Getting Stronger Everyday

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 3 - Week 4 - Wednesday Upper Body - 11/18/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Floor Press
2009-10-28:      215x3      215x3      225x3      205x5      205x5
2009-11-04:      245x2      255x2      255x2      255x1      225x4      225x4

Low Incline DB Press
2009-11-11:       85x3       90x3       90x3       90x3       80x5       80x5
2009-11-18:       90x2       95x2       90x4

Band-Resisted Push-up
2009-10-28:          7          7          7         10
2009-11-04:          7          7          7         10
2009-11-11:          7          7          7         10
2009-11-18:          7          7         10

Supinated Grip Seated Cable Row
2009-10-28:      130x7      130x7      130x7     120x10
2009-11-04:      130x7      135x7      140x7     135x10
2009-11-11:      140x7      145x7      140x7     135x10
2009-11-18:      135x7      125x7     120x10

Face Pull
2009-10-28:      50x10      55x10      60x10
2009-11-04:      60x10      60x10      60x10
2009-11-11:      60x10      65x10      65x10
2009-11-18:      65x10      70x10      70x10

Behind the Neck Band Pull-apart
2009-10-28:         12         12         12
2009-11-04:         12         12         12
2009-11-11:         12         12         12
2009-11-18:         12         12         12

This session just flew by. Wednesdays have been the easiest days of this phase so this one was extra easy. I probably could have pushed the DB press a bit more (and wished I had after the 90x4) but I'm still a little cautious about heavy DB pressing. A DB mishap was how I injured my shoulder a few years ago. Oh well, I'll get more comfortable with it and get that DB press going again in the future. I dropped the weight a little on the cable row and I think it was better this time.

I'm glad this was an easy day because I'm still feeling the lingering effects of Monday's session. Quads, glutes, and adductors have been sore/tired since then. I don't know what specifically caused it this week--the front box squats or the lunges. It's a satisfying fatigue though.

I'm a year older as of this training session. Birthdays have been pretty depressing for me over the last few years. It's not so much getting older itself that bothers me, but more that it's a sign that another year has gone by and I haven't made any progress at correcting some significant failures in my life. Lifting has probably been my biggest personal accomplishment this year, so I'm very happy that I'm involved in it and I hope that it continues to bring me enjoyment for a long time.

[Alpha Zulu]

Originally Posted by /JV/

This session just flew by. Wednesdays have been the easiest days of this phase so this one was extra easy. I probably could have pushed the DB press a bit more (and wished I had after the 90x4) but I'm still a little cautious about heavy DB pressing. A DB mishap was how I injured my shoulder a few years ago. Oh well, I'll get more comfortable with it and get that DB press going again in the future. I dropped the weight a little on the cable row and I think it was better this time.

I'm glad this was an easy day because I'm still feeling the lingering effects of Monday's session. Quads, glutes, and adductors have been sore/tired since then. I don't know what specifically caused it this week--the front box squats or the lunges. It's a satisfying fatigue though.

I'm a year older as of this training session. Birthdays have been pretty depressing for me over the last few years. It's not so much getting older itself that bothers me, but more that it's a sign that another year has gone by and I haven't made any progress at correcting some significant failures in my life. Lifting has probably been my biggest personal accomplishment this year, so I'm very happy that I'm involved in it and I hope that it continues to bring me enjoyment for a long time.

I was surprised at how quickly you were in and out. Gotta love those low volume weeks.

Lifting, I hope, is a life-long journey. I can't imagine my life without it at this point.

As far as achieving things outside of the gym, I would reframe your thoughts to be something more along the lines of "This is the perfect opportunity to start XX" as opposed to looking at it negatively. That gets you nowhere. As it relates to the gym, I have recently been really evaluating my approach to getting things done, particularly long-term, challenging things and I keep coming back to the "model" I have developed for improving in the gym: breaking the task down into the major areas that compose it, setting goals of different durations, noting weakness and things that need to be improved to get to those goals and ensure consistent progression, adopting a mindset that moves me in the right direction when things are very hard, consulting outside expertise (first-hand and second-hand). If I can systematically approach things like that, I'll achieve anything I undertake. I think you would too.

[clorox_me]

i really like the way your training is set up. Looks like you're making good progress with it as well.

[/JV/]

Originally Posted by Alpha Zulu

As far as achieving things outside of the gym, I would reframe your thoughts to be something more along the lines of "This is the perfect opportunity to start XX" as opposed to looking at it negatively. That gets you nowhere. As it relates to the gym, I have recently been really evaluating my approach to getting things done, particularly long-term, challenging things and I keep coming back to the "model" I have developed for improving in the gym: breaking the task down into the major areas that compose it, setting goals of different durations, noting weakness and things that need to be improved to get to those goals and ensure consistent progression, adopting a mindset that moves me in the right direction when things are very hard, consulting outside expertise (first-hand and second-hand). If I can systematically approach things like that, I'll achieve anything I undertake. I think you would too.

Thanks for the advice. I really like the way you think about achieving things and I hope I can successfully adopt it. I think I'm sort of paralyzed by fear or failure so hopefully changing my mindset and breaking things down into achievable steps will help.

Originally Posted by clorox_me

i really like the way your training is set up. Looks like you're making good progress with it as well.

Thanks for the comment. It's been a fun program and it feels like it moves quickly because there are some interesting combinations of exercises and they change every four weeks.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 3 - Week 4 - Friday Lower Body - 11/20/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Speed Squat
2009-10-30:      200x2      200x2      200x2      200x2      200x2      200x2
                 200x2      200x2      200x2      200x2
2009-11-06:      220x2      220x2      220x2      220x2      220x2      220x2
                 220x2      220x2      365x2      365x2
2009-11-13:      240x2      240x2      240x2      240x2      240x2      240x2
                 240x2      240x2      240x2      240x2
2009-11-20:      220x2      220x2      220x2      220x2      220x2      375x2
                 380x2

Rack Pulls from Kneecaps
2009-10-30:      455x5      475x5      495x5      495x7      495x7
2009-11-06:      505x5      505x5      495x7
2009-11-13:      510x5      510x5      510x5      495x7      475x7
2009-11-20:      515x5      515x5      495x7

Wall Ankle Mobilization

DB Reverse Lunge Off Platform
2009-10-30:       55x5       55x5       60x5       55x7
2009-11-06:       60x5       65x5       60x7
2009-11-13:       60x5       65x5       65x5       60x7
2009-11-20:       65x5       70x5       65x7

Cable Wood Chop
2009-10-30:      30x10      35x10      40x10
2009-11-06:      40x10      50x10
2009-11-13:      50x10      55x10      60x10
2009-11-20:       skip

Bulgarian Split Squat Isometric Hold
2009-10-30:        30s        30s
2009-11-06:        30s        30s
2009-11-13:        30s        30s        30s
2009-11-20:        30s

Not a bad session. Again I didn't have a lot of confidence for the 375 squat and the bar traveled forward a bit out of the bottom of the second rep. It felt like my descent was really slow too, perhaps affecting my rebound, but my assessment may be a bit skewed. 380 was much better though, so hopefully that's a good sign that I just need more time under the bar.

Rack pull was better than last week, esp. with glute participation. I also made a note that I need to learn how to consciously use my belt better, pushing out on it. I might do it automatically, but I bet I would see better results if I actively tried to use it on squats and deadlifts.

I've been very tired all week. Haven't slept well. Time to get something to eat and get to bed.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 3 - Week 4 - Saturday Upper Body - 11/21/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Speed Pin Press
2009-10-31:      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3
                 135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3
2009-11-07:      150x3      150x3      150x3      150x3      150x3      150x3
                 150x3      150x3      245x2      250x2
2009-11-14:      160x3      160x3      160x3      160x3      160x3      160x3
                 160x3      160x3      160x3      160x3
2009-11-21:      150x3      150x3      150x3      150x3      150x3      245x2
                 245x2

Neutral Grip Cable Row
2009-10-31:      130x5      140x5      150x5      150x7      150x7
2009-11-07:      155x5      160x5      165x5      160x7
2009-11-14:      160x5      160x5      160x5      140x7      140x7
2009-11-21:      140x5      145x5      140x7

DB Push Press
2009-10-31:       55x5       60x5       55x5       50x7
2009-11-07:       60x5       65x5       65x5       60x7
2009-11-14:       60x5       65x5       60x5       55x7       55x7
2009-11-21:       55x5       60x5       55x7

Straight-Arm Pulldown
2009-10-31:      50x12      60x12      65x12
2009-11-07:      65x12      70x12      75x12
2009-11-14:      75x12      80x12      80x12
2009-11-21:      80x12      80x12      85x12

Lying DB Extension
2009-10-31:      25x10      25x10
2009-11-07:      25x10       30x9
2009-11-14:      30x10       25x9    22.5x10
2009-11-21:       skip

The first heavy pin press felt weak, but I think I started too low on the chest. I brought it up a little on the second set, which is probably closer to where it would touch on bench and it was much better. That's it for pin presses. One more session in phase 3.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 3 - Week 4 - Monday Lower Body - 11/23/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Snatch Grip Deadlift
2009-11-02:      365x3      365x3      365x3      315x5      315x5
2009-11-09:      365x2      365x2      365x2      365x2      315x4      315x4

Front Box Squat
2009-11-16:      245x3      250x3      255x3      260x3      260x5      250x5
2009-11-23:      265x2      270x2      255x4

Seated 90/90 Stretch

Speed Deadlift
2009-11-02:      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1
                 300x1      300x1
2009-11-09:      325x1      325x1      325x1      325x1      325x1      325x1
                 325x1      325x1
2009-11-16:      350x1      350x1      350x1      350x1      350x1      350x1
                 350x1      350x1      350x1      350x1
2009-11-23:       skip

Walking DB Lunge
2009-11-02:       45x7       45x7       50x7      50x10
2009-11-09:       50x7       55x7       60x7      55x10
2009-11-16:       60x7       65x7       65x7      55x10
2009-11-23:       70x7       70x7      60x10

Dragon Flag
2009-11-02:         12         12         12
2009-11-09:         12         12         12
2009-11-16:         12         12         12
2009-11-23:         12         12         12

Suitcase Deadlift
2009-11-02:      45x10      55x10      65x10
2009-11-09:      70x10      75x10      75x10
2009-11-16:      75x10      80x10      85x10
2009-11-23:      85x10      85x10      90x10

Yes! Got the 70x7 walking DB lunge. Twice. And 60x10 was smooth.

Fairly easy day. Still out of breath by the time I got through the suitcase deadlifts though.

Again didn't sleep well last night. Thinking about things is keeping me up when I go to bed, and then I'm waking up at 5-something and never getting back to a decent deep sleep. At least it doesn't seem to be negatively affecting my strength too much at the moment.

I'll have a nice big write-up tomorrow for phase 3.

[Frankovic]

Some strong lifts in this log here! Keep up the good work buddy. When do you think you will compete next, and what lifts would you like to hit?

[Leprechauns1021]

Everything looks pretty smooth in here. Looking forward to the big write up..it'll give me a chance to catch up on whats been up

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength Phase 3 Wrap-up

As I look back on this phase, a recurring question seems to be "what did this do for me?" or "how did I respond to this?" I trust that the program is working as intended but I wish I knew more behind the choices of exercises and rep ranges and could see how they're causing an improvement in me.

Phase 3 Goals

Exercise	         Goal     Actual
Walking DB Lunge         70x7       70x7
Supinated Cable Row     145x7      145x7
Rack Pull               515x5      515x5
DB Push Press            70x5       65x5

There weren't any clusters in this phase, but there were a few exercises that were difficult for me to get the hang of. I was disappointed with my performance in all of the pressing exercises, all the way back to floor presses, pin presses, and especially DB push presses. None of those ever felt natural to me. It was even rather scary having the DBs overhead on the DB push presses. At times, I'm sure I was too close to losing control of the DBs completely and messing up a shoulder.

I need to bring back the balance of form vs. weight. It's easy to push up the numbers to be able to see progress on the page, but it's harder to keep track of form, especially when lifting by myself. Sometimes it's obvious that form is suffering, like my back rounding on snatch grip deadlifts, but sometimes it's not so obvious. I just need to reinforce this as a high priority. Not only for injury prevention but for doing the exercises correctly so they have the intended effects.

I don't know what to make of the rack pulls. The bar was at the kneecap, so perhaps it would have been better an inch or so lower and a little lighter. I used straps on these again. It was kind of a scary exercise for how heavy I was going. I suppose they're a useful exercise, but I'm waiting to see how they've helped me. For all of those reasons, I didn't like them very much.

Strength on some things did improve nicely, especially the walking DB lunges. They were better controlled and much heavier than in phase 1, so there's definitely progress there. I kind of liked having the higher volume sets after several of the exercises to end with something a little different or something that required a little more endurance, but I can't really tell if they did anything for me or if I responded positively to doing them.

There has been a substantial amount of speed work in this program. Lots of speed deadlifts, a good amount of speed bench and a few speed squats. It's interesting to see that the speed sets are in the high intensity weeks and the speed + heavy sets are in the low intensity weeks. I like being able to do the speed work. The speed deadlifts felt really good in this phase. I think I understand the reason for doing speed work in general, but once again, I wonder what effect the speed work has had on me.

Phase 4 Goals

Exercise	         Goal     Actual
BB Reverse Lunge        120x8
Chest Supported Row     165x8
DB Forward Lunge         75x6
Neutral Grip Pull-Up    +55x5
DB Row                  85x10
Walking DB Lunge         70x7

Finally I will get to use my boards! I'm very excited for that! I'm pretty sure one week won't be enough to really get a feel for it, but I'm looking forward to trying it. This program has been good at exposing me to a bunch of different things, but I feel like I've hardly had a chance to learn the movements and it's time to cycle exercises out of the rotation. In order to excel at most of the exercises, I'm going to need more time with them.

There are some exercises that I'm sort of dreading in this phase, such as the >90% sumo deadlifts. GHRs are back again, and I guess I'll try to do the natural GHR instead of wasting time fiddling with the cheap bench in my gym. I'll probably only be able to do negatives for now, but I hope I can improve my hamstring strength someday. (That video of Layne doing GHRs with DBs runs through my mind whenever I think of GHRs and it gives me some motivation.) I'm looking forward to the BB reverse lunge and Anderson front squat, which I expect to be quite difficult. It would be cool to be able to do 135 on the reverse lunge, but I'm not sure I'm there yet based on the work I've done with the DBs so far.

In addition to the goals above, this phase culminates with Moving Day where I will test my broad jump, squat, bench, dead, and 3RM chin-up. Because I started the week on Wednesday, my final week will be a little unusual with two Monday sessions (on Monday and Friday). Then I'll take Saturday and Sunday off and do Moving Day on the following Monday. I have no idea what to expect on Moving Day. I'm pretty sure I'm stronger on a bunch of things (especially lunge-related), but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to execute a 1RM squat, bench, and deadlift with minimal practice in recent weeks.

Let's look at the year-end goals again:

Goals for Jan 1 2010

• Squat: 425x1 with good form--380x2 was half decent, but this is 45 lbs heavier. Not much I can do but give it my best shot.
• Bench Press: 275x1 with a strong setup--My bench suffers when I don't do it frequently, so I felt better about this a few weeks ago when I did 270x1 than I do now.
• Deadlift: 515x1 with good form--My best and easiest deadlifts have been in meets, so I'll be interested to see if I can come away with a new deadlift PR in the gym.
• Press: 165x1--Will throw weight on the bar and see. Not going to worry about this too much, though I would like to start pressing again sometime.
• Eat and lift my way to 220.--I've stalled. Or I'm a nonstarter. As far as I can tell, my weight only shot up when I started creatine near the start of this program. Since then, my weight has hovered around 205, even with me adding more food. I went through a lot of food this past week and the scale didn't budge!
• Continue proper nutrition and sleep schedule to support my lifting activities.--Nutrition is still off and on, sleep schedule is still mostly off. Weekend nutrition is a problem because the food that I prepared for the week is gone by then and I haven't been preparing meals for myself on the weekends. My sleep schedule has continued to suffer for a few different reasons. First, I need to exercise the self control to stop what I'm doing and go to bed earlier. I'm an adult. Second, poor time management. Things like packing my lunch for the day need to happen right after I get home from work, not when it's time for bed. I'm really going to try to make this the #1 priority for the last month of this year and see if there are noticeable improvements in my lifting and in my day in general.
• Integrate proper warm-ups into my training and continue regular preventative maintenance (rolling, stretching).--I have the Maximum Strength warm-ups committed to memory and can switch back and forth for variety. Now I'll try to look for other similar warm-ups to add to my stock. I'm also going to resume hamstring stretches that I haven't done in a while because I could not get my back in the correct position on the snatch grip deadlifts and I don't think I can get my back straight when I do those squat-to-stand warm-ups either.
• Continue to read and learn about weight training, programming, nutrition.--Not much to report at this time though I still feel like I'm learning new things everyday.
• Stay focused in the gym and maintain a more positive attitude in the gym and in the journal.--Overall, I'm still feeling positive and I recognize how my strength has improved from the start of the program, especially with the single leg work. Danny said that learning to translate the strength gains to squats is the toughest part of the programming and I agree. I need to keep this in mind so I don't become frustrated or lose confidence when attempting some heavy lifts. I still would like to improve my focus in the gym, making each set count with setup and execution.
• Review these goals and evaluate progress toward them regularly.--I should go back to thinking about this stuff weekly to really set my mind on achieving them.

It's a short week with the holiday, but I'll still be lifting Wed, Fri, and Sat. I can't believe this is it. Home stretch.

[Alpha Zulu]

Originally Posted by /JV/

Maximum Strength Phase 3 Wrap-up

As I look back on this phase, a recurring question seems to be "what did this do for me?" or "how did I respond to this?" I trust that the program is working as intended but I wish I knew more behind the choices of exercises and rep ranges and could see how they're causing an improvement in me.

I went through similar phases, especially in the first few months with Cressey. I would freak out to him, he'd tell me to stop overthinking things and that this type of programming works, I'd calm down, get stronger, hit an obstacle and repeat. That happened a few times before I really accepted that I didn't need to be doing an exercise super frequently to be getting better at it. Don't discount assistance work as an indicator of your progress. Something he told me is that the ME move is pretty much just there to make sure you are learning how to "strain against the weight." So if you are learning to push harder there and your assistance moves go up, all is well.

Also, keep in mind that there is a certain learning curve to all of this. A novice or intermediate will have a much harder time going from a box squat to a free squat 1RM or floor press to bench press for example. Someone who is an established, proficient technician in the competition lifts will have a much easier time going back and forth. So the more you do this type of programming the easier it will become. Add in strategically placed periods of really getting the big 3 down to a permanent, second nature via higher frequency and volume (perhaps the occasional Sheiko run) and you have, IMO, a recipe for great success.

At times, I'm sure I was too close to losing control of the DBs completely and messing up a shoulder.

Just dump them in the worse case scenario. Damaged ego > damaged shoulder

I need to bring back the balance of form vs. weight. It's easy to push up the numbers to be able to see progress on the page, but it's harder to keep track of form, especially when lifting by myself. Sometimes it's obvious that form is suffering, like my back rounding on snatch grip deadlifts, but sometimes it's not so obvious. I just need to reinforce this as a high priority. Not only for injury prevention but for doing the exercises correctly so they have the intended effects.

I'm with you on this one and I'm glad you mentioned it because I need a reminder too.

I don't know what to make of the rack pulls. The bar was at the kneecap, so perhaps it would have been better an inch or so lower and a little lighter. I used straps on these again. It was kind of a scary exercise for how heavy I was going. I suppose they're a useful exercise, but I'm waiting to see how they've helped me. For all of those reasons, I didn't like them very much.

I'm going to comment on rack pulls in my journal after I finish here.

There has been a substantial amount of speed work in this program. Lots of speed deadlifts, a good amount of speed bench and a few speed squats. It's interesting to see that the speed sets are in the high intensity weeks and the speed + heavy sets are in the low intensity weeks. I like being able to do the speed work. The speed deadlifts felt really good in this phase. I think I understand the reason for doing speed work in general, but once again, I wonder what effect the speed work has had on me.

I think you will find that they help you initiate the concentric much better. I do a lot of speed bench and speed DLs and I don't think its coincidence that I am very strong off the chest or off the floor, but have substantially less bar speed at lockout in both lifts. Accommodating resistance via chains and bands is a way to help that out, as I found recently after running some banded speed bench.

I have no idea what to expect on Moving Day. I'm pretty sure I'm stronger on a bunch of things (especially lunge-related), but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to execute a 1RM squat, bench, and deadlift with minimal practice in recent weeks.

I don't have the book nearby, but is there any more work with the tested lifts in the final weeks?

[/JV/]

Originally Posted by Frankovic

Some strong lifts in this log here! Keep up the good work buddy. When do you think you will compete next, and what lifts would you like to hit?

I have no plans to compete at this point.

> 1200 would be awesome. I'm not too far off, but I have no idea where I am with my competition lifts at the moment. That's a big reason I'm considering Sheiko--for all the reps of the competition lifts. Then I could test them and see what I'm working with.

Originally Posted by Leprechauns1021

Everything looks pretty smooth in here. Looking forward to the big write up..it'll give me a chance to catch up on whats been up

Cheers Lep.

Originally Posted by Alpha Zulu

Also, keep in mind that there is a certain learning curve to all of this. A novice or intermediate will have a much harder time going from a box squat to a free squat 1RM or floor press to bench press for example. Someone who is an established, proficient technician in the competition lifts will have a much easier time going back and forth. So the more you do this type of programming the easier it will become. Add in strategically placed periods of really getting the big 3 down to a permanent, second nature via higher frequency and volume (perhaps the occasional Sheiko run) and you have, IMO, a recipe for great success.

I've never really been able to figure out the experience level of lifter this book was intended for. From memory, I'd say the intro chapters are written for a wide audience, particularly the average person that's new to strength training. But the programming seems more suited for someone who already has a solid foundation, is familiar with these movements, and knows how to translate these gains to the main lifts.

Just dump them in the worse case scenario. Damaged ego > damaged shoulder

If there was an imminent disaster, I hope I would instinctually drop the weights. None of them felt bail-worthy, but there were a few reps that I brought down to my shoulders quickly because I couldn't exert sufficient control at the top or something didn't feel right. I still find it a rather risky exercise but one that I should probably work on to get better at supporting DBs overhead. Maybe dropping the leg drive would allow me a little more control pushing the DBs up.

For a program designed by a shoulder guy, I've said "that feels a little worse than it did before" more than I thought I would.

I think you will find that they help you initiate the concentric much better. I do a lot of speed bench and speed DLs and I don't think its coincidence that I am very strong off the chest or off the floor, but have substantially less bar speed at lockout in both lifts. Accommodating resistance via chains and bands is a way to help that out, as I found recently after running some banded speed bench.

I see. You're making good use of your bands.

I don't have the book nearby, but is there any more work with the tested lifts in the final weeks?

Umm...not really. The standard speed + 2x2 heavy happens once for box squats and bench on week 2, and there is one day of heavy sumo deadlifts. I haven't figured out why we're complicating things by introducing the sumo deadlift for one session.

[Alpha Zulu]

The book was intended to be used by a intermediate with some level of experience, but certain things are "dumbed down" so that it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for a beginner to be able to do it if they tried.

As for the overhead work, it may just not be for you. Cressey doesn't personally do any because it messes up his shoulders. Depends on the individual.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 4 - Week 1 - Wednesday Upper Body - 11/25/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Close Grip Incline Press
2009-11-25:      200x1      200x1      200x1      200x1      200x1      200x1
                 200x1

Close Grip Decline Bench Press
2009-11-25:      175x8      185x8      190x8      190x8

Chest Supported Row - Pronated Grip
2009-11-25:      115x8      125x8      125x8      115x8

Scapular Wall Slide
2009-11-25:         12         12         12

DB Hammer Curl
2009-11-25:      25x12      25x12      20x12

Wow my arm strength sucks. Especially on 12 rep sets I just die near the end.

I actually liked this selection of exercises a lot. Incline press is one of the things that doesn't really agree with my shoulder but I liked it anyway. I haven't done a decline bench press in so long. I never liked it much as I found it awkward, but today was much better. Perhaps because I was using my triceps more, or maybe I learned something about not benching with my shoulders since then. The close grip on decline alternating with the chest supported row gave the arms a good workout.

Row started to deteriorate a little on the third set, so I'll have to watch that and make sure I'm doing it properly. As the last rep or two of that set didn't quite make it all the way up, I started thinking about the speed at which I'm doing these rows. It's not exactly quick. So maybe I'll try to start with a little quicker pull.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 4 - Week 1 - Friday Lower Body - 11/27/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Box Squat
2009-11-27:      205x2      205x2      205x2      205x2      205x2      205x2
                 205x2      205x2      205x2      205x2

Natural Glute Ham Raise
2009-11-27:          5          5          5          5

DB Forward Lunge
2009-11-27:       60x6       65x6       65x6

Single Leg Squat to a Box
2009-11-27:         10         10         10

Bar Rollout (Knees on a 4 in. Box)
2009-11-27:         12         12         12

Usually on Mondays I feel a bit disconnected from my training as I enter the gym. By the time I warm up I'm ready to go, but there's something about the Sunday break that's different than the average Tuesday or Thursday off day. Yesterday's holiday made me feel the same way today.

Box squats were at 50%. They weren't marked as speed box squats but I tried to keep them pretty fast. The box was set to 14 in. Danny recently mentioned feeling your hamstrings pulling you off the box, and I think that helped me today.

The GHRs were awkward of course. I have to push off the ground if I have any chance of getting back up to the top, but my pushes were inconsistent. Sometimes not enough, sometimes too much. I kind of expected to feel these more in the hamstrings, but maybe I need to work on execution before I come to that conclusion.

A new lunge variation. I need to get used to the DB forward lunge, particularly figuring out how big my step should be and then control the final push back to the starting position.

Single leg squat to a box was tough as expected. The box was set to 16 in. Balance was a problem on these, but I think it will get better with practice in the next few weeks. I'm already feeling it in the glutes thanks to this exercise. I'm also already feeling sore kind of on the medial side of the hamstrings if that makes sense or maybe adductors if they go that far down the thigh, but I'm not sure which new exercise to attribute this soreness to.

Still been sleeping like crap the last few days. Slow to fall asleep, early to rise. So while I should be getting 10 glorious hours of sleep these few days, I've been getting maybe 6 or 7, still been pretty tired, and I think I've been more winded in the gym as a result. Hopefully whatever it is passes soon.

[Frankovic]

Originally Posted by /JV/

The GHRs were awkward of course. I have to push off the ground if I have any chance of getting back up to the top, but my pushes were inconsistent. Sometimes not enough, sometimes too much. I kind of expected to feel these more in the hamstrings, but maybe I need to work on execution before I come to that conclusion.

Make sure you are controlling the eccentric portion for as long as you can. If you do it this way, there is no way you will not feel it in your hamstrings. Just focus more on the negative portion of the lift.

[Fluster]

I treat them like I'm playing chicken with the floor - makes damn sure my ass and hams are wrecked, like Frank said - just don't bottle the eccentric too high and keep everything engaged as long as possible.

Nice Journal btw - Reading yours and Alpha's over the last few months is what made me get off my ass and register here

[/JV/]

You guys are right, I need to go slower. Here's my attempt from yesterday. I lose control past 45 degrees. I'll make it better next week.

Originally Posted by Fluster

Nice Journal btw - Reading yours and Alpha's over the last few months is what made me get off my ass and register here

Cool. Thanks for the comment. It's nice to know that people are reading and possibly get something from it.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 4 - Week 1 - Saturday Upper Body - 11/28/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Speed Bench Press
2009-11-28:      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3
                 135x3      135x3      135x3      135x3

Close Grip BB Floor Press
2009-11-28:      175x5      185x5      185x5      190x5      180x7      180x7

Neutral Grip Pull-up
2009-11-28:      +35x5      +40x5      +45x5      +40x5

One-Arm DB Row
2009-11-28:      60x10      65x10      70x10

Close Grip Push-up
2009-11-28:         10         10         10

This phase has a lot of work for the triceps. Lots of close grip benching, close grip floor press, close grip push-up. I think that's good because I need it.

Speed bench press finally started working better in the last couple sets, but it still feels off. I need to get back whatever it is that I had a few weeks ago. Also with the bench and floor press I had to remind myself to set my upper back tight. I was probably only marginally successful at doing that.

I wonder if I should be adding some tension to the close grip push-ups with some bands. It doesn't specifically call for it like it did in the previous phase, so maybe it's not supposed to be an intense exercise. But it would give me a little extra work. Maybe I'll try it next week and see.

Oh yeah, my hamstrings are very sore today.

[/JV/]

Maximum Strength
Phase 4 - Week 1 - Monday Lower Body - 11/30/2009

Foam Rolling and Mobility Warm-ups

Anderson Front Squat
2009-11-30:      260x1      265x1      270x1      275x1      280x1      280x1
                 280x1

Speed Deadlift
2009-11-30:      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1
                 300x1      300x1      300x1      300x1

BB Reverse Lunge w/Front Squat (Clean) Grip
2009-11-30:      105x8      115x8      115x8      115x8

Pallof Press
2009-11-30:       55x8       60x8       60x8

11pm bed; 11:30ish fell asleep; 11:30-4:45 restless sleep; 4:45-6:30 couldn't get back to sleep; 6:30- tired. ****.

So...two new exercises today. Anderson front squats were pretty good once I figured out how far to stand from the bar so that I could roll the bar back into my front squat grip and feel properly balanced. I recorded one of them just to make sure my back was straight way down at the starting point. It was. I was happy. And I ended with the best one of the bunch.

Man, 300lbs is feeling light for a speed deadlift.

Speaking of light, the BB reverse lunge felt really light. I was not expecting that at all. So am I just way stronger than when I first did DB reverse lunges or is something about the BB reverse lunge easier? Anyway, although the weight felt light, I need to work on balance (which will come with practice) and I really need to work on not pushing off with the leading leg.

I noticed that pain in my traps again that I had a month or so ago after the front squat stuff. I was just thinking the other day how nice it was to be pain free. We'll see if it stays around and if I can work any of it out with the lacrosse ball. Otherwise, it may be time for another quick upper back massage sometime in the future.