KenshinH's Quest for Old Man Strength and Fitness

[da2ricky]

U guys should check out Bluetooth earbuds. Go in like foam ear protection. Never move!!! As a side note, used FatGripz for the first time yesterday. Only used them for DB Shrugs and Hammer Strength Shrugs. Forearms have been screaming all day

and my wish list of gym accessories keeps growing

[KenshinH]

Supplements
1.5 scoops Craze 30 minutes pre (morning session)
1 scoop Craze 30 minutes pre (afternoon session)


Workout

Morning session

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown:
105x8
120x8
135x8
150x8

Barbell Bench Press: (Macenko wk 8 day 2)
45x10x2
135x5x2
165x3
195x3
225x3
245x2
275x3 Macenko starts here; this set was smoothhhhh
290x2 (vid) sorry about the bad angle; a PT was roaming around and I didn't want the camera phone out in the open
275x4 AMRAP (vid) spotter touched the bar on the last rep, but it was going up and I felt that I would have hit it

Pull-Up:
4x11


Afternoon session

Barbell Squat:
45x10
135x5
205x3
275x3
315x3
335x3
355x3x3


Notes
* I finally did Macenko 8.2 after doing 8.1 over a week ago. I did my own warmup scheme up to 275, which was when the Macenko sets started. This was the best I'd felt on bench in a while. Probably another week out from being at my strongest.

* It was my third early morning workout - started about 6:30 ... an hour later than ideal Trained fasted again and it felt great! I'm really starting to enjoy working out in the morning. I can focus better because my mind has not been filled with all the BS that it collects throughout the day

* In the afternoon session, for a variety of reasons, squats felt off. Instead of going for any PRs (this was supposed to be the last heavy squat session of the year!), I just moved some weight and left. On a positive note, I was at a different gym and got some mirers while squatting lol.

* I tried out my new Rehband knee sleeves for the squat session. Initially, they were not as tight as the TK's, so I was worried that I had picked a size too large. But once I had worked up a sweat, they were very snug and felt great! They're at least as good as the TK's, which is a relief because they're 2x the price

The video has two clips: 290x2 bench, and 275x4 bench (amrap)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mZyYW1QwU (mobile-friendly)

[12ccopeland]

Hey man I've seen you in about every single thread that I'm subbed, so I figure I'd stop by here and sub Great workout yesterday man; how do you like dat dere Craze?

[dbone1026]

Craze two different times during the day, you are a CRAZy bastard I have been switching between Grape and the Crazeolade (and then the usual 1 or 2 other pres to mix things up).

Great news on the bench bro, what number again are you hoping to hit when all is said and done?

[KenshinH]

Supplements
1.5 scoops Craze 30 minutes pre


Workout
Barbell Deadlift:
135x5x2
205x3x2
255x3x2
305x3x2
355x3x2
405x3

- still going light on deadlifts to work on form, but I couldn't resist getting in a set of 405 for kicks

Good Morning:
45x10
95x8
135x8
155x8
175x8


Notes
* A good quick morning workout. I'd missed doing deads earlier in the week, and I didn't want to skip them entirely.

* I'm going to start TM-style deadlifts next week during my deload. It calls for one top set of 5 reps, increasing in weight every week if possible. I plan to start light @ 355 and add 5/10 lbs a week. The main thing is to keep overall deadlift volume low because I'll be squatting a lot

[pastorpritch]

Great job man
Looking forward to some serious numbers

[KenshinH]

Hey man I've seen you in about every single thread that I'm subbed, so I figure I'd stop by here and sub Great workout yesterday man; how do you like dat dere Craze?

Welcome bro! Thanks for subbing.

Craze > all

Craze two different times during the day, you are a CRAZy bastard I have been switching between Grape and the Crazeolade (and then the usual 1 or 2 other pres to mix things up).

Great news on the bench bro, what number again are you hoping to hit when all is said and done?

This morning I used 1.5 scoops of Crazeolade instead of my normal 1 OG + 0.5 Crazeolade. Pretty much the same for the most part

I'm planning to do one more bench workout before maxing. Looking to hit at least 325, which would match my all-time PR!

Great job man
Looking forward to some serious numbers

Thanks Pritch!

[BenW22]

405x3....but going light on DLs.

[howimliving]

love your light DL sessions, especially on two-a-days

awesome training as always buddy

[KenshinH]

While waiting in the dentist's chair for the anesthetic to take effect, I thought I'd do a year-end review of my lifts

Squats: 300? -> 405, 375x4, 385x3
- What held me back here was my left knee issue. It's healthy now, so with a good program like TM, I'm looking forward to getting to the mid-400's and beyond.

Bench: 300 -> 315, 290x3, 285x3x3
- Doesn't seem like much but I made an important discovery near the end of Macenko that was probably impeding my progress - namely the uneven grip width between left and right sides. All-time best is 325, done right at the end of a Smolov Jr cycle, and was unsustainable.

Deadlift: 405 -> 445 (in April! Haven't maxed since), 425x4, 415x5
- Didn't really focus on deads this year but it went up as squats went up. My true max should be around 465-475.

OHP: 155x5 -> 170x3, 165x3x3, 155x5x5
- Didn't focus on this either, but the improvement came from consistency and getting the form right. Previously it hurt my shoulders when I got around 155.

Pendlay rows: N/A -> 250x3, 240x3x3, 225x5x5
- I really got to like these. Going to do some other rows before coming back to them later.

----------

PL total: 1005 –> 1165 (+160)


So, an improvement of 160 in my total. It could have been much more if the last three months had gone right, but where's the challenge in that?

Next year, my goal is 495/345/525 = 1365

Ambitious? Sure, but there's already a little slack in my current maxes, so it won't be a true 200 lb gain on my total.

Edit: This was a long ass post to write on my phone

[KenshinH]

405x3....but going light on DLs.

[img]http://blacksportsonline.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/McKayla-Maroney-Not-Impressed.jpg[img]

Heh, McKayla is not impressed

love your light DL sessions, especially on two-a-days

awesome training as always buddy

Thanks man, but I don't plan to do another session today This dentist visit tired me out (srs).

[NaotoDate]

Solid looking workouts. Keep it on the safe side, and you'll make good progress during 2013. And continue with the filming, training clips are always welcomed.

Wish you a happy New Year. See you in here 2013!

[KenshinH]

Solid looking workouts. Keep it on the safe side, and you'll make good progress during 2013. And continue with the filming, training clips are always welcomed.

Wish you a happy New Year. See you in here 2013!

Thanks for the advice bro. Sometimes I think I'm 20 in the gym instead of almost 40

Happy New Year bud!

[KenshinH]

Supplements
1.5 scoops Craze 30 minutes pre


Workout
Barbell Deadlift:
135x5x2
205x3x2
275x3x2
345x2 (vid)
395x2
415x1 (vid)


Notes
* No, I didn't cut-n-paste Friday's workout into this post I did deadlifts again this morning.

* I was reading some deadlift form articles online last night and couldn't wait until Tuesday to try out some changes. The changes worked well ... 415 today was easier than 405 yesterday. I was briefly tempted to go for 465 but resisted the pull

* Considering I deadlifted yesterday (light except for the 405 set) and how easy today was still, I'll probably start my TM deadlifts higher than 355x5.

The video has two clips: 345x2 and 415x1.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIZSfto19ok

[dbone1026]

WHat's TM?

Also, solid form on DLs, very convenient how your shorts lift up as you lift, playing a game of peek a boo ...

[KenshinH]

WHat's TM?

Also, solid form on DLs, very convenient how your shorts lift up as you lift, playing a game of peek a boo ...

LOL you would notice that!

TM is Texas Method. I'm planning to run it for squats and deadlifts after this week.

By the way, I'm not as wise as I thought. Almost had an epic fail today on bench

[dbone1026]

By the way, I'm not as wise as I thought. Almost had an epic fail today on bench

Its the cycle of life. Almost have an epic fail at something in t he gym, next few weeks/months you say never again, then something happens, rinse/repeat. I won't be unloading completely one side of a barbell with 5 45s on each side again, at least for a few more months

[BenW22]

LOL you would notice that!

TM is Texas Method. I'm planning to run it for squats and deadlifts after this week.

By the way, I'm not as wise as I thought. Almost had an epic fail today on bench

Jeez, yet another program I know nothing about. What turned you on to TM?

[johnblythe]

when are you kicking off tm?

[MakeGoBoom]

Still faurking strong dude. Still planning on running a hybrid

I've heard this around a couple now. Why cant you record vid at a gym?

[KenshinH]

Its the cycle of life. Almost have an epic fail at something in t he gym, next few weeks/months you say never again, then something happens, rinse/repeat. I won't be unloading completely one side of a barbell with 5 45s on each side again, at least for a few more months

Your epic fail wouldn't have caused you any bodily harm - just some embarrassment

Jeez, yet another program I know nothing about. What turned you on to TM?

I'd read about it before since Mark Rippetoe came up with it. A couple of guys on here are having great success using it for squats, so I just wanted to try it.

when are you kicking off tm?

Next Sunday is my official start bro, but I'm unofficially doing it this week with light weights You in?

Still faurking strong dude. Still planning on running a hybrid

I've heard this around a couple now. Why cant you record vid at a gym?

Privacy concerns. The gym doesn't want you to "accidentally" record other people (read: women).

Here's an example back in early October. I totally didn't know what else I had recorded while filming my set of dips ... This vid has one of my highest view counts lol.

[dbone1026]

Your epic fail wouldn't have caused you any bodily harm - just some embarrassment

Actually would have caused someone else epic body harm had they been next to me when the barbell went flipping over

[da2ricky]

damn Ken, you made that 415 pull look easy. Seeing the weight you strong ass mofo's throw around is nothing but pure motivation, logging has really helped me get out of a motivational rut.

Have a happy new year and stay strong brotha!

[Anthony21]

What's up Ken, sorry I've been slight MIA. Catching up on your workouts and man those deadlifts look sexy bro, boss!!! Strong sh!t as usual.

[audieswu]

[video=youtube;Uh4zzZ3NJSY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh4zzZ3NJSY[video]

IN4 more creeper vids while in the gym Ken.

INB4 Chris Hansen shows up

[KenshinH]

Supplements
1.5 scoops Craze 30 minutes pre (morning)
1 scoop Craze 45 minutes pre (night)


Workout

Morning session

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown:
105x8
120x8
135x8

Barbell Bench Press:
45x10x2
135x5x2
165x3
195x3
225x3
255x2
285x2 (vid) crick in my neck flared up on 3rd rep as I hit my sticking point; had to re-rack before bar came down on my chest
275x3x2 wisely got a spotter for these sets

Wide-Grip Pull-Up:
4x10


Night session

Barbell Squat:
45x5x2
135x5x2
185x3x2
225x3x2
275x3x2
315x3x2 (vid of 1st set)
345x3x2
365x3x2 (vid of 2nd set)


Notes
* Sunday, I woke up feeling tired and with a crick in the neck. This would be my fifth straight morning session, so some fatigue was setting in. Plus I didn't have a good night's sleep either.

* Was going for 285x3x3 - to step it up from 275x3x3 last Sunday - but I had a brief flash of pain along my neck on the 3rd rep of 285 and had to bail. Dropped the weight to 275 for the remaining two sets.

* In the night session, I was going to deload squats and work on some form changes. I ended up going heavy to test out the changes and was a bit tired by the time I got to the 365 sets. But I did find a few things that worked for me and some that still need tweaking.

The video has three clips: 285x2 bench, 315x3 squat, and 365x3 squat.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSAYM-5IeeU (mobile-friendly)

[dbone1026]

285x2 (vid) crick in my neck flared up on 3rd rep as I hit my sticking point; had to re-rack before bar came down on my chest
275x3x2 wisely got a spotter for these sets

So was this your near death experience? No pain, just a crick?

[da2ricky]

I've had my hamstring and calf cramp up while benching before, not fun. Glad you managed to rack out!

[MakeGoBoom]

Lol maybe you shouldnt dip 4and plates for reps if you sont want it to get stalked . Bummer about your neck dude

[KenshinH]

damn Ken, you made that 415 pull look easy. Seeing the weight you strong ass mofo's throw around is nothing but pure motivation, logging has really helped me get out of a motivational rut.

Have a happy new year and stay strong brotha!

Thanks man, and happy new year to you!

What's up Ken, sorry I've been slight MIA. Catching up on your workouts and man those deadlifts look sexy bro, boss!!! Strong sh!t as usual.

No worries. I know you're going through a lot of things. Glad you could stop by

IN4 more creeper vids while in the gym Ken.

INB4 Chris Hansen shows up

[img]http://cdn2.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/chris-hansen.gif[img]

LOL that chick was over 18 brah

So was this your near death experience? No pain, just a crick?

Lol I must have tightened up my neck when pushing for that 3rd rep, which caused the pain that made me lost focus for a split second. That was enough for me to choose "flight" over "fight"

I could have chosen to put it down on my chest and then do the roll of shame or tip the bar, but I saw that I had cleared the lower hooks already.

I've had my hamstring and calf cramp up while benching before, not fun. Glad you managed to rack out!

Me too

Lol maybe you shouldnt dip 4and plates for reps if you sont want it to get stalked . Bummer about your neck dude

LOL

It's better now. I'm resting today so it should be good to go tomorrow (hopefully).