Light again:
Kipping Pullups - still sore - 3 sets
OHSQ - 3 sets
PC's - 3 sets
OHP - 3 sets
FSQ - 1 set

All mostly done with just the bar. PC's were with 95, OHSQ was with 55.

First of all, congratulations to Lisa, Al, and Dave. I got a chance to see Al and Dave at the prejudging of the NGA Natural Philadelphia and they looked great. They will be rewarded for all the hard work they put in; they already have with the physiques they brought to the stage today. Cheers guys and gal!!

Conditioning:
So, today, started up new Sheiko cycle. This is the conditioning week. I didn't do this week the first time I ran through this cycle because I thought I already was in good enough condition to do the program. I quickly learned that going from an upper/lower split to a full body requires a different type of conditioning. The lesson learned is that I could've probably got more out of the first cycle if I was conditioned for full body work. Right now, however, I am adapted to the full body work and I am doing the conditioning week because I do feel a little deconditioned from the "week off." My conditioning is definitely better this time around than the first round. I am even considering throwing in some conditioning days throughout this cycle to increase my level of work capacity. I figure its better to use a well oiled machine than a rusty one. I will do enough conditioning to help my main days and not take away from it.

Alright now the weights...notice the increase in load as compared to the training log thirteen weeks ago. The top set of BP went from 255 to 260 with the same amount of volume. The top set of SQ went from 210 to 225 with the same amount of volume. GM's are going to be 135 now instead of my previous 120. I'm really going to push the envelope with the squat this cycle so I can work the numbers to a PR greater than 5 lbs as done last week.

BP: 185/5 225/4 4 260/3 3 3
SQ: 160/5 190/4 4 225/3 3 3
Flies (didn't nix these yet, when I did them, could feel how they help with loosening the shoulders)
GM's: 3 sets

After much thought, I'm going to save the OHSQ for another cycle...I'm just gonna do a box, or pause, or pin, or regular squat as an assistance to my squat. I just don't think the lunges were doing much and I don't think that a more complicated movement such as the OHSQ is going to help (right now) as I try to get the most out of my current squat. I'm going to stick with the basic idea that to squat more, you just have to squat. So no lunges for me. Here's how it went down today:

BP: 185/5 225/4 4 260/3 3 3
Flies: 3 sets
SQ: 160/5 190/4 4 225/3 3 3 (mov'n up from last cycle!)
OHP: 95/3x8
PC: 95/3x5(very explosive today)

OHP, PC, GM's--going to push these assistances like nobody's business. I find that these will be a more productive use of my assistances. Will try to up 5 lbs every two weeks. Going to work GPP tomorrow. Its time to get serious. Can't wait for the summer; to come, going to be doing some track work!!!

Really late session today. Went up to my parents house for the day and got back late. Happy that I belong to a 24 hour gym.

BP: 205/4 225/3 260/3 280/3 3 3 3
SQ: 160/5 190/5 225/5 5 5 5
BP: 205/4 240/4 260/4 4 4 4
Flies: 5 sets
GMs: 5 sets

Beat!...conditioning tomorrow.

DL's and BP's (and light squatting)

DL: 225/3 270/5 5 315/3 3 340/3 3 3
BP: 205/5 245/5 260/4 4 4 4
OHP: 5 sets
Rack DL: 225/3 270/4 4 315/3 3 360/3 3 3
Light Pause Squat: 5 sets

the most I've powercleaned ever. I can see 200 in the near future..and this is powercleaning not full squat cleans. Woohoo!!

In other good news, I talked with the gym owner and he informed me that Crossfit is coming!! In August my gym will be Hamilton Fitness Center AND Crossfit Mercer at Hamilton Fitness Center. Effin awesome.

Conditioning tomorrow. I'll try another benchmark Cfit WOD.

Late start...and thus late to posing class. Here's how training went:

SQ: 160/4 190/4 225/4 4 255/2 2 2 2
BP: 185/3 225/3 260/3 3 300/2 2 2 2
Flies: 5 sets
OHP: 100/5 sets of 8
SQ: 175/3 205/3 240/3 3 3
GM's: 5 sets

Everything is up this round about 15 lbs on the SQ and up 5 lbs with the BP. I expected that because my SQ is going to progress faster than my BP due to the room for improvement in SQ. Left hip socket feeling a little used and abused so tomorrow, I'll make sure the conditioning doesn't focus around a lot of hip movement, and if it does, I'll go half on the weight.

-- Edited by winflex on Sunday 17th of May 2009 11:34:48 PM

Dwayne - you are making some impressive gains

Yoster wrote:

---

Dwayne - you are making some impressive gains

---

Thanks Yoster!

 

Stupid stupid stupid....My hands officially hate me today. I have been definitely working the pullups a lot this round. My hands are paying the price. On top of that, today, during my warm up, I decided to go for a Powerclean PR. Why? I don't know : ) I'm not even taking pre workout stims yet (I ordered Jacked this weekend, can't wait to get it in the mail!!!) Usually here is what my warm up looks like:

Foam roll, lacrosse ball, dynamic stretch/mobility (mainly hip and shoulders), couple sets of pullups

Then I get started. This time I added powercleans because I wanted to be a jerk to my hands again. I actually found out that I tore a callus on my right middle finger but it didn't hurt because for some reason, it had a thick layer of skin underneath the torn callus...weird?!? Today I managed to begin to tear a big callus on my right ring finger base. It didn't come off completely, and I also had to come home to wash baby dishes....oh the agony!!

The good news out of all this is that I busted my last powerclean PR by 20 lbs. It went like this:

Powercleans from floor: 95/5 5 135/3 155/1 175/1 (easy, actually on this set, I actually jerked it overhead as well) 195/0 tried again because I knew the miss was due to bad technique and bam 195/1 PR!!!....I will clean 200 in a week or so but for now I need to give my hands a break...this isn't part of the workout either. Its just me fooling around during the warm up. I'm an idiot sometimes...and then I wondered why deadlifts seemed so hard.

I figured I'd be more of an a$$hole to my hands and type a lot....LOL

BTW, everything today felt unusually a little heavier than normal. I think its due to all the "extra" work (the stupid stuff I've posted that I've been doing)and getting carried away with it. I need to scale that down a bit. I think I've learned that strength is directly correllated with the energy level of your center of gravity (low back, core musculature and hips). When the center of gravity is tired, things start to feel heavy. I will lay off the powercleans for a little while...especially the max attempts.

Today's training:
Squat: 160/4 190/4 225/3 240/3 3 3 3 3
Bench marathon (loading phase): 185/5 225/4 260/4 280/3 3 3 300/2 315/1 1 300/2 280/4 260/5 225/5 205/6
Flies: 5 sets
OHP: 85/8 8 95/8 8 100/8
Squat (again): 175/3 205/3 240/2 2 2
GM: 125/ 5X5

Also, summer is unofficially here this weekend since its Memorial Day...which means I have til June 21st (the summer solstice) to get my beach abs back. I still have my winter abs on. (superficial yes...but I'm still a bodybuilder after all and a good looking physique matters to me : ). So its time to clean up the diet a bit.

For me that means, I'm going to have to limit my simple sugars to only after the workout. Right now, I'm simple sugaring all day long which can't be good. Gotta reel that in. That basically means a better quality breakfast and post workout meal. For the last four or five months, I've been drinking a lot of milk which is good muscle food but it also feeds the fat. I get away with it though...but summer abs won't show with that much milk. I will replace those carbs with oats, brown rice, etc...and I'm sure the beach body will be back in a few weeks.

So no more cake in my post workout meal or cookies starting tomorrow ; )

Another killer workout today. Warmed up as usual but with out KPU's. Just did practice PC's and one halting set with 185, then got started with the program. Today I used the hook grip dbl overhand or used straps (only when the calluses started screaming...trying to be nice to my hands now). Here's how it went down:

DL up to knees (haltings): 225/4 270/3 315/4 340/4 4 4
BP marathon: 185/4 225/4 260/4 4 280/3 3 300/2 2 315/1 1 300/2 2 280/3 3 260/4 245/6 205/6
Flies: 5 sets
DL from below knees (rack pull): 270/4 315/3 3 360/4 4 4
Light Squats: 135/5 sets of 5
GH Situp: 3 sets of 10 no added wt.

Everything felt good. The way down on the BP marathon was rougher than the way up but got it done. Seems that this program likes to load the BP with a marathon then a couple of days without it and then another marathon...gradually increasing the number of sets and reps in the marathon. I think it works and you don't have to bench more than 80% of your max during the entire program..until skill eval on wk 9 and on test day on wk 13. Same for DL's an SQ's....except its never marathoned...its just done twice in the session.

winflex wrote:

---

SIDELINED FOR A FEW DAYS...

Yesterday while taking the dog out for a walk, I somehow managed to tweak my back. I don't know how but I'm making friends with Motrin IB today.

---

Ouch!!  Backs are tricky.  You can dig a hole to China and be fine but sneeze and throw the back out.

Take care of it.