9 Weeks Away Training For: Spring Break PL Mash March 6th Peabody, Ma

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Ok well Im FINALLY back. Its been 10 months since my shoulder injury and I feel that I can now start posting my workouts again.

I have committed to my first meet in a long time. Im training for the Spring Break PL Mash March 6th Peabody, Ma. I am so excited for compete again Its gonna be awesome. I am 9 weeks away and will start my new program this Monday.

I will post my program and plan tomorrow. I would guess I weigh about 190 lbs and about 12% body fat but I haven't checked these in a while (and it def went up cuz of the holidays)

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments at anytime. They are encouraged and welcomed. Please check out my videos and my blog as well if you get the chance. Enjoy following and Good Luck for all your goals in 2010

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"Thoughts are mere dreams until you put them into practice"

Ahhh the year 2010 is upon us and 2009 is now behind us. The new year is a time for reflecting back on some of the great things (and the stupid things) we did the past year, but its also a time to make new goals. So I figured I?d share my goals for 2010 and I would like you to do the same? Just leave a comment at the end of the post with your own goals because you never know someone might have the same goals as you! I split mine up into four categories and have put a lot of thought into them so read them and then post your own at the bottom of this page:

Training

1. Stay Healthy! This should be everyone's #1 Training Goal because if your injured you CANT train and if you CANT train your not making GAINS. Its that simple!

2. Bench 335

Squat 405

Deadlift 465

Press 205

These numbers are very attainable for me and I feel if I can stay injury free I can surpass them

3. Compete in 2 Powerlifting meets- I hate not competing for anything and plus when I'm training a client I can say ?yeah I?ve lifted heavy weights before I know what its like to TRAIN?

Life

1. Graduate from School -I can?t believe its already been four years?only 5 months left

2. Get a Job- this is a big one because Im poor a sh*t

3. Start Paying Off my School Debts- I have a lot of pay off and I want to get these out of the way as fast as possible

4. Help More People- and Im not just talking about helping people in the gym training wise; I feel I have a lot to offer and dont do enough to go out of my way to help people who need it. I would like to volunteer more and try to make a difference. I always use to use money as an excuse, which I now realize is bullsh*t because you dont need money to help people. Im smarter then this and will make a serious effort in 2010 to help others

5. Stay in touch with people- I feel I dont do this one enough either. I would like to stay in touch with friends, family and new people I meet more then I do. It just takes a simple phone call, email, text, just a simple Hello to let people know you still think about them. And you never know when a simple hello to someone will make a difference in your life.

6. Have Fun. You only got one life. Enough Said.

Career

1. Read one Business Book and One Training Book per month- I love to read and got plenty of books for Christmas so I have no excuses to not keep continuing my education

2. Attend Two Seminars- I?ll be attending Boyles seminar with Kevin on January 30th should be a great time and learn experience

3. Get a job as a STENGTH COACH- I know I already said this one but there's a big difference from job and a job that you WANT and LOVE. I want to be a strength coach, it is my passion and my life and I cannot wait to apply everything I?ve learned into my job and to learn more and more about fitness and business

4. Make my own website- This blog is all well and good but Id love to have my own website with my own logo, videos, pictures, ect..

Blog

1. Keep it GOING!- I love writing on this blog and hope you all enjoy reading it My friends like to make fun of me and its all in good fun but I really like to write, make videos, and obviously lift weights. Sometime it get hard to keep up with updating this everyday life will sometimes get in the way but I will continue to do my best to update this everyday.

2. Better Content- I would like to get more input for people about what they want me to write about and what the think about my blog criticism is welcome because it will make this blog better. I?m also very new to making videos and writing public content so any suggestions would be great.

3. More Hits- I started this blog about 3 months ago and I?m averaging about 25 hits a day. By the end of the year I?d love to average around 250+ hits a day. Its a big number but go big or go home right?

So what are your GOALS for 2010??? Please share them below and thanks for reading!

Brendon

Happy Holidays!

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"Success comes from learning from those who have been there, by doing it yourself, and having an understanding that you can always learn something new." -Jeremy Frey

The gym at school is closed until Monday. I think ill just take the next 4 days off? NOT

We found the best plowed parking lot on campus and did our workout. Holy S**t it was cold! It was 28 degrees and snowing. Contrary to popular belief of the weak and out of shape, you don?t always need a gym. Sometimes it can just be in a PARKING LOT!

I really needed to get a workout in today because yesterday I sat in my room the all day attempting to recover from New Year?s and read Secrets of Russian Sports Fitness and Training by Dr. Michael Yessis (which if you are or want to be in the strength and conditioning profession Id highly recommend).

I am now currently reading Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury


Today?s workout: 2 sets of everything

Circuit 1:

Med Ball Slams

Jump Squats w/vest

Bear Hug runs with 100 lb Heavy Bag

Heavy Bag Lunges

Prowler Push High + Low

Circuit 2:

Med Ball Vertical Throws

Incline Push Ups w/vest

Heavy Bag Zercher Runs (these were awful I thought I was having an asthma attack and I don?t even have asthma)

Heavy Bag Zercher Lunges (we are awful at these gotta work on it)

Prowler Backwards Drag/ Backwards Row (SEE VIDEO)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAOGb9xw2-o

This is the most ghetto set up ever but it KICKED OUR ASS! All you need is a prowler, 100lb. heavy bag, a strong band, blast straps, and a desire to TRAIN HARD.

Call us crazy but sometimes you have to be crazy to get to where you wanna go.

P.S. Check out the goals post if you haven?t already and leave your 2010 Goals in the comment section

P.S.S. Wondering what the hell a PROWLER is?? There sold at EliteFTS. The best conditioning tool out there and anyone can use it. Much better then running on a treadmill. Kind of expensive but its one of the best investment I?ve ever made. Think about you spend $500 a year to go to a health club and run on the elliptical and make no progress when for $250 you can get the Prowler which will last you a life time, kick your ass, and get you ripped. Maybe everyone New Years Resolutions should be to get a Prowler and not a gym membership. Just a thought.

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"The man at the top of the mountain didnt just fall there"

I started off my morning with a nice leisurely 3 mile run in the snow through campus. It was cold as hell but it felt great to be outside and I felt great after it was over. And I wasn?t even the only one out running! I thought I was so badass and cool but apparently not.

I'll be starting my new training program tomorrow. I got 9 weeks to prepare for the meet on March 6th. We will be doing a push-pull meet so only the Bench and the Deadlift. But that doesn't mean we'?ll leave out the Clean, Press, and Squat because they should be a staple of any good program.

Here's what I got going for the next few weeks:

Bench and Sumo Deadlift Progression - Taken From Practical Programming by Rippetoe & Kilgore
Week 1 Light 2 reps X 3 sets X 75 %
Week 2 Medium 2 reps X 4 sets X 85%
Week 3 Heavy 2/1 reps X 8 sets X + 90%
Week 4 Heavy 2/1 reps X 8 sets X + 90%
Week 5 Medium 2 reps X 4 sets X 85%
Week 6 Medium 1 reps X 4 sets X 85%
Week 7 Light 1 reps X 4 sets X 80%
Week 8 Light 1 reps X 4 sets X 80%

Starting Bench Max: 275
Day 1 Monday
Main Movement : Above Progression
Bench Press
Assistance:
Pull Ups 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Push Ups 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Rowing Movement 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Rear Delts 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps

Starting Squat Max: 335
Starting Power Clean Max: 225
Day 2 Tuesday
Main Movement:
Speed Pulls 10 sets X 2 reps
Power Cleans 5/3/1
Assistance:
Squats 5/3/1
RDL Movement 3-5 sets of 5+ Reps
Grip 3-5 sets of 5+ Reps

Starting Press Max: 185
Day 3 Thursday
Main Movement :
Speed Bench 8 sets X 3 reps
Assistance:
Press Movement 3-5 sets of 5+ Reps
Chin ups 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Dips 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Tri?s 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps

Starting Sumo Max: 405
Day 4 Friday
Main Movement : Above Progression
Sumo Deads
Assistance:
GM 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Single Leg Movement 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
GHR?s 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps
Core 3-5 sets of 5 + Reps

Some of you maybe know exactly what I'm trying to do here and some of you may be looking at this and saying to yourself "WTF does all that mean? Is that in Chinese?" . Well I've spent the past few weeks with Kevin creating this and feel like we?ve set it up really well. Hopefully we will be all to put up some good numbers for the meet and break some PR's.

If you got any suggestions or questions about it either drop a comment or send me and email at zoomassfitness@gmail.com . I'd love to hear what you think.

[bigb64]

"Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn from him." Emerson

So today was the first day of our new 9 week program (which I posted in my last post here) We also had to pleasure of working out in the same gym as Batman today!

Ok, not the real batman but close to it. This one guy insists on wearing ALL skin tight Under Armor for his workouts! Yesterday he wore all white and today he was in all black. I wish I could have taken a picture, me and Kev couldn't stop laughing at this tool. And if you do wear all skin tight Under Armor to the gym and your not Vernon Davis, be offended.

Today was a great workout. I felt really strong and was ready to kick some ass and take names.

Jump Rope with Dynamic Upper Body Warm Up

Bench Press

Working sets: Light Day: a focus on form and explosion

205 X 2 reps X 3 sets

Pull Ups

5 sets of 5 reps (body weight, 25lbs, 35 lbs, 45 lbs, 45 lbs)

(for the the last set we strapped on 45 lbs. Kev got 8 reps and I got 4. I got a lot of work to do. Kevin crushed me. Clearly, he's good at them. )

Push Ups Between Benches

3 sets ( 10 reps, 10 reps, 25 reps)

(the idea is to get an extra stretch in our chest due to the fact that we can get much lower between the benches)

Kroc Rows! Kevs favorite

3 sets ( 50 lbs X 10 reps, 60 lbs X 10 reps, then 80 lbs for 32 reps! with straps)

(the idea here is to be BAD ASS and scare all weaklings, young women, and children out of the gym)

Black Band Pull Aparts

3 sets

Apple Pie: Barbell Curls with Fat Gripz

3 sets Time Under Tension for 30 secs

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If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person?s point of view and see things from that person angle as well as your own" ? Henry Ford

Today I spent most of my morning trying to figure out all the cool and different applications there on Blogger. I also made the banner above and will be adding my picture to it tomorrow.

I also started to read "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Its great so far? who would have thought there was so much behind who will like you and who will not.

Not as good of a workout as I had yesterday. I was beat 10 minutes into, so I only did my prescribed reps.

Speed Pulls

(10 sets X 2 reps X 175 lbs)

Power Cleans

(125 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 6)

Squats

(195 x 5, 225 x 5, 255 x 5)

Romanian Deadlifts

(145 x 10 x 2 sets, 165 x 10, 195 x 10)

Towel Hangs

3 sets

Single Leg Hip Bridges

4 sets of 10 reps each leg

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"When one teaches, two learn. - Robert Heinlein

So I have agreed to coach a rec basketball team with one of my friends and training partners, Jay. Today was our first day of practice which went very well. We have 8 kids in the 7th and 8th grade. Most of them don't know their ankle from their ear but they're all great kids and they all give great effort. Our first game is this Saturday and hopefully we can win some games this season and have some fun. We have one kid with a hearing disability and his father has to sign everything Jay and I say. This should be a great experience for all of us and I will do everything I can to help him succeed . His father is a great guy and I feel like when he gets into a game setting he'll do well.

Since I don't know much about basketball and I'm learning about defense and fundamentals along with the kids, I’m in charge of the warms up and conditioning. Now THAT I do know about. So this was the warm up I set up for the kids. Its very basic and simple and we will rep this a lot every practice because at their age most of them are now just learning how to use their bodies and are developing their fine motor skills. Some kids are further ahead of the curve and some are behind and it is my job to get them all up to speed. So here what I came up with:

Low Shuffles

High Knees

Spiderman's

Inchworms

Forward/ Backward Jumps Over a line- 10 seconds X 2 sets

Later Jumps over a line - 10 seconds X 2 sets

Ankle Hops - 10 seconds X 2 sets

Vertical Jumps – 10 jumps X 2 sets

We will keep doing this warm up every practice until they get them right and then I will be able to add some other things in but for now this is what we'll be sticking with.

Today's workout was short and quick:

Jump rope 5 min

Foam Roll 10 min – Most people still don't know what Foam Rolling is…. this video by one of my favorite strength coaches, Jim Smith, is awesome and explains why it work and how it works. I suggest in investing one they are cheap it will make you feel amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEAe_...layer_embedded

Stretch 10 min

Core 10 min (used the Akrowheels)

Boxing 20 min

DONE! This was just a recovery workout we'll be back at it going heavy tomorrow.

[bigb64]

"When you love your job, you never work a day in your life."

I just took possibly the coldest shower of my life. I had no idea that we didn't have hot water and I jumped right in. I screamed like someone had shot me. I can imagine this is what its like when those idiots go swimming in the ocean in the winter time. If you've done that more power to ya, but I'm perfectly fine being at home in my snuggie reading a book (to clarify I do not own a snuggie and neither should you).

The BCS Championships tonight? I got Bama and my man Mark Ingram. I still don't like that they don't have a playoff system and I think other teams should get a chance to play in the Championship game. But oh well, Let's go Crimson Tide!

Today's workout went well. Felt Much better today then I did Tuesday.

Speed Bench ( 8 Sets X 3 Reps X 165 )

Overhead Press (105 X 5, 125 X 5, 140 X 13)

Inverted Rows (3 sets)

Dips (5 sets)

Face Pulls (4 sets)

JM press on Smith Machine 3 sets (watch the video Dave Tate does a great job explaining why and how to do them)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVTmp3CRyOI

[bigb64]

"You don't realize what you have, until its taken away"

Today for me that was HOT WATER. Damn I didn't have it for 1 day and I miss it. This got me to thinking about some of the things we all take for granted that we don't even realize we are lucky to have. When was the last time this happened to you? Want do you take for granted? I think a lot of us need to step back and realize how lucky we really are...

I'm lucky to be healthy and to have great training partners!

SO LETS TRAIN: We really got after it today this is one of the best workouts I've had in a while check it out...

Deadlift with double over hand grip - Light day (see video)

Work Sets (305 X 3 sets X 2 reps)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7UGQYlhGu0

Squats (we normally do Good Mornings after deadlifts but I had such a bad Squat session on Tuesday that I thought because I felt good today I'd redo my squat progression)

(195 X 5, 225 X 5, 250 X 15) I got 250 for 5 reps on Tuesday, I got it for 15 today. Much better! I wish I got a video of this

Single Leg Cross Over Step Up ( 2 sets )

GHR's w/ band (2 sets)

Roman Chair Sit Ups (3 sets)

Reverse Hypers with partner resistance (3 sets)

We then played 3 on 3 half court basketball after our workout. This was probably harder on me then those 15 reps squats.

[bigb64]

"Try and fail, but don't fail to try."

I have my first basketball game with the kids in about an hour. Hopefully we can pull out a win, but most importantly hopefully they have fun and learn some things? and win because I hate losing anything haha.

Today we did some conditioning with the PROWLER. We drove to one of the big fields on campus and pushed the Prowler around in the snow!

Although were training for a Powerlifting meet we still condition in order to:

1. Stay in Shape - No need to get fat just need to get strong

2. Being in good condition make its much easier for us to get through our lifting workouts

So we went from one end of the field to the other. I would push as fast as I could for 15 seconds and then Kevin would push for 15 seconds and we would just keep switching off. We did this for about 20 min and this was ENOUGH. I had my heart rate monitor on and I was anywhere from 155 to 170 beats per minute making this a pretty intense session. Pushing it thought the snow is so much better then in the parking lot. Once we were done we were both in need to a stretcher and an inhaler. It felt great to finally get outside and do something.

In light of the NFL playoffs starting today I saw this video and thought it was pretty funny and well done....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uHCc...layer_embedded

[bigb64]

"Don't judge a book by its cover"

Start off by announcing that we won game our first basketball game 44 to 12. The kids played great and hopefully had some fun, I know I did. Winning is always fun. We had a huge height advantage over the other team hopefully the next game we play is more competitive. Although we have height we still need to work on boxing out and passing the ball which we'll do on Wednesday.

I have been asked by many people what some of my exercises are so I have decided to take video of not only my main exercise but of ALL my exercises. This should clear up the confusion of what were doing, and if you still have questions please ask.


Today's workout went very well, check out the video too:

Bench Press - Medium Weight

5 warm up sets

235 X 4 sets X 2 reps (video of 3rd set)

Pull ups for 40 reps total with 25 lbs as many sets as it takes you to do 40 reps

Kevin- 4 sets

Me - way to many sets

(video of Kevin's 2nd set. We took video of me but I suck at these so until I get up to par with Kevin there will be no more videos of me attempting to do pulls)

Push Ups with Blast Straps (got my blast straps at EliteFTS.com there is a lot of cool exercises you can do with them, also very popular now is the TRX System)

3 sets (video of me getting 22 reps for my last set)

Kroc Rows

3 sets - 50 X 10, 70 X 10, 90 X 30 reps (video of me getting 30 reps, we only filmed the left side)

Barbell Curls with Fat Gripz

3 sets - get as many reps as possible in 30 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwE0heI7Isw

Thanks to James for taking the video and making it through one of our intense workouts

I thought I'd leave you with a video of the legendary Bill Kazmaier... here are some stats for you to chew on:


Bill Kazmaier

6 ft 3 in

350 lb

Bench press - 616lbs

Squat - 836lbs

Deadlift - 924lbs

Clean - 462lbs

Worlds Strongest Man 3 times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCm0uCTZMVE

[bigb64]

"Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it"



Today I weighed in at 187.6 at 10.3 % body fat

How the hell did I lose weight ??? I've been eating so much I'm surprised I haven't gone into hibernation yet...



Now I have to decide if I want to cut the 8 lbs and compete in the 181's or I can try and gain 10 lbs to get my numbers up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I thought I would have gained at least a few pounds by now, but I guess this isn't a bad problem to have haha.

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures or video today. The gym isn't open its normal hours during break and Kevin couldn't make it today. So I had to get after it alone today. Even without a training partner you still have to hit the gym with INTENSITY so you don't waste a work out and you get ALL your reps.


Speed Deadlifts

185 lbs X 10 sets X 2 reps

Squats

(205 X 3, 245 X 3, 275 X 8)

Full Power Cleans with Front Squat

(135 X 3, 145X 3, 165 X 6)

Romanian Deadlifts

3 sets with 195

Plate Pinches

3 sets

Single Leg Hip Lifts Off a Bench

3 sets

Taking the day off tomorrow. First busy day in a while, we'll be back after it on Thursday.

Always Remember: your muscles grow OUTSIDE of the gym, not in the gym.


Need motivation??? Watch this and you'll have no excuses

[bigb64]

"Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it."

Today was a good day at the gym. During my 5th set of speed bench feel a little pull in my right pec. So what did I do? I Stopped benching and moved on the next exercise. But the workout calls for 8 sets of 3? I might only be 21 but I have already felt the effects of stupidity and being hard headed in the gym. If this was 2 or 3 years ago I would have said add weight and have kept going. This has always lead to injury and always will.

My advice today is to listen to your body! Its trying to tell you something, so do what it says. If your doing a lift and you feel a pull in a muscle or your exercising you KNOW something isn't right... STOP. Either move on to the next exercise or find something else that doesn't further the injury. I've pulled multiple muscles, thrown out my back 3 times, hurt my both knees and my shoulder, just because I didn't listen to what my body was telling me. I have always been lucky enough to have never torn anything (knock on wood) and have always come back within a few weeks or months after the injury. I'm glad that I have finally figured it out and listen because it will save me in the long run. I mean it only took me 8 years to figure it out haha.

Speed Bench (When you watch the video its kind of hard to tell but we use a band around our wrists for speed benching. We do this so that we learn to squeeze the bar as hard as we can during the bench. This will increase the use of the Lats and the Triceps in the lift 1. Giving you more stability and 2. the ability to bench more weight. Jim Smith does a much better job explaining how its done in this video

(165 X 5 sets X 3 reps)

Push Press (Kevin gets 14 reps in the video)

(105 X 5, 125 X 5, 145 X 11)

Inverted Rows (aka Fat Man Pull Ups) with blast straps

(3 sets)

Dips

(3 sets)

Face Pulls with a towel (the towel works the grip much better then the rope does)

(4 sets)

JM press on Smith Machine 4 sets

(watch the video Dave Tate does a great job explaining why and how to do them P.S. if you've been following my blog you might have already seen this video)

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

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for DEADLIFTS!

[bigb64]

"Survival will be neither to the strongest of the species, nor to the most intelligent, but to those most adaptable to change." - C. Darwin

Today we had to improvise and do our reverse hypers on the Glute Ham Machine with the band. Although you might not know what either of those exercises are, my advice for today is when your at the gym IMPROVISE!

If they don?'t have a piece of equipment you need or someone is on the equipment you want to use, find another way to do it. Don't just skip the exercise or exclude it from your program because your gym doesn't have that piece of equipment or New Year's Resolution guy is hogging the platform performing Barbell Curls and watching TV in between sets.

I can't even count the number of times that there's been an exercise I wanted to do but the gym I was at didn't have the equipment I needed or someone had my platform. But we always find a way to get around that by either changing the load we use (for example instead of a Barbell you might use a dumbbell, a band, a plate, or even just your body weight) or we just rig something up like MacGyver and make it work. Just like your muscles need to ADAPT to the stresses you put on them from training, your workouts also need to ADAPT to the environment your in and what you provided.


Deadlift with Hook Grip - Medium day (see video for all exercises)
Work Sets (345 X 4 sets X 2 reps)

Good Mornings from the bottom
5 Sets of 5

Single Leg Cross Over Step Up (There is two different version that we do so I put both of them in the video)
( 2 sets )

Glute Ham Raises with band
(2 sets)

Romanian Sit Ups
(3 sets)

Reverse Hypers with bands (These are really suppose to be done on a reverse hyper machine, but obviously the Umass Rec Center does not provide us a true hardcore environment that supplements our superior workouts, so we improvise and do our reverse hypers on the GHR.

(2 sets)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_vsQiaD5M

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Classes will be starting on Tuesday and although I'm looking forward to my last semester I'm certainly not looking forward to my daily schedule. In order to graduate I must take seven classes. Along with this I'll be working as a personal trainer in the wellness center (which reminds me call me or send me a message if you interested in a training session, Kevin and I will also be having Bodyweight Boot camp class on Mondays a 6 PM if your interested in getting a REAL workout). I will also be coaching my basketball team with Jay and training for my meet in March. I will also be keeping up with this log as best I can, although posts maybe only be 4 times per week. Needless to say I"m very excited to be challenged this semester and look forward to CRUSHING everything, as Gary Vanderchuk would say, I put my mind and heart into this semester.

Today we got a quick workout in that consisted off:
Foam Roll
Stretch
Jump Rope
Akro Wheels
4 Rounds of Boxing
and Light Shoulder/Upper Back work

We"ll be back at it tomorrow with some benching and upper body work.

[bigb64]

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."
Vince Lombardi

I love this quote because so many people want success, fame, and fortune but they're afraid to do what it takes to get it there and are afraid of the hard work needed to get whatever it is you want. I for one will be working my ass off this semester to get everything done and to fulfill the goals that I have set for myself. I look forward to beginning my career on the right foot after graduation. No one will stop me from doing what I want to do, and I hope you can say the same.

Classes begin tomorrow. I'm ready to GET AFTER IT and I'm ready to enjoy the last semester of my college career. Only 4 Months to go...

Today I walked into the gym and began to dry heave at the site of the mobs of students taking up every machine, piece of cardio equipment, and every single space on the floor to do anything. Kevin and I took care of this quickly when we busted out the "Cat Scratching Post" aka Kevin's Foam Roller (which is made out of PVC pipe and is covered in carpet so we therefore will refer to it as the Cat Scratching Post from now on. I will get a picture of it soon so everyone can know what I'm talking about) and I started throwing the Medicine Ball against the wall.

Within 5 minutes everyone cleared out. Large dudes rolling on PVC pipes, Throwing 15 lb medicine balls against a concrete wall, and doing Overhead Squats can be pretty intimidating while your trying to do your ankle touches, listening to Tik Tok on your Ipod, texting your BFFL, and flexing your biceps in the mirror.

P.S. If you do any of those four things while you workout it is highly recommend you stop immediately or never see any results even in the gym...the choice is yours. You could also just hire me and I'll take care of all these things all at once.


This workout took about an hour and a half too long but we got everything done and I was gassed by the end...

Bench Press

2/1 reps X 8 sets X 90 % Plus = Heavy Week

Work Sets

(245 X 1, 255 X 1, 265 X 1, 275 X 1, 285 X MISS, 265 X 1 with Pause, 255 X 2 for pause)

Dumbbell Floor Press

(3 sets last set with 75 lbs)

Pull Ups

(10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 = 10 sets for a total of 55 reps)

so we went from 10 reps down to one rep. Kevin and I would switch off every time.

Push ups

(Again went 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 = 10 sets for a total of 55 reps)

Seated Rows

(1 sets)

Rear Delt Raises

(2 sets)

Dumbbell Curl

(10 to 1 again with 30 lbs)

Only got video of the bench press today. Everything was taking so long to get done I didn't feel like taking video of everything today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-MlZpf2NeI

(please excuse the very white "guy thigh" while I bench)

[bigb64]

I thought we were going to have to workout at 10 pm tonight but thank god Kevin got back early from his DR. appointment early so we got it in a 2 today. Probably no videos again till next week when we have our routine figured out.

Speed Deadlifts
185 lbs X 10 sets X 2 reps

Squats
(205 X 5, 245 X 3, 285 X 6)

Full Power Cleans with Front Squat
(135 X 5, 155X 3, 175 X 5)

Romanian Deadlifts
3 sets

Hangs with Fat Gripz
2 sets

Single Leg Hip Lifts Off a Bench
2sets

[bigb64]

Leisure time is that five or six hours when you sleep at night.
- George Allen

Deadlift- Heavy week (see video) had to get rid of the hook grip because my thumbs couldn?t take the strain anymore

Work Sets 365 X 1, 385 X 1, 405 X miss, 385 X 1, 365 X 2 (Kevin got 4 reps)

Good Mornings from the bottom
4 Sets of 8

Walking Lunges
( 1 set )

Glute Ham Raises with band
(2 sets)

Rollouts with Akrowheels
(3 sets)

I?ll be taking the next two days off to recover because I am beat from this week.

[bigb64]

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Elenor Roosevelt

Great workout today. Got some good video today and the weights were real light because it is our DELOAD week.

Speed Deadlifts - Conventional (see video. we will be moving to conventional deadlifts this week just to see the difference between our conventional and sumo pulls)

(205 lbs X 10 sets X 2 reps)

Squats (See video. the video today is of Jay. When I first met Jay this summer he couldn't squat a popsicle stick with two socks on the end of it without looking like he was having a seizer in the squat rack. In the video you see him performing 5 solid reps of 185 with perfect form. Im very proud and impressed with Jays progress in only about 6 months)

(125 X 5, 155 X 5, 185 X 5)

Full Power Cleans with Front Squat

(85 X 5, 95X 5, 115 X 5)

Reverse Hypers with a Band

(2 sets)

One Arm Farmers Walks

(2 sets)

Single Leg Hip Lifts Off a Bench with Weight

(2sets)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hm973Wlq9U

Thanks for reading, keep training hard!
Live your passion

[bigb64]

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
- Albert Einstein

Getting through today was a STRUGGLE. We were suppose to hit the gym at 8 am this morning but it just didn't happen. Sometime life gets in the way, so we will be doing our deadlift workout tomorrow night. That doesn't mean I didn't get a workout in... today during some down time at work I was able to get in:

20 min of Stretching and Mobility

10 min of Jumprope

5 min of Med Ball Work

and then I finished up with 5 min of Bench and Deadlift technique practice with just the bar

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Thursday Nights Workout

Conventional Deadlifts - We have made the switch from pulling sumo to pulling conventional. Both of us feel we can pull more using the conventional style, and when your in a powerlifting the meet the point is to lift the most weight possible one time.
Because neither of us have pulled conventional in about 6 months we worked up to a one rep max.

365 X 1, I then missed 405 four times in a row due to grip issues, then figured it out and GOT IT for one, finished up with 365 X 2, and 365 X 1

Step ups

(2 sets)

GHR's with black band

(2 sets)


Friday Night

Tonight I made sure to include a ton of grip work because that was definitely my limiting factor yesterday for the deadlift.

Speed Bench

(165 X 8 set of 3 reps moving the bar as fast as possible)

Push Press Deload Week

(65 X 5, 85 X 5, 100 X 5)

Chin Ups with Fat Gripz

3 sets of AMAP (As Many As Possible)

Dips

3 sets of AMAP

Face Pulls with a Towel

3 sets

Cross Body DB Extensions-

3 sets

Going to the 4th Annual MBSC Seminar tomorrow, ill be posting my review on Sunday night. Have a great weekend everyone.

TRAIN HARD!

[bigb64]

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

Todays workout:


Bench Press with Pause
(95 X 8, 135 X 5, 185 X 2, 225 X 1, 235 X 1 X 3 sets, 235 X 2, 185 X 14)


Foam Press
(275 X 3, 295 X 2)


Kneeling Lat Pulldowns
( 3 sets)


Plyo Push ups w/ 20 second iso hold at the bottom
(3 sets)


Alt Cable Y's (Got this exercise from Pallof's presentation)
(3 sets)


Shoulder Push Series (also got this from Pallof)
( 1 set)

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Speed Deadlifts
( 10 sets X 2 reps X 185 lbs)


Low Pause Good Mornings
(just did the BAR X 4 sets because my back was still fried from last thursdays heavy deadlift workout)


Cleans with Full Squat
(110 X 5, 125 X 5, 145 X 6)


Romanian Deadlifts
(3 sets)


Hip Bridges w/ Band (got this exercise from this past weekends seminar... people stopped running around the track to watch us do this one haha)


(3 sets)


Body Weight Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats (also got this from the seminar. One of the best exercises you could ever do and you only need your body weight)
(3 sets)

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Speed bench
(165 lbs X 8 sets X 3 reps done as fast as possible)

Push Press

(115 X 5, 125 X 5, 145 X 17)

Chin Ups
(10 reps -9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1= 55 total reps... I would do 10 reps then Kevin would do 10, then I'd do 9 then Kevin would do 9 ect... This is a great way to get in A LOT of reps in a short amount of time)

Dips
(10 to 1 again)

Alternating T's
(3 Sets... took this one from Pallof's presentation this past Saturday.

One Arm DB Cross Body Extensions
(3 sets...got this one from Dave Tate )

[bigb64]

Came home from classes and had to run to the gym to train someone. Made a protein shake because it was all I had time for? I was in a hurry and I grabbed the shaker by the lid. Can you guess what happens next???

The lid wasn?t screwed on and it was all over my bed, in my shower caddy, on my gym bag, and in my shoes. I threw newspaper and paper towels on it ?Big Daddy? style and left it. I am now basking in the smell of vanilla protein and oatmeal... AWESOME! It?s better then farts I guess.

Deficit Pulls warm up sets (see video) This works on our ability pull off the floor and its also a longer distance for the bar to travel

Work sets = 335, 355, 365, 365

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmvyJ19BExo

Heavy Dead Lift Holds ( we just started doing these to tax our CNS a bit and teach our bodies to hold heavier weights? it also crushes your grip!)

405 X 20 seconds X 2 sets

Banded Iron Cross GM with the bands (got these from DeFranco?s)

2 sets

Step Ups

2 sets

Partner GHR's

2 sets

Banded Jackknifes

2 sets

Blast Strap Circuit Finisher

1. Inverted Rows ? 10 reps

2. Push Ups ? 10 reps

3. Rows ? 10 reps

4. Fallouts ? 8 reps

5. Rear Delt Raises ? 10 reps

6. Triceps Presses ? 10 reps

7. Bicep Curls ? 10 reps

DONE

[bigb64]

Quick but Intense workout today:

Bench Press- Meet Set up w/ Pause

265 X 1

275 X 1

285 X 1 miss

Heavy Bench Holds

315 X 20 sec X 2 sets

Pulls Ups

100 Total Reps as fast as you and in the least amount of sets possible

DONE

[bigb64]

We benched heavy yesterday, and deadlifted heavy today. Normally we wouldn’t do this but Kevin leaves for New Orleans tomorrow for Mardi Gras, that lucky bastard. So we figured we’d get all our heavy work in now because he’ll have the next 5 days off and I plan on doing a deload for the next week, which comes at a great time because my body is beat up right now.

Conventional Deadlift

8 warm up sets then work sets (365 X 1, 385 X 1)

Good Mornings (3 sets)

Slide Lunges (3 sets)

Glute Ham Raises (3 sets)

Romanian Sit Ups (3 sets)

Reverse Hypers (3 sets)

[bigb64]

Changed it up a bit today and did a bit of a bodybuilding workout. Kevin is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras for the next week so I thought I'd do something a bit different with my training.

Also it is a definite that we will be competing on March 6th at the Spring Break PL Mash in Peabody, MA. I mailed in everything yesterday and we are good to go. We’ll both be dieting down to the 181 class and we will be lifting RAW... should be interesting.

DB Bench (60 X 20, 80 X 10, 90 X 12)

Dips (70 Totals reps in the least amount of sets possible)

Roll Outs with the Akro Wheels (3 sets)

Chest Press Machine (2 sets)

JM Press on Smith Machine ( 2 sets)

Romanian Sit Ups ( 2 sets)

Push Ups with feet up ( 2 sets)

Rope Pushdowns ( 2 sets)

Planks with weight (2 sets)

Thanks for reading! Leave your questions and comments below. TRAIN HARD and TRAIN SMART!

Enjoy your Friday!!

[bigb64]

Friday

Pull Ups (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)

Seated Rows (3 sets)

Reverse Curls (3 sets)

Row Machine (2 sets)

BB Curls w/ Fat Gripz (2 sets)

Pull Aparts (2 sets)

DB Curls (2 sets)

Cable Curls (2 sets)

Face pulls w/ Towel (2 sets)

Saturday

Squats (225 X 5, 275 X 1, 295 X 1, Drop Set 235X5, 215X5, 195X5, 175X5, 155X5, 135X12)

Alt DB Press (40X10, 50X10)

High Pulls (2 sets)

Plate Raises (2 sets)

Hip Lifts (2 sets)

Lateral Raises (2 sets)

Didn’t get a chance to post yesterday show here’s what I did the past two days. Today's session was the first time I’ve squatted in 4 weeks. I can barley walk right now after that drop set… Lots of ice, foam rolling, massage, and stretching all night and tomorrow.

[bigb64]

Kevin is finally back from Mardi Gras? It?s amazing the difference training partners can make?

Speed Bench

(165 lbs X 8 sets X 3 reps done as fast as possible)

Chin ups with all different grips

(11 down to 1 for a total of 66 reps)

DB Push Presses with the Fat Gripz

(3 sets)

Bench Dips

(2 sets)

Towel Face Pulls

(2 sets)

Pushdowns

(2 sets)