Meet Training Week 8

Monday 10/26: squats and deadlifts

Starting to get into heavy sets now and reducing volume further.

Squats

45x15

135x5

185x3

225x2

275x1

Belt on

315x1

345x1

370x2, 2, 2  felt really solid. 

Deadlifts

135x5

225x2

Belt on

315x1

365x1

405x1

455x2* Nice PR here for my best ever set of 2. Done on a thicker-than-usual, stiff bar (which makes deadlifts more difficult) with fucking dagger sharp knurling. 455x1 was my best ever gym deadlift going into my last competition so I feel good about this.

Back extensions

BWx8

50 lb bar on back x 8, 10

Toes to bar

x8, 8, 10


Tuesday 10/26: Bench

Bench
Barx20 close, 20 wide, 20 comp grip
135x6
155x4
185x3
205x1
225x1
245x1
260x2, 2, 3*   Solid. Paused PR. This ties my un-paused PR, which I hit right around the time I hit a 290 un-paused bench. Wasn't hard either.

Wide Grip Bench
205x10, 7

Incline DB flyes
30sx12, 12

Lying Tricep extensions
EZ Bar 60x12
Tricep Bar 80ishx8  Not sure how much the bar weighs, but I'd guess around 10 lbs. Had a 35 on each side.

Face pulls
Some weight x 12, 10, 20

Dips
BWx20, 20, 20


Thursday 10/29: Back

Didn't feel like doing legs today, but had an urge to deadlift. So I did, but went for higher reps and didn't go heavy.

Dumbbell 1-arm rows
55x8/side
70x8/side
85x8/side
100x8/side
85x8, 8/side  Done very consciously of stretch and contraction. This is something I've started doing with most of the non-powerlifts, and I feel I'm training each bodypart far more effectively this way.

Reverse grip pulldowns
160x6
175x6
190x6
205x6  Was actually already a little beat by this point.

Barbell rows
135x6
155x6
185x6, 8 Seriously beat by now.

Deadlifts (straps, beltless)
315x10, 9  Really beat by now.

DB shrugs
65sx10, 10, 10  Done.


Friday 10/10: Bench Assistance

Barbell Incline Press
70x20,10
120x6
150x20, 12, 5

EZ Bar Reverse curls
Wide grip- 60x8, 8, 8
Close grip- 60x8, 8, 8

Single arm overhead db triceps extensions
15x8/arm
25x8, 8, 8/arm

Barbell curls
70x10, 10, 10

DB side laterals
15sx15, 15, 15

Get Jacked and Never Pay a Dime with These Free Resources

With so many articles on the internet about training and nutrition, it's easy to get overwhelmed -- especially when many of them blatantly contradict each other. Some articles are right on the money. Some articles are complete bullshit written by people who only want to make money. Some articles are complete bullshit written by people who just don't know any better. I find that the majority of articles will make some valid points, but will go on to make dogmatic, absolutist assumptions. It's all too common now for a website to extrapolate from a single study and state that you should never consume a certain food, or should never do a certain exercise. These kinds of articles (for some, perplexing reason) generate views.

I've managed to discover some resources that don't concern themselves with such bullshit. These are groups or people that have put out free, legitimate information, all of which I have learned from over the time that I've been training. A lot of them have some excellent and affordable material as well such as books or training/diet services, but you can learn a lot and become more self-sufficient with these free articles and videos.

Here are my selected resources to help you become leaner, stronger, more muscular, and more athletic.

Renaissance Periodization

I would call RP the single best resource for nutritional information. They're a team of Ph.D.'s, all of which have experience in athletic competition.

Their nutritional priorities lectures lay out the basics of nutrition in a simple, 6-part, free YouTube series. Parts 2-6 should show up as the first suggested video if you This video series is important because it puts principles of nutrition in perspective. If you're trying to lose weight, eating tons of antioxidants isn't going to do shit if you're eating 500 calories more than you should. Understanding the nutritional priorities can help you to develop practical nutritional philosophies that you can actual adhere to, and not waste time worrying about the things that don't matter or barely matter at all.

The nutrient priorities are also summed up nicely in this article and this article by Dr. Mike Israetel, the same guy from the video.

Some other great articles that RP has put out...
Squatting Like a Bodybuilder to Build the Legs
Powerlifting Insights for Bodybuilding Training
Everything You Need to Know About Recovery
3 Tips for Successful Dieting
Why You Should be Eating Carbs

They've also got 2 books (one of which I already reviewed), a blog on their website, and some diet and training programs available for purchase that are definitely worth checking out.


JTS Strength

You'll see that a lot of these articles are from JTS Strength. This website is an excellent resource for all performance and nutrition-related concerns. Its founder, Chad Wesley Smith, is an elite powerlifter and has written a lot of excellent material himself for his website. He details his approach to competition prep in this article. He also co-authored a book with Dr. Israetel, Scientific Principles of Strength Training, which I admittedly haven't finished yet. CWS has also compiled a great team of experts, all of whom are current or former competitive athletes themselves, to contribute material to the website. There are some great articles from Dan Green, Sam Byrd, Brandon Lilly, and many other prolific names from the strength world. I'd highly recommend bookmarking the website and subscribing to its mailing list.


Paul Carter

This guy has been the single most significant influence in developing my own philosophies about training. His blog, Lift-Run-Bang.com, is a goldmine of information based upon 25 years of lifting experience, and I've been reading it since 2011. He's written articles for EliteFTS, JTS Strength, and T-Nation as well. His no-bullshit writing style is easy and entertaining to read. He's also got about 5 extremely affordable e-books that I highly recommend, including a beginner's training program that he just released a few days ago for $13. He's very active on Facebook and Instagram, and often puts out interesting posts on there that don't always make it to his blog.

Here are some of his best articles:
How to Stay Strong When Dieting
How do Build Your Own Training Program
Young Skinny Guy's Guide to Mass and Strength
Blue Collar Training and Eating For Mass and Strength Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Against the Grain Methods for Gaining Mass 
Guaranteed Muscle Mass
Squat Push Pull Challenge
Home Strong
Intelligent Strength Programming



Alex Viada and Complete Human Performance

If you're interested in being able to run long distances while being strong as an ox, look no further. Alex, the founder of CHP, is extremely bright and an absolute freak of an athlete. Alex authored The Hybrid Athlete, which I reviewed here and was an excellent read. JTS Strength has already compiled essentially everything he's written on this page. He's also done a Reddit AMA which is pretty interesting.

John Meadows

Meadows is possibly the brightest mind in bodybuilding and has a unique style of training that he's dubbed "Mountain Dog Training." He's written some excellent free articles for T-Nation, though he also has a paid membership for his website available.
Here are some of his very comprehensive articles:

Mountain Dog Training for Intermediates
Back Training
Leg Training
Chest Training
Shoulder Training
Arm Training
Ab Training
Entire Program: Reactive Pump

Jim Steel

Easily the most underrated information source on the internet, Jim has a lifetime of experience in the gym, is Associate Director of Sports Performance at UPENN, and has even trained with powerlifting legend Captain Kirk Karwoski. He's held powerlifting world records and even competed in bodybuilding. His blog is another one that I've been reading since about 2011. He also authored a $10 book of programs, which contains a program for essentially any goal you might have. Jim lives and breathes lifting, and it shows in his writing. You can find him here.

Jim Steel at his first bodybuilding competition

Jim Wendler

Wendler is the creator of the popular training system 5/3/1, and a purveyor of simple, accessible, and useful information about training. While I own a print copy of his original 5/3/1 book, he puts out tons of free programs on his website and on T-Nation and other websites.

There you have it. This list is not exhaustive -- there are many more great mind in this business -- but it's really all you need to get on a path towards getting stronger, leaner, more conditioned, and more muscular. I'd suggest you bookmark these pages, and get reading.

Meet Training Week 7: 1 Month Out

Wednesday marked exactly one month out from the meet. Training has been going well and I'm feeling good.

Monday 10/19: Squats and Deadlifts

Squats
45x15
135x6, 6
185x2
225x2
275x2, 2, 2  Deload week for squats. All smooth and fast. Didn't use a belt today since I was staying so light.

Deadlift
135x7
225x1
315x1
Belt on
365x1
425x2, 2  Not all that fast, but solid nonetheless.
315x10  Felt like doing a higher-rep back down set. This one was very easy.

Several sets of 7 pull-ups spread between my sets of squats and deadlifts

Split squats
BWx10 per leg
30 lb DBs x 10, 10 per leg

Toes to bar
BWx8, 8, 8

Single-leg back raises/GHRs
Not sure what to call these. I do these on 45 degree back extension. I go fully down to stretch the hamstrings, then extend up with one leg and even go past full hip extension so that there's some knee flexion. Because of the angle it's not a proper GHR, but it's not exactly a regular back extension either.
BWx5, 6


Tuesday 10/20: Bench

Bench - all paused
Barx20 close grip, 20 wide grip, 20 competition grip
135x6
155x3
185x3
225x1
250x2, 2, 2, 2, 4* Rep PR. Decided to go for a couple extra on my last set. 4th rep was faster than the 3rd since I touched slightly too low on the 3rd, and I probably could have gotten another. Probably my strongest set of paused bench ever. Felt solid today, especially in my last 2 sets.

Wide grip, feet-up bench
185x10, 6 good chest pump.

Incline DB flye
30sx12, 12

Upright KB rows
40sx12, 12, 12

Dips
BWx20, 20, 19.999999   Didn't quite lock out that last rep.


Thursday 10/21: Leg & Back Assistance

Worked out with my buddy Nick today ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Leg curls
95x10
115x10
135x8
155x8

Seated Leg Press
190x10
25x10
330x25 Fuck.

Neutral wide grip pulldowns
115x8
145x8
175x8
205x6

Barbell rows
135x8
155x8
185x6
205x7, 7, 7  Got a little sloppy here

Barbell shrugs
205x10, 8
185x10

Friday 10/23: bench assistance

Incline press

70x20, 10

120x8, 8

170x3

190x9, 7, 5  Did this with my feet up, elbows flared, thumbs around the bar (which I don't usually do on flat bench) to keep emphasis on the upper chest.

JM press

70x10

90x10

120x10

140x10

Upright towel row

I looped a towel through 2 25 plates, grabbed either end of the towel, and upright rowed it. Feels great on the shoulders

50x12, 10, 15

Barbell concentration curls

70x8, 8

Standing barbell curls 

70x10

Sunday 10/25: extra workout

Was feeling restless so I did a quick bodyweight circuit to burn off some pent-up energy.

4 rounds:
Band pull-aparts x15-20
Incline stretch pushups x15-20
Pull-ups (various grips) x7
Split squats x12/leg

Meet Training Week 6

Sunday 10/11: Squats and deadlifts

Had to rearrange my schedule a bit this week so I'm just squatting/deadlifting a day early. Also, I was wrong in my last post about the deload on squats. I actually had it planned for next week, so still heavy for this week.

Dynamic warmup

Squats - low bar
45x10
135x6
185x2
225x2
275x1
Belt on
315x1
355x3, 3, 3  Probably a volume PR. Felt lethargic going in and didn't feel great till my last set with 355, which was really solid.

Deadlifts - all belted
315x1
365x1
405x2, 2, 2  Solid.

Rear foot elevated split squats
BW x 10 per leg
Holding 25 lb dumbbells x 10, 10, 10 per leg

Back extensions
BWx10
45 bar on back x 8, 12

Decline crunches
x5, 5, 5  held each rep at the top for 3 breaths, which was actually excruciating

Cooldown stretch


Tuesday 10/13: Bench

Bench
Barx20, 20, 20
135x6
155x4
185x2
205x2
225x1
240x3, 3, 3, 3

Wide grip bench
185x10, 6

Reverse grip bench
135x10

One-arm DB row
70x 10, 10, 10, 10 per side. Very controlled, good stretch and contraction

Incline DB flye
35sx15, 12

Front plate raise
25x15, 15


Thursday 10/15: Leg and Back Assistance

Adductor & Abductor machine
3 sets of 20 each. My adductors are weak as fuck. Need to work on that.

Leg curl - feet close together
100x10
120x10
130x10
140x8

Leg extension
110x10
130x10
150x10
190x10

Seated Leg Press
Up to 330x20

Calves on leg press

2 sets of 6

Wide neutral lat pulldowns
140x8
155x8
170x8
190x8

Hang High Pulls
135x5, 5
155x4
185x3
205x4, 4

Bent rows
205x6, 6, 6 (the number of the beast)
185x8, 8

Shrugs
205x12, 12, 20 last set was without pauses and stretches.

Wide grip pullups - super slow negative, emphasized stretch
BWx5, 5, 5

Friday 10/16: chest and arm assistance

Workout at home today

Incline press (30 degrees)
70x20, 20

120x8

170x4

190x7, 7, 7

Incline JM Press

120x10

140x9, 7

Bench dips

BW x 20

+40 (DB in lap) x 20, 20

Reverse curls

60x12, 12, 12 close grip

60x12, 12, 12 wide grip

Barbell curls

90x6, 6 strict

Incline DB curls

40sx 1 just held the stretch at the bottom for 20 sec.

15sx12, 12

Meet Training Week 5

Mon 10/5: Squats & deads

Leg curls

3 sets

Squat

up to 335x3, 3, 3, 3, 3  Volume PR. Felt pretty good. Deload next week.

Dead

315x1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (deload)

Back extensions

25 bar on back x 10

35 bar on back x 10, 10

V-ups

x15, 10, 10

Leg extension

x6, 6, 18

Calf Press

x6, 6

Tues 10/6: Bench

Bench

45x20, 20, 20

135x5

155x4

185x3

205x1

225x1

230x3, 3, 3

235x3, 3   Felt ok.

WG Bench

155x12

135x10 slightly wider

JM Press

135x6, 6

Incline DB Flye

30sx12

40sx10

Face Pulls

4 sets of 10-15


Thurs 10/8: Squat/Deadlift Assistance

Since I'm now squatting and deadlifting on the same day, I'm making Thursdays into a squat/dead assistance day, mostly consisting of light leg and heavy back work.

Adductor/abductor machine
3 sets of 20 each

Seated Leg Press
7 sets up to 430x6

Wide neutral grip pulldown
130x8
160x8
175x8

Leg curl
70x10
90x8
110x8
130x8

Leg extension
110x6
150x10, 15

Underhand Chin-up
BWx5
+25x5
+45x5
+70x5
+90x5 or 6  *PR*  I suck at counting reps. Whether this was 5 or 6, it was a PR. I think my previous best with 90 was 3 reps for 2 sets.

Barbell row
135x10
185x8
205x5
185x8, 8, 8  Used much tighter form and got a better stretch and contraction than last week.

Barbell shrug
185x12  This was actually pretty difficult because I rounded my shoulders for a trap stretch at the bottom and paused for 2-3 seconds at the top of every rep while squeezing hard. Lots of tension on the traps despite the light weight.


Saturday 10/10: Chest, shoulder, arm assistance

Low incline DB press
40sx10
50sx10
60sx10
70sx10
80sx10

Single-arm pushdown
x10/arm supinated
x10/arm pronated
x10/arm hammer grip

KB curl
20sx10/arm

Barbell Incline Press
95x7
135x7
155x7
185x7, 7, 6   Probably a volume PR but not sure. Nice smooth reps.

Incline JM press
135x5, 5

Rolling Tricep extension
35sx15

KB upright row
40sx15, 15

Barbell curl
45x40

Meet Training Week 4

Monday 9/28: Squats

Warmup:
McGill Curl-ups
Bird Dogs
Rolling Planks
Glute Bridges

Squats: 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x1, 315x1, BELT ON 325x4, 4, 4, 4   Didn't feel as fast as I wanted. I had trouble getting my belt tight enough at the 4th hole, but won't be able to go down to the 5th. Need to start eating more NOW to fill that thing out. Still, my last set felt pretty good.

Several sets of 6 pull-ups between squats

Kettlebell swings: 40x20, 20, 20  Wish they had a heavier one.

Forward Lunges: 65 on back x 20, 20, 20

45 degree back extension x 2-legx15, 1-leg x 5, 5 per leg, 2-legx15  liking the 1-leg version as a way to add load.

Sit-up static hold x 5   With these, I crunch up slightly on a decline bench, and hold the position while taking deep breaths and really drawing in my stomach.


Tuesday 9/29: Bench

Bench: 

bar x 20 close grip, 20 wide grip, 20 competition grip

135x4

155x2

185x1

205x1

225x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3  Volume PR

Felt awesome today, like I could've gone on doing triples all day. Much better than last week. 

For those that aren't aware, in powerlifting  competitions during the bench press you have to pause the bar on your chest, and the judge gives a "press" command once the bar is motionless. There are essentially 2 common styles of paused benching (with some variation, of course). One is a "strict" style, where the bar is lowered to the chest slowly until it lightly touches the chest. This requires a lot of tightness and strength out of the bottom. The other style is a dynamic, "sink and heave" style where the bar is lowered quickly, sunk into the chest slightly, and then explosively pressed with a heave off of the chest. The bar can't be sunk further after the press command is given, however. You have to be careful with this style that you're staying within the boundaries of the rules.

I've been using the strict style for this training cycle up till now. Today I switched back over to the dynamic "sink and heave" style that I used for my last meet -- similar to Dan Green's style but with a narrower grip. I can get far more power and leg drive into the bar this way - it essentially feels like I'm throwing the bar off my chest. My form really clicked and it felt awesome, so I'll be using this form again at the meet.

Wide grip bench:

185x15, 8  I made this a little less wide than last time (today was about 2 fingers out from my regular grip), which allows me to handle more weight and makes it more similar to the competition movement. 

Neutral grip chin-ups: 4 sets of 12

Incline DB flyes:

30s x12

40s x12

Upright DB rows:

40s x12, 12


Thursday 10/1: Deadlift

Warmup:
McGill Curl-ups
Bird Dogs
Rolling Planks
Glute Bridges

Deadlift
135x6
225x3
315x2
BELT ON
365x1
375x3, 3, 3
Felt pretty bleh, kind of slow. Last set was faster. Going to deload the deadlift next week and start squatting and deadlifting on the same day, making Thursday a light lower body and heavy back assistance day.

Sumo deads
275x5, 5

Barbell rows
225x5, 5     A little sloppy.
185x5, 10    Much better. Just like Yates... except 200 lbs lighter.

Lat Pulldowns - reverse grip
170x6
215x8
185x9
170x10

DB shrugs
65s x 8, 8, 8  Done with an accentuated stretch at the bottom and a 5-second pause at the top. Pretty good pump. My grip was dead by this point.


Friday 10/2: chest, shoulder, arm assistance

Training session with the girlfriend today... at PLANET FITNESS!!?!

Single-arm pushdown (supinated grip)
15x10
25x8

Shoulder press machine
50x10
90x10
130x8, 8

DB concentration curl
30x10
45x6

Incline DB curl
30sx10 cut these short because a freaking Smith machine finally opened up...

Smith machine low incline JM press
95x10
145x10
165x10, 10
These are actually awesome. Haven't really done much JM press before. May have to start doing these regularly.

Smith machine low incline press
175x10, 10
145x10
Really just focused on squeezing the pecs here with some horizontal adduction.

Overhead tricep rope extension
45x10 wasn't feeling these today.

Rope hammer curl
45x15
57x10
35x20

Nice pump overall. Went back and watched Generation Iron, which I've seen before and is pretty awesome. Melissa liked Dennis Wolf and Phil the most. All about bodybuildin' today.

RU Muddy Recap

So on Friday I ran RU Muddy, a relatively small and easy mud run that Rutgers puts on annually.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I ran with my best buddy Nick, who I've done every Tough Mudder with. I believe I ended up finishing somewhere in the top 10 in my wave. Times and placings weren't tracked, but I was in the first wave so I was able to figure out approximately where I stood based on how many people were in front of me. My time was somewhere around 32 minutes.

Truthfully, I didn't give the slightest shit about how I did in this until I got started. Then my competitive side started to kick in pretty quickly.

The race was about 3.5 miles through the campus's nature preserve. It was surprisingly hilly for this area through the woods. Lots of steep ups and downs. There really wasn't much in the way of obstacles -- this was really more of a trail run than an obstacle course race. I do think that anyone with a decent trail running background could have come in and won this easily, since I placed as high as I did as a mediocre-at-best runner.

The obstacles that they did have included 2 mud crawls - one at the beginning and end, which got me completely covered - a few low walls and hay stacks to vault over, one easy wall climb, a barbed wire crawl, a few bungee mazes, a tire and 2 pipe crawls. There were also several stations where you had to stop and do burpees, pushups, squats, and jump squats. Never more than 10 reps per station.

So it was nothing difficult. It really came down to trail and hill running ability. Now, I haven't been running at all for about 2 months, and only did a small amount of running over the summer. My training lately has been 100% powerlifting-focused. I still found I didn't get winded, and my muscular endurance was pretty decent regardless. I think that a pretty decent aerobic base is maintained from the way I lift, so that I can run a 5k decently without any specific training. Now, if the race had been 2 more miles or so, cramps might have started to set in even if the aerobic capacity was still enough (throwback to my Tough Mudder experiences).

As a side note, Alex Viada has been posting that vinegar shots are near-instantaneous cures to cramps. Definitely going to keep this mind for my next Tough Mudder. May have to invest in a Camelback to store vinegar in. Sort of srs.

I think hills generally aren't a problem for me because I have good leg strength, especially relative to my bodyweight. My strategy is usually to spend as little time on a hill as possible. So I'll take uphills and downhills very fast. I always feel like trudging uphill drains energy far more than taking it at a quick pace. Of course for long, low inclines you may have to take a slower pace, but I think you're better off taking on small hills (especially if they're steep) as fast as possible.

Nick and I ran to the front of the pack at the start and gained a lot of ground when we took on the first several obstacles quickly. I eventually lost Nick somewhere between mile 1 and 2 (I seriously had no idea where I was, distance-wise, for most of the run). I turned around at one point and he was completely out of sight, so I decided to keep going. I later found out he tripped on a root, but he's a tough dad and ended up only finishing a few minutes behind me.

So I was essentially alone for most of the race because there was a wide margin between me and the people in front of and behind me. It was quite peaceful. I later ended up catching several people who were in front of me and passed them as I went HAM on the last few obstacles. I was blind as a bat by the end from the mud that got in my eyes, and also enjoyed the wonderful taste of it in my mouth. Keep your mouth closed when you're crawling through mud, guys.

After the race while I was waiting for Nick, I went over to the pull-up station that the Marines had set up. The prizes were for 10, 15, or 20 pull-ups (strict, full extension, chin fully over bar - the way it should be done). I chose to use an underhand grip because I'm slightly stronger that way (as are most), and the guys said either overhand or underhand is fine. I'm pretty sure I did 25, which wasn't terrible considering I was sort of beat, although I was no-repped on about 3 of them. I was definitely over 20, so they gave me a t-shirt. I had the highest number for the day up to that point -- not sure if anyone beat me later in the day so I'm just going to say I had the highest score :-)

Lots of people liked my Rocky shorts, a staple for any race I do.

DRAGOOOO

Had an eventful ride back to my place with Nick and Kyle, who graciously gave us a ride there and back (thanks, big boy). I was shirtless, muddy, and yelling "OOOOH LONG JOHNSON" out the window through New Brunswick. Attracted a few angry/confused stares.

For the unaware: (best part starts at 1:46)

Once I got back, I ordered a Dominoes pizza with chicken and pepperoni and devoured the whole thing.

All in all, a fun experience. Would do again.