Day One: Heavy Legs: Test Day

Squat: 3 warms, 205/2 225/2 245/2 265/1(shakin like crazy..donned this to be the 1RM), 215/3, 3, 3
Good Morning: 3 warms, 135/6, 150/6, 145/6, 10 (finally got the hang of it)
Reverse hypers: 1 warm, 30/12, 45/12, 50/20 (finally got the hang of this one here too)
Side Bends: 135/10 10 10

Decided to test the waters on the squat today and I hit 265 for 1. This will be my bench mark for this program to beat. I guess I'd say it is my best 1 rep squat to date (pretty pitiful but I'm optimistic that over the next 6 weeks it should go up dramatically due to the SAID principle (specific adaptation to imposed demands)). Like I said before, I wasn't sure how well front squats would transfer over to regular squats. I don't think they transfer well with me. Being tall, the forward lean on regular squats get totally undertrained when I do front squats rendering me unable to maintain the proper forward lean. So, if I want to get good at squats, the bottom line is that I have to squat, plain and simple...front squats won't really help. GM's and reverse hypers will help to reinforce the posterior chain of events going on with that forward lean and I'm confident that the strength will be transposed very well as this workout has the bar on my back for 3 out of 4 exercises. Holding the bar on your back is critical to being proficient with squats so I emphasize that in this workout.

Anyway, let me tell you how the 265 felt. I went down slow and tight ready to explode out the hole. Well, I got down there and I came out and I was shaking. I mean my body was totally shaking. Once I got above parallel, I finally powered the rep out. It was a very slow concentric because the force I was producing was only slightly more than the weight of the bar. After that 1 rep set. I needed to sit because even my hands were shaking and I couldn't see straight. It has been a while since I was required to produce that much force. It felt good. Of course, I couldn't do even 225 after that so I went down to 215 for triples. Next time I won't do a test and I'll just work up to some decent triples. I needed to do this test so that I could see what I would be doing on box squats sets later on this week.

Tomorrow will be test day on Bench even though its light upper. I still need to find out the max so that I can calculate the 50% for the rest of speed day.

BTW, I'm back on ZAP today. I think they need to switch the formula so that it gives a little less mental clarity and calmness and a little more agression. Although, the mental clarity is good for focus. Maybe I just need to take Prime. I'll think about it.

winflex wrote:

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Forgot the ZAP today but a helluva workout. The Vaso was good enough!

Light Upper
Test Bench Max:3 warms, 225/1, 245/1, 265/1, 285/1, 305/1, 315/1 (what? how did I do that?)
Speed Bench:175: 8 sets of 3...move weight as fast as possible, 30-45 sec rest between sets.
Decline Extensions: 2 warms, 95/10 10 9
Cable Rows w Rope: 2 warms, 170/10 10 10
BB Shrugs alternated grip: 3 warms, 315/10 10 9
Loose BB Curls: 3 warms, 105/10 10 10

So, I think I hit my goal of benching 315. It didn't surprise me because I was once able to do that a long long time ago back when I was 20. I think I actually did 335 or 345 as my max back then but the form was horrible in those days. I used to lift with my behind way off of the bench. In sharp contrast however, today, my butt and my shoulder girdle were firmly in place on the bench. After doing 285 and 305, I was getting nervous and I didn't want to hurt myself. The reason I was getting nervous is that the reps were slowing down and I was starting to fatigue a little from all the sets. Honestly, I think I can bench more than 315 but I wasn't in the mindset for a single since I never do singles really. So with that alone, I think I can expect an increase in this movement in the next couple weeks as I will work in the 85% of the max range and get used to heavy benching again. I think I do have to reset my bench goal though. Now my goal is 365 for bench. Lets see how I do in the next few months. I will retest at the end of the next six weeks. If I can gain 15-20 lbs on all the lifts in the next six weeks, bench, deads and squats I would have had a productive powerlifting cycle.

So at this point, I think my recorded best singles for the three lifts are the following:

Squat: 265 lbs (So bad..I Know that's why I'm working on it)
Deadlift: 355 lbs (I did a single with that a few months ago. I am going to test Deads next week to get a more current number).
Bench: 315 lbs (Pretty good, will work on getting better)

Here are the revised goals for the next six months:

Squat: 315 for a triple (needs 50 more lbs)
Deadlift: 405 single (needs 50 more lbs..according to last test, might be less come test on Monday)
Bench: 365 single (needs 50 more lbs)

So I'm inching my way towards my goals. I think last time I tested each I was 70 lbs away from the goals. So 20 lbs closer than before.

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Dwayne - AWSOME bench - holly cruds!!!  I'm still trying to hit the 200's.  Way to go!

So I'm thinking if I hit my goals in the next six months...what month does that put me at?

March..

So, if I hit the goals and depending on how life is going, I may find a contest after that point to compete in. Right now, no competition is going to get in the way of me meeting those goals.

I cheated this week every other day like a champ (drank wine every night, Chinese food two nights, Panera sandwiches for lunch two days, fried chicken last night). Morning weight is still the same though I am puffy looking due to the sodium content of all the non-BB food. I really have to clean it up if I want to make some meaningful gains. I might even switch up to higher potassium carb sources to counter the sodium effect. Its so easy to piss away some good gains on sub-par nutrition.

Anyway here was today's workout:
Lower Body Speed day

Box Squats: 135/ 12 sets of 2 as fast as possible w 30-45 sec rest. Used a decline bench for box which was somewhere between 5-8 inches off of the floor.
BB RDL:245/ 10 10 10
Hypers:45/10 10 10
Side Bends:135/12 12 12
Rope Pulldowns:180/10 10 10

Simple Straight-foward. The beauty of powerlifting. Goal is to add two percent to the bar or to overall volume each week.

Haha, "authority", good one. I subscribe to the Joe Franco School of Hard Knocks!
Just kidding. I read on the OCB Boards what other people do. I used to read the Beverly boards. I used to also read IntenseMuscle.com boards, the home of DC training. I like to read T-nation, Joe's blog. There's also a few powerlifting guys at my gym that I converse with. I float around with the sources. I basically come up with questions, run things by Joe, get his opinion and see how it works. There's no harm in trying...especially in the offseason.

Pre-contest is a different story. Get the plan. Stick to the plan. Last year I did the four day split rotated between both sets of exercises for four months...no changes, except for when my shoulder started to act funny and when my knee did.

-- Edited by winflex at 14:19, 2008-09-20

Heavy Upper

Bench: 3 warms 275/3 3 3
CGBP:2 warms, 195/6 8 7 6
1 arm Rows:2 warms, 90/10 12 10
Military Press: 2 warms, 105/ 10 10 10
Seated Alt Curl Loose: 1 warm, 50/ 10 9 6 - pressed for time here so had low rest

Great workout. Only set back was that during my warms for bench, I got a cramp in my right bicep. Most likely from all the cheating I did this week and high sodium. The cramp subsided but it affected me mentally on my heavy sets. Luckily enough it didn't bother me on the bench that much and it didn't bother me at all on the close grips either...but I did feel it a little afterward. At the end, I was rushing because I told my wife I'd be back before 2 p.m. to babysit while she went to the hair salon. Right now the baby is asleep in the swing so I have an easy job. Hope this bicep cramp goes away soon. Teaches me to not cheat so much during the week.

I pick it up every once in a while in the grocery store. I might actually have a subscription because I got one in the mail. I don't know if it came with the membership when I joined the INBF last year.

Its a decent mag. Dr. Joe K writes in it and he's a big prep guy. There's a lot of science in that mag but sometimes a little too much. Also, its good to see what the competition is like at the different INBF, and NANBF shows. So it helps a little with picking shows to compete in.

Deadlifts today.

WOW WHAT A WORKOUT. I ALMOST DID IT. I ALMOST HIT MY DEADLIFT GOAL BUT I THINK I BURNED OUT MY NERVOUS SYSTEM BY GETTING A LITTLE TOO EXCITED....AND YES I'M STILL EXCITED.

Phew now that's off my chest...here are the details:

Deadlift Test: 3 warms, 275/1, 315/1, 365/1, 390/1 (excitement set in and I couldn't contain my energy after this but I went for it anyway but failed), 415/0, 400/0
Deadlift: 295/3, 225/5 (all I could muster with all the shaking going on in my limbs).
Rested a good 10 minutes to try to calm down.
DB RDLs: 100/6 110/6 120/10 10
Reverse Hypers: 50/10 55/10 60/21failure
Decline Situps: 25plate/12 12 12

So honestly 390 is the most I've pulled on a deadlift ever. I had exceptional form and I broke the floor with ease (oh yes, this deadlift was not a bodybuilding deadlift starting from the hip, I picked this son up from the floor baby, like a true powerlifter). I think if I had the right mind, I would have gotten 405 today but there's time, and next time I go for maxes I will try to hit that weight and maybe rep with it.

So now, the official goals have to be adjusted accordingly again since I'm so dang close to my original goal of 405 on deads, and I truly believe I have it in me to do that, just not today. Here's the final measurements on my powerlifts:

Squat:265/1
Dead:390/1
Bench:315/1

which makes my powerlifting total: 970.

I'm almost in the 1000 club; 30 lbs to go. Ha!

The official goals have been adjusted to:

Squat: 315 for a triple (50 lbs away now)
Dead: 440 for single (50 lbs away now...old goal was 405)
Bench: 365 for single (50 lbs away...old goal was 315)

This would give me a total of 1120. So now, I have something legitimate to shoot for in the next 6 months.

BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!

Thanks Sergio.

Here goes today's workout

Light Upper (speed day)

Speed Bench: 3 warms, 185: 8 sets of 3, low rest, reps were as fast as possible
Decline Skulls: 2 warms, 105/ 10 10 9
Cable Rows with Rope: 3 warms, 180/10 10 15failed
BB Shrugs: 3 warms, 325/10 10 15 failed
BB Curls Loose form: 2 warms, 115/10 8fail 6fail

I am liking the speed days. Its like all out power. I feel like I can throw 185 to the ceiling on bench. The cable rows felt awesome. I think its because my back was already stimulated by yesterday's deadlift accomplishment. Same thing with the shrugs. Took a big jump on BB curls, and I will probably stay with this weight till I can get 30 reps total over the three sets before going up again. I really like cheat curls, or loose curls, whatever they're called, because I feel that the stimulation I get from these hit the muscle belly of the bicep better than strict curls. The strict curls seem to hit more of the elbow tendons to me.

Nice lift with the 390!! You will get it really soon.  I see 405 before the New Year for ya.

So I decided not to get my shoulder checked. It feels fine today. I think it had to do with my bicep cramp this weekend. What i will do though is make sure that I am aware of the ranges of motion that cause any awkward feelings and just avoid them until whatever it is heals up from the soreness. This will be an exercise in "listening to my body." I know the difference between minor and major injury, so I don't need to pay a ridiculous copay to find out its just a minor nagging injury that I need to be careful about. I went through that enough with my knees.

I think the pain basically came from overuse in the overhead position. In my five day split, I was doing inclines with barbells, dumbells, dumbell shoulder presses, front raises, chins, pullups, pulldowns, etc. So it was a lot of stuff in the same range of motion, so I'll probably just need to stay below the head for a while to let the joint relax. So the powerlifting is perfect because I'm sticking iwth rows, benches, deadlift, squat, and other lower body type lifts...more thickness type stuff.

-- Edited by winflex at 10:19, 2008-09-25

Upper body Heavy Day

Bench: warm up***, 280/3 3 3 (down slow power up - did an interesting warm up today..explained below)
CGBP: 200/10 13 10
1 arm Rows: 90/ 12 12 10
Rear Delt (on incline bench): 20/10 10 10 (4 seconds on the eccentric...used to do Militaries here)
Loose Seated Alt. Curls: 50/ 10 10 12

Great workout. Shoulder was pain free due to an excellent change to my warm up***. I found a good powerlifting warm up article on elitefts.com:
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/warm_up_to_prs.htm
Explains good warm up strategies for the three powerlifts. It was very helpful for me today and my shoulder was thanking me. That plus, I had a lift off on all my heavy sets.
CGBP was surprisingly light today, will have to increase the weight by a big jump next time around.
I'm "listening to my body" so I nixed the military presses and evolved towards a more rehab type exercise. Rear delts strength, especially eccentric strength, is so important for rotator cuff health. So I did those and my shoulders were feeling great. Plan to keep up with that. Finished off with the power curls. Did some abs in between those sets.

-- Edited by winflex at 21:58, 2008-09-26

Yesterday:
Started off good...ended up bad...

Light Upper:
Speed Bench: 195 for 8 sets 3, as fast as possible reps, 30 sec rest bw sets
Decline Extensions: used dbs today with higher reps: 2 warms, 25/16 14 8
Cable Rows with Rope: 3 warms, 190/10 10 12f
BB Shrugs: 2 warms, 345/10 10 15f
Loose BB Curls: 3 warms, 115/10 10 6
Workout started off with a bang...but right around BB Shrugs, I started to get nauseous. Don't know why. I just did what I had to do to get through the workout since there was only one exercise left. I got home and my wife said she was having a stomach bug. After that, I tried to eat my postworkout meal and it was just not happening. Everything felt like it was going to come up. I was having chills and weakness. I just took a shower and went to bed.

Today: Feeling sick still - not as bad as last night. Took my wife to the doctor. Sleeping alot today. I hopefully will be back in the gym tomorrow.