bench Press. These two prep exercises together work the lower Bench Press and the Lockout respectively.

Shifting to SE Bench Press work today.

I need to focus on getting my form right. I do not know if the herniated lumbar disk will impact my arching. One would think so to some extent. If so I will work to minimize its impact.

Getting the back tight for a solid foundation seems less natural at the moment. I am thinking this has to do with a combination of conditioning and activation. When I was using a general routine of Pendlay rows I know I felt a firm foundation underneath. They wil begin this Thursday when I bring in RDLs and Rack Pulls.

WORKLOG

Seated Presses, Close Grip Bench Press,
Bench Press, and Band Pulldowns

Warmup @ 0.5 2:28 1
______________________________
Seated Press ME:
135 lb x 5
140 lb x 5
155 lb x 1
165 lb x 1
______________________________
Close Grip Bench Press ME:
135 lb x 10 very narrow
185 lb x 5 very narrow
205 lb x 3
215 lb x 1
______________________________
Bench Press SE:
225 lb x 1
225 lb x 1
225 lb x 1
225 lb x 1
______________________________
Band Pulldowns RE: doubled monster
120 lb x 6
120 lb x 6
120 lb x 6
120 lb x 6
______________________________
Band Work:

Rear Delt Band Pulls RE: average x 10
Tricep Pull Aparts RE: monster x 10
Rotater Pull Aparts RE: monster x 10
Face Pulls RE: average x 10

EPILOGUE

Shoulder feels good. Some progress in form. All in all, I feel very weak on the Bench right now. The numbers bare that out. This second ME Bench Day is improved from last weeks ME Day.

022309 -- Mark Cameron -- 4-Stage Pulls

Mark Cameron

First 110kg Olympic Weightlifter to Clean & Jerk over 500 lbs.

Mark Cameron

Began his Rhode Island athletic career in the early 1970s, lettering in track. But it was in weightlifting that he left his mark. Cameron had an impressive career, winning nine national weightlifting championships. He was a member of the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic teams, a gold medalist in the 1979 Pan American Games and a 1979 Sullivan Award finalist. He claimed a bronze medal in the 1977 World Championships and took second place in the 1975 Pan American Games. While at URI, he was a junior national champion and a national collegiate record holder in 1974 and 1975. Cameron was elected to the New England Weightlifting Hall of Fame and the U.S. Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

Mark Cameron joins USA Weightlifitng Team Board of Directors - TeamUSA media release -- February 13, 2009

Mark Cameron Links

Weightlifting Exchange Content

Increasing Leg Power

4-STAGE PULL

Mark Cameron used these from a Bulgarian program in the 70s. These can be very tough.

The 4-Stage Pull is a very good GPP exercise that just might also be a decent Dynamic Effort exercise for the Deadlift.

It is a combination of Deadlift and High Pull actions. One can vary this sequence to their needs and can incorporate variations to move past adaptation. I like to turn this into a 4-Stage Power Clean. I occasionally throw in a fifth stage of a Military Press. A Push Press / Jerk would make sense as well, in place of, or in addition to the Military Press. Since I lift raw, overhead pressing movements have a higher priority than those who use a shirt. The shoulder strength helping to get the bar off the chest.

4-STAGE PULL Movement

This is a combination lift of 4 movements that make up ONE rep:

1. Deadlift from the floor to knee height, return bar to floor

2. Deadlift from floor to hip height, return bar to knee height

3. High pull from knee height to full extension, return bar to floor

4. High pull from floor to full extension Usually 3 reps per set is enough.

022209 -- Squat Day

This is the 3rd Squat Day in a row. It is the first week following a Thursday Deadlift Day. That is a milestone in itself in getting back into a routine.

Last weeks Squat routine saw me putting a relatively light weight on my back for the first time since the injury. The plan is to duplicate that effort with a small amount of progression in sets, reps and weight.

Instead of Rack Pulls this week, I will be doing some Leg Press RE work for hypertrophy and conditioning. Rack Pulls will be done on the Thursday Deadlift Day cycle from now on. Thursday will be the alternate cycle day bringing in Romanians and Rack Pulls. Therefore while this weeks Squat Day should be challenging I need to make sure I can recuperate by Thursday. I just need to push it hard but stay on script and I will be fine.

WORKLOG

Warmup:

______________________________

4-Stage Pulls DE: changed from hang cleans

135 lbs x 3

145 lbs x 2

155 lbs x 1

______________________________

Front Squats ME:

135 lbs x 3

185 lbs x 3

205 lbs x 1

225 lbs x 1

______________________________

Squats ME5: light weights

225 lb x 5

275 lb x 5

315 lb x 3

335 lb x 2 put on weight belt

365 lb x 1 added

405 lb x * Walkout and quarter squat

______________________________

Leg Press RE10:

225 lb x 10

315 lb x 10

405 lb x 7

405 lb x 7

405 lb x r skipped

405 lb x r skipped

EPILOGUE

Progressing ...

4-stage pulls - I got to thinking that when I was in high school weighing only 158 I could Clean and Press 205 and Snatch 165. Sure that was a very long time ago and I am not 17 any more. That said, I used to do 4-stage pulls regularly then so I thought I would bring them back. They are a great warmup movement at the very least. I just flat like the feel of them as far as coordination goes. I see these as Dynamic Effort for the Deadlift.

front squats - nothing dramatic here, but I was reaching good depth and had plenty of control.

squats - Added reps, sets and weight like I had planned, but I went a bit further with a single at 365 and then did a walkout at 405 with a quarter squat to get the feel. Used a Spud Deadlifting belt on 335 and for the rest of the workout.

leg presses - Cut short, but the switch to 4-stage pulls and the added squat volume impacted here. I actually did not gut through this because I was feeling an uncharacteristic feeling in my right knee. Nothing much, but I think it has to do with how low I do leg presses. I need to evaluate. I dropped static stretching this week prior to lower body workouts. My right quad has been a little tight so I will make sure I get some static stretching in today and on off days. In addition I may just use knee wraps when I leg press.

022009 -- Upper Prehab

Build off of last week. Increase reps on Floor Presses and Rows. Use two different weights on shoulder work. Looking for 8 reps then 5 with heavier weight. We will see how the Hammer Curls turn out with the left shoulder.

WORKLOG

DB Floor Press / Shoulder Complex

Warmup: @ .5 lap 2:30 incline 1
______________________________
DB Floor Press RE:
85 lb x 10
85 lb x 10
85 lb x 9
85 lb x 5

DB Lying Rows RE:
85 lb x 6
85 lb x 6
85 lb x 6
85 lb x 6
______________________________
DB Flyes RE:
25 lb x 8
30 lb x 5

DB Lying Rear Delts RE:
25 lb x 8
30 lb x 5
______________________________
DB Lateral Raise RE:
30 lb x 8
35 lb x 5

DB Front Raise RE:
35 lb x 8
40 lb x 5
______________________________
DB Hammer Curls RE:
40 lb x 5 felt a little better
40 lb x r not pushing it

DB Cubans RE:
15 lb x 10
15 lb x 10

EPILOGUE

Objectives met. Progression continues. If next week goes well with the 85 lb DBs, I will jack them up to 90s. I would jump to 95s but I want to keep the rep range between 5 and 10 at this point. A slow progression here will help maintain steady progress and rehab.

021909 -- ME Deadlift Day

This will alternate weeks with RDL / Deadlift Day

WORKLOG

Single leg and Trap Bar routine.

Warmup

______________________________

DBBG Squat RE: 80 lbs next time

70 lbs x 5

70 lbs x 5

70 lbs x 5

70 lbs x 5

______________________________

Trap Bar DL ME: switched from SE to ME

315 lbs x 2

335 lbs x 2

355 lbs x 1

375 lbs x 1

405 lbs x .25 Did not feel like pushing this

EPILOGUE

Cut the routine short tonight due to issues surrounding work today. Also why I switched to ME instead of 8 x 2 SE work.

Did not want to miss this workout completely.

The 405 felt ok, but I did not want to force it this first time doing any deadlift type work. This gives me a baseline as to where I should be able to work SE for the next Trap Bar workout.

Weekly Schedule

The weekly schedule is beginning to morph into the following:

Tuesday – ME Bench Day

Shoulder Press variation (Military, Seated)

Close Grip Bench Presses

Bench Press variation (Bench, Floor, Band, Chains)

Vertical Pull variation (Pulldowns, Pullups)

Band work (Face Pulls, External Rotation, Tricep Pull Aparts, Rear Delt Pull Aparts)

Thursday – ME Deadlift Day two alternating routines

Hang Cleans

Pendlay Rows

Deadlift variation (RDLs, Deadlift)

Rack Pulls

Shrugs

-----------------------------------------------

DB Bulgarian Squats (single leg movement)

Trap Bar Deadlift

Trap Bar Shrugs

Ab Core movement (DB Situps, Leg Raises)

Barbell Curls (optional)

Saturday – Upper Body Prehab

DB Press variation (DB Floor Presses, DB Incline Presses)

DB Row variation (DB Lying Rows, DB One Arm Rows)

DB Flyes

DB Lying Delt Raises

DB Lateral Raises

DB Front Raises

DB Hammer Curls

DB Cubans

Sunday – ME Squat Day

4-Stage Pulls

Front Squats

Squat variation (Squats, Band Squats)

DB Side Bends

Leg Presses

021709 -- ME Bench Press

Military or Seated Presses have always been a good warmup and weight acclimation exercise for my Bench days.

This is week one of Max Effort for Bench. I will be working up to an ME for five reps for the inital weeks and then move to two weeks of ME for 3 reps before two weeks of maxing.

WORKLOG

Seated Presses, Bench Press,
Close Grip Bench Press and Band Pulldowns

Warmup @ 0.5 2:29 1
______________________________
Seated Press ME:
135 lb x 5
140 lb x 4
145 lb x 3
150 lb x 2
______________________________
Bench Press ME5:
135 lb x 5
185 lb x 5
195 lb x 5
205 lb x 5
______________________________
Close Grip Bench Press ME5:
135 lb x 5
155 lb x 5
185 lb x 1
185 lb x 1
______________________________
Band Pulldowns RE: double monster
120 lb x 5
120 lb x 5
120 lb x 5
120 lb x 5
______________________________
Band Work:

Rear Delt Band Pulls RE: average x 10
Tricep Pull Aparts RE: monster x 10
Rotater Pull Aparts RE: monster x 10
Face Pulls RE: average x 10


EPILOGUE

Close Grip Bench Presses felt more comfortable than Bench Presses. I think this points to some shoulder issues. More rehab and conditioning is called for. All weights felt 40 to 45 heavier than last year. I am also thinking that I am not arching as I was before the herniated disc. I know that Louie Simmons had to convert to a different style of Benching due to his back problems.

I generally prefer Metal Militia vs. Westside style for Benching. I will defer decisions in this area until further down the road. It should also be noted that my form right now is awful. Or, maybe I should say my setup is non existent. I was not establishing a proper base for pressing. Setting up properly will provide for a better arch.

When used I have done Close Grip Bench Presses before Bench Presses. Thus a pyramid of weight of Seated Presses, CGBP and Bench Press. Since that worked in the past I am going to revert back to this for a bit and see how I progress.

Post workout chest stretches, myofascial shoulder massage and icing yielded much popping of my left shoulder.

Upper Body Warmup

_________________________________
Elliptical 5 min.
Myofascial massage as required ~5 min. tennis ball / foam roller

Body Weight Squats 10

X Jumping Jacks 15

Seal Jumping Jacks 15

Standard Jumping Jacks 15

Band Shoulder Dislocations 15

Band Lat Traction Stretch 1 min.
DB Pendulums 1 min.
Internal Rotation Stretch 1 min.

021509 -- ME Squat Day

Week 2 Squat Day. Building up foundation due to layoff from last years herniated disc. ME Hang Cleans are used for active warmup, and for DE Deadlift speed work. ME Front Squats maintain a safe vertical stance and are a good prelude to Back Squats. So Front Squats will remain part of the pyramid for ME Squat Day indefinitely. Leg Presses will be used for hypertrophy work and will be cycled with Rack Pulls.

Thursday work will consist of alternating weeks of Bulgarian Squats / Over head Squats with Trap Bar Deadlifts. As things progress, I can see Hang Cleans moving to Thursday with Thursday becoming a speed lower body / core / prehab day.

WORKLOG

Front Squats, Light Squats and Rack Pulls

Warmup:

______________________________

Hang Cleans ME: warmup / speed deads

135 lbs x 2

135 lbs x 2

155 lbs x 2

155 lbs x 2

165 lbs x 1

______________________________

Front Squat ME:

135 lbs x 3

185 lbs x 3

205 lbs x 1

225 lbs x 1

______________________________

Light Squats ***TESTING BACK***:

225 lb x 5

275 lb x 5

315 lb x 1

______________________________

Rack Pulls ME: move to 4 ascending sets

315 lb x 1

405 lb x 1

______________________________

Leg Press RE: move to RE 20 reps

225 lb x 10

315 lb x 5

405 lb x 5

EPILOGUE

After the Hang Cleans and Front Squats, I decided to change up the plan for the day. I wanted to test out some relatively light weight on my back. So I did a few sets of squats to get the feel. In general, things felt good in my back. I could tell however that I am out of condition as I could feel the pressure on tendons and ligaments and on the posterior chain. Good stuff though. It felt good enough for me to schedule these light squats into my weekly routine working slowly towards a 5RM. I will annotate with ME5 for Max Effort 5.

I replaced the scheduled Leg Presses with Rack Pulls and light Leg Presses. I will alternate Leg Presses every other week with this combination. This should allow for reasonable hypertrophy and help bring the posterior chain back into condition.

Lower Body Warmup

_________________________________
Myofascial Massage using softball 1 to 2 minutes 
Foam Roller 3 to 5 minutes 
________________________________ 

Glute Stretch 25 seconds each side
Back Bridge 25 
Supine Leg Raises 10 each leg 
Bent Knee Iron Cross 5 each side
Bird Dogs 5 each side
Fire Hydrants 6 forward, 6 back, each
Mountain Climbers 10 each side

Static Hip Flexors 30 seconds each side 
Weighted Calf Stretches 15 seconds each side

__________________________________

Static stretches are incorporated in mornings and on off days.

These include but not limited to Hamstring, Quad, Adductor Magnus and the Sciatic/Glute stretch.

__________________________________

021309 -- Upper Prehab

Tonight's prehab will be purposely light as a little bit will go a long way this early back into the schedule.

I have a left shoulder impingement caused by long hours in front of the computer the past so many months. This Rehab/Prehab should go a long way in addressing this along with other care, such as icing, myofascial massage, warmups and band work.

The below exercises are paired up to encourage flush setting / balance.

I am starting off with Floor Presses but will cycle to Incline Bench work later when my Tuesday Bench work cycles to Floor Presses. In this way I have a day on the Bench and a day on the Floor each week. Also I will only be Benching with a loaded bar one day a week.

DB Floor Press / Shoulder Complex

______________________________

DB Floor Press RE:

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5 easiest set, used pronation

DB Lying Rows RE:

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5

85 lb x 5 best form

______________________________

DB Flyes RE:

25 lb x 8

25 lb x 8 light but good stretch

DB Lying Rear Delts RE:

25 lb x 8 no cheating with incline!

25 lb x 8 felt good

______________________________

DB Lateral Raise RE:

30 lb x 8

30 lb x 8 using slight forward angle

DB Front Raise RE:

35 lb x 8

35 lb x 8 felt good

______________________________

DB Hammer Curls RE:

40 lb x 5 BINGO, found issue on left side!!

40 lb x 5 Something for rehab here.

DB Cubans RE:

15 lb x 10

15 lb x 10

______________________________

In general everything felt good, with the exception of the left arm hammer curl. I had felt twinges over the previous weeks in this area. The bicep tie-ins to my shoulder may be at the epicenter of my shoulder impingement symptoms. I did have a tear here some years back carrying a desk up stairs. LOL, that was classic. A "normal" weight for me in this exercise is 55 to 65 lbs. I am doing some myofascial massage daily using a tennis ball on the tight area of my shoulder. I am icing it right now as well. This appears to be Bicipital Tendonitis. The treatment for this is icing. The massage has relieved much of the tension.

Baby steps ...

One With The Bar

Being "One With The Bar". Understanding that the bar and oneself are truly one in the same. It is about conquering one's own daemons and limitations. It is about setting Personal Records (PRs) while still engaging in a demanding career that is often in direct opposition to realizing such indulgences. It is equal parts spiritual and physical. It is everything and it is nothing. It feeds the spirit to have the strength to carry on in other pursuits. It is grounding and uplifting at the same time. It is a continuum of emptying the cup and filling it and then becoming the vessel itself.

Last year after setting a new PR in the squat with endorphins raging and spirits elevated I decided to adhoc a few sets of Zercher Squats. Big, big mistake. Don't get me wrong Zercher Squats are an amazing exercise. On this day they were not on the agenda. While I do believe in going with the flow in training, what should have occurred at this time was to either finish out the scheduled sets or better yet, realize I was done for the day and celebrate in the euphoria of the moment by leaving the gym and enjoying a nourishing repast.

In life it is not always the first mistake that gets us into trouble. It sometimes takes a series or at least a follow-up mistake.
So as it was on this day. The Zerchers seemed heavier than usual as my back and legs had been righteously exhausted in setting the PR. But no, I would not be denied. I would push through this. I would will myself and just do it. I had not realized my form was suffering. Then .... POP. The bar dropped onto the rack as I felt something give way in my lumbar region which had a chain reaction down to my hip.

Note to self: Form is key. When a part of the chain is truly exhausted willing through it may not be the best thing if their is serious risk involved. I mean realize that there is a time to push and a time where further efforts have diminishing returns or are even counter productive. There is a time to recover and then hit it again.

Ok, long story short after an MRI, it was confirmed. A herniated disk. I will detail the specifics at another time, but this indeed was catestrophic. How would this effect me long term? Would I ever Squat again!? Should I even try?

This blog will chronicle my efforts in coming back from this event and what lead up to it. But I realize now it was more than just an event. On the one hand ... stuff happens. On the other, circumstances were such that perhaps made this inevitable.

It is important to note that my quest for staying along an optimal training path is as much about enjoying the proverbial journey as anything else. This may indeed run counter to maximizing my physical potential but frankly I just plain enjoy lifting. I absolutely look forward to Squat day. It is by far my favorite lifting day.

My head tells me there is really something good and virtuous and synergistic about CrossFit training. I do like their use of Olympic style movements and thank you Mark Rippetoe for bringing back the Military Press. I just may end up following down this road before it is all over. It seems very pragmatic.

While I choose to incorporate Hang Cleans and Overhead Squats into my training I am very much drawn to a Westside template and its underlying attitude. I also realize that I need to factor in enough periodic hypertrophy to keep building muscle.

So below is a list of trainers and sites where I get my key information and inspiration:

Jim Wendler ( Elite Fitness Systems )
Dave Tate ( Elite Fitness Systems )
Joe DeFranco ( DeFranco Training )
Louie Simmons ( Westside Barbell )
Mark Rippetoe ( Wichita Falls Athletic Club )