Project Improvement 2012: A 3DMJ Production.

[L The Pirate]

damn bro that sucks, rest up and get ready for the platform. I know these broken feelings.
#teamoldman

[ErickStevens]

2 Weeks Out from USAPL Raw Nationals - Bench

Pause Bench (w/ commands)
265 x 1 ( ~ Opener) @ 8
275 x 1 @ 8.5
285 x 1 @ 9 ( ~ 2nd Attempt)

3 Count Pause Bench
225 x 3 (2x)

Pull Ups
BW x 8 (3x)

DB Side Laterals SS w/ DB Front Raises
15 x 10 (3x)

Hanging Leg Raise
2 x 10

Notes

Just greasing the groove. I'll probably do a couple more sessions like this since my bench is the one that needs the most practice.

damn bro that sucks, rest up and get ready for the platform. I know these broken feelings.
#teamoldman

I'll be ready!

[ErickStevens]

Well dudes - It hurts to say this but I'm going to have to pull out of Raw Nationals. I had every intention of competing and qualifying for The Arnold, even if it meant a little suffering. Today changed all that though. My knee was bothering me during my warm ups and I felt very unstable even with lighter weights. Long story short I got buried by a 500lb squat (Even though I tripled 480 last week). My bench and deadlift aren't good enough to compensate for a mid 400s squat so there's no reason for me to risk further injury. I'll still be there coaching Meghan but my Nationals debut will have to wait till 2014 I suppose.

So where do I go from here? Well I'll probably cut a little but longer since it's Summer and I really won't need a surplus of calories because I won't be squatting. Deadlifting and benching feels fine so there will be a lot of that. I'm thinking about running Smolov Jr. (multiple times) and giving Magnusson/Ortmayer or Coan/Philippi a beltless run. Hopefully I can fix my knee the same way I fixed my hip - With some patience and time off. Until then this log will be pretty boring, so I'll probably start a new one when I'm not being an injured old *******.

[Jason2459]

Really sucks to hear and you've put in a lot of hard work for this. Is it possible to do Push/Pull at the Arnold and qualify for that?

Inb4 lots of annoying suggestions on fixes and remedies...

I have a floating knee cap aka subluxation of the patella that can cause a lot of pain and I have to constantly be aware of how my knee travels even walking up and down stairs. Going down stairs is worse for me than anything else as it's hard not to have knee travel. What helped me the most in being able to actually squat with minimal impact was spreading my feet wider, keeping the knees out and pushing out on them hard, and sitting back hard reducing my knee travel to almost none. I know instantly when my form is off with sharp shooting pain like someone just stuck a dagger in my knee cap and if really bad then I'll feel it for several days to a week or more and on occasion have to pop my kneecap back in place...

I did box squats a LOT at the beginning to get the form down right and also to help not only reduce knee travel but allow the knees to go back and reduce even more pressure. If my knees are particularly sore high box squats were good. I also just had to reduce the heel height I was using as 3/4" heels were just a bit too high and over time were wearing on my patella causing pain for a few days after squatting.

[ErickStevens]

Really sucks to hear and you've put in a lot of hard work for this. Is it possible to do Push/Pull at the Arnold and qualify for that?

Inb4 lots of annoying suggestions on fixes and remedies...

I have a floating knee cap aka subluxation of the patella that can cause a lot of pain and I have to constantly be aware of how my knee travels even walking up and down stairs. Going down stairs is worse for me than anything else as it's hard not to have knee travel. What helped me the most in being able to actually squat with minimal impact was spreading my feet wider, keeping the knees out and pushing out on them hard, and sitting back hard reducing my knee travel to almost none. I know instantly when my form is off with sharp shooting pain like someone just stuck a dagger in my knee cap and if really bad then I'll feel it for several days to a week or more and on occasion have to pop my kneecap back in place...

I did box squats a LOT at the beginning to get the form down right and also to help not only reduce knee travel but allow the knees to go back and reduce even more pressure. If my knees are particularly sore high box squats were good. I also just had to reduce the heel height I was using as 3/4" heels were just a bit too high and over time were wearing on my patella causing pain for a few days after squatting.

I did some research and it sounds like we have the same issue. Funny thing is, I squat with very little knee travel as it is. Ironically, I think these issues arose during my Oly shoe/toes forward period when I was rehabbing my hip. It only really hurts once I get over 400lbs, so after I rest it for a bit I'll start super light.

[psychodiver9]

I'm sorry to hear this E. I was looking forward to you qualifying. Best of luck on rehab

[L The Pirate]

The feels bro, the feels...

That sucks but your attitude on rehab to get back in the game is awesome.

[vitornoob]

stay safe, eric

[The Solution]

Fukin A man REAL sorry to hear about that, try to keep that head up and progress forward. Amazing how 500 buried you after hitting 480 for a triple. Do you think the cut is starting to get to your strength a bit? its been a good what 7-8 weeks now?

How far will you cut till top of the 190's?

[Big Sexy J]

I did some research and it sounds like we have the same issue. Funny thing is, I squat with very little knee travel as it is. Ironically, I think these issues arose during my Oly shoe/toes forward period when I was rehabbing my hip. It only really hurts once I get over 400lbs, so after I rest it for a bit I'll start super light.

Just squat like a duck like I do. No knee pain ever.

[ErickStevens]

Just squat like a duck like I do. No knee pain ever.

But then my hips would explode.

[adamsz]

But then my hips would explode.

pull a Brandon Lily and profit?

hehe

[ErickStevens]

I'll keep this short and sweet - I'm not going down without a fight. 1400+ or death!

[jlockleOSU]

[psychodiver9]

He'll yeah. Great news!

[The Solution]

I'll keep this short and sweet - I'm not going down without a fight. 1400+ or death!

Training going well on vacation?

[L The Pirate]

I'm nodding in agreement

[adamsz]

This fukin guy.... goes on vacation for a few days and eats a chit load of donuts and suddenly he's superman...

[ErickStevens]

This fukin guy.... goes on vacation for a few days and eats a chit load of donuts and suddenly he's superman...

#gains

[PeterJHM]

Yes! In on hardcoreness.

[Jason2459]

Stay safe OP.

[ErickStevens]

Last Session Before USAPL Raw Nationals

Squat (No Belt)
Up to 430 x 1

Pause Bench
Up to 245 x 1

Deadlift (No Belt)
A bunch of singles with 315

Notes

I woke up this morning and weighed in at a still bloated 215. I have a tendency to drop a lot of water weight a couple days after some heavy eating, so I'm going to wait till tomorrow morning to make my decision on weight class. My hotel has a sauna so I'll probably try to sweat off a couple of pounds but if I wake up any more than 2 lbs over I'm just going to go 231.

[The Solution]

Good luck big man. We're all supporting. Kill it

[ErickStevens]

Didn't/won't compete. Long story. I'll tell it later, time to get drunk.

[budreiser2]

time to get drunk.

good decision

[ErickStevens]

This weekend was a great learning experience for me, both as a coach and a lifter. As a coach I couldn't be happier - Meghan went 292/165/381 and captured a silver medal in her first national competition. Conversely, I didn't even lift and didn't qualify for the 2014 Arnold Raw Challenge. This weekend was essentially a microcosm for the year thus far - A huge disappointment. I set a lot of goals at the beginning of this year and I'm going to fail to reach the majority of them. If you know me or have followed this log for a decent amount of time, you'll know I don't handle coming up short very well. I will compete at Raw Nationals 2014 and I will place top 5 in the 231s. Hopes up high, head down low.

[L The Pirate]

This weekend was a great learning experience for me, both as a coach and a lifter. As a coach I couldn't be happier - Meghan went 292/165/381 and captured a silver medal in her first national competition. Conversely, I didn't even lift and didn't qualify for the 2014 Arnold Raw Challenge. This weekend was essentially a microcosm for the year thus far - A huge disappointment. I set a lot of goals at the beginning of this year and I'm going to fail to reach the majority of them. If you know me or have followed this log for a decent amount of time, you'll know I don't handle coming up short very well. I will compete at Raw Nationals 2014 and I will place top 5 in the 231s. Hopes up high, head down low.

#teamoldman

Let's get it

[Jason2459]

In for the long road ahead...

[ErickStevens]

New log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...73&pagenumber=