Squats are hell--they totally suck, but I love them. Seriously, no other movement is as satisfying.
I felt pretty decent going into today and I ended up working to a personal record of 405x6. Honestly, I wanted more, perhaps 425-445x6, but my lower back hasn't been able to recover the last few days. After pulling a big PR off of blocks the other day, I was just beat. My back was completely shot after that last set...just done. You can't ever argue with progress though, ya know.
Afterwards, I decided to add insult to injury and kept squatting for a total of an hour and a half. The highbar squats felt alright today, and I have been able to keep pushing the weights or reps higher. Eventually, I just got beat up enough that I called it a day.
Competition Style Squat
Barx10
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
365x6 @8
405x6 @10
The video is deceiving in this case. I really didn't have more today due to my lower back
Highbar Close Stance
315x5
335 4x5 @8.5-9
Wide Stance Pause Squats
225x10
225x5
225x5
Single Leg, Leg Press
3x15
Video of the day goes to Igor Lukanin and a 639lb front squat. No big deal...
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Forty-Five Rep Squats and a Challenge
The video of the day goes to Alex-Edward Raus and his 705.2lb squat in the 231lb weight class this past week at IPF Raw Worlds. Sick.
As promised, here is a clip back from December of me squatting 150lbs for 45 reps. The squats themselves were pretty easy, but it was impossible to breathe. These serve no purpose other than awesome-ness
I was doing my usual mid-morning Wednesday sled pulls with Skursky today and we were discussing programming. How far are we dragging this thing? Are we using enough weight? Should it be harder? Should it be easier? How many trips should we do? This got me thinking. It doesn't matter...
Challenge:
Yesterday, I wrote about increasing tonnage through warmup sets. That's great and all, but those ideas are beginner ideas, albeit applicable to even higher level athletes.
I am challenging myself and anyone who's reading this to stop thinking about sets, reps, percentages, and all that other crap. Just take one day--just sacrifice once--to go into the gym, pick 5 or 7 exercises, and give yourself a complete hypertrophy day. Don't worry about how many sets you're doing. Hell, don't even count the reps when you're doing the movement. Yeah, that's right don't count.
Ok, then what am I supposed to do? Easy, just go by feel, kick your ass, focus on the muscle not the movement. Work up to a heavy weight, do some work there, and work back down (or don't, who cares). Arbitrary enough? Good. Maybe if you don't have someone telling you to do this many sets at this many reps maybe you'll learn more about how to train your body. So how long am I supposed to do this, what if it takes me over an hour to feel "done," won't big bad Mr. Cortisol attack me? Forget that noise and learn to be awesome.
Perhaps, in time, you can learn to lift for strength in a similar regard. Perhaps, you can come into the gym knowing you're going to squat, then pause squat, then do some other accessories, but nothing else. Teach yourself to feel what it's like to get work done and know that you are becoming better. I've begun my own migration with the inclusion of RPE scales. I'm moving away from the technicality and just kicking ass.
As promised, here is a clip back from December of me squatting 150lbs for 45 reps. The squats themselves were pretty easy, but it was impossible to breathe. These serve no purpose other than awesome-ness
I was doing my usual mid-morning Wednesday sled pulls with Skursky today and we were discussing programming. How far are we dragging this thing? Are we using enough weight? Should it be harder? Should it be easier? How many trips should we do? This got me thinking. It doesn't matter...
Challenge:
Yesterday, I wrote about increasing tonnage through warmup sets. That's great and all, but those ideas are beginner ideas, albeit applicable to even higher level athletes.
I am challenging myself and anyone who's reading this to stop thinking about sets, reps, percentages, and all that other crap. Just take one day--just sacrifice once--to go into the gym, pick 5 or 7 exercises, and give yourself a complete hypertrophy day. Don't worry about how many sets you're doing. Hell, don't even count the reps when you're doing the movement. Yeah, that's right don't count.
Ok, then what am I supposed to do? Easy, just go by feel, kick your ass, focus on the muscle not the movement. Work up to a heavy weight, do some work there, and work back down (or don't, who cares). Arbitrary enough? Good. Maybe if you don't have someone telling you to do this many sets at this many reps maybe you'll learn more about how to train your body. So how long am I supposed to do this, what if it takes me over an hour to feel "done," won't big bad Mr. Cortisol attack me? Forget that noise and learn to be awesome.
Perhaps, in time, you can learn to lift for strength in a similar regard. Perhaps, you can come into the gym knowing you're going to squat, then pause squat, then do some other accessories, but nothing else. Teach yourself to feel what it's like to get work done and know that you are becoming better. I've begun my own migration with the inclusion of RPE scales. I'm moving away from the technicality and just kicking ass.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Explosive Floor Press, Rant, and Ideas
First of all, if you haven't seen this, check it out:
Thoughts for the day regard improving strength through warmups and pure tonnage:
You may realize it or you may not--either way, it'll get you thinking. Not only do we get better and increase our 1rm on our lifts by becoming technically proficient and consistent, but also we get stronger by increasing our work capacities and what our bodies can handle. Let me define that for you as tonnage. Tonnage refers to the amount of weight moved over various sets and reps. In my opinion, this is very similar to the physics principle of work: f•d. Now, over the course of a program, tonnage progresses in some manner, whether it be linear, undulating wave-like, or some other form of periodization. When your body is able to handle more tonnage from week to week...you get stronger.
When you combine that
with technique and consistency, you have a program and you cannot fail unless you get hurt, do dumb stuff, etc. While
not all the sets and reps are ever set in stone, they are should be laid out in such a
manner as to increase your total tonnage from week to week in a manner that
allows you to handle more weight, raise work capacity, and do so all in a way
that isn't too much for your body to handle in a short time. This is why it is so important to include a progression
of the warmup sets to your top weight. If you keep the same warm up weights
from week to week, your total tonnage might only increase if your top set or working sets increase.
Now, imagine increasing all your sets working up to your highest weight. Say you normally take the bar, 135, 185, 225, 275, etc. What if you start taking the bar, 145, 195, 225, 285, etc all the way to your working weight. Some people might say that those light weights are negligible because they such a low percentage. What if you're working in the 90-95% range for the day and you increase all those weights in the 70-85% range warming up too? We know that the 80% range is where peak force is produced and it is my belief that you get the most bang for your buck here. This is exactly why you'll see me doing things like:
1x5 (5rm) @ RPE 10
3x2 @ RPE 8
4x3 @ RPE 8
These rep schemes all allow you to train in that 80-85% region
Now, because you are increasing all of your warmup sets, your work/tonnage can easily increase by 300lbs from week to week for a single day...aka over 1000lbs a week. That means that in 10 weeks, you increase your bodies ability to do work by over 10,000lbs. THAT is strength. All in all, think about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to be better.
Today was a down day of sorts. I'm definitely beat up from yesterday
Floor Press
Barx10
95x5
135x5
165x3
195x2
205 6x2 @ rpe 6-7
135 2x15 @ 6
Incline DB Press
65 3x15 slow
100 band pressdowns
Standing DB Military
50lbs 4x6
65lbs 1x6
Band Fly's 3x15
Concentration curls
15, 15, 8, 6, 10 each arm
Thoughts for the day regard improving strength through warmups and pure tonnage:
You may realize it or you may not--either way, it'll get you thinking. Not only do we get better and increase our 1rm on our lifts by becoming technically proficient and consistent, but also we get stronger by increasing our work capacities and what our bodies can handle. Let me define that for you as tonnage. Tonnage refers to the amount of weight moved over various sets and reps. In my opinion, this is very similar to the physics principle of work: f•d. Now, over the course of a program, tonnage progresses in some manner, whether it be linear, undulating wave-like, or some other form of periodization. When your body is able to handle more tonnage from week to week...you get stronger.
 | |||||
| Dinner post training: 1lb ground turkey |
Now, imagine increasing all your sets working up to your highest weight. Say you normally take the bar, 135, 185, 225, 275, etc. What if you start taking the bar, 145, 195, 225, 285, etc all the way to your working weight. Some people might say that those light weights are negligible because they such a low percentage. What if you're working in the 90-95% range for the day and you increase all those weights in the 70-85% range warming up too? We know that the 80% range is where peak force is produced and it is my belief that you get the most bang for your buck here. This is exactly why you'll see me doing things like:
1x5 (5rm) @ RPE 10
3x2 @ RPE 8
4x3 @ RPE 8
These rep schemes all allow you to train in that 80-85% region
Now, because you are increasing all of your warmup sets, your work/tonnage can easily increase by 300lbs from week to week for a single day...aka over 1000lbs a week. That means that in 10 weeks, you increase your bodies ability to do work by over 10,000lbs. THAT is strength. All in all, think about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to be better.
Today was a down day of sorts. I'm definitely beat up from yesterday
Floor Press
Barx10
95x5
135x5
165x3
195x2
205 6x2 @ rpe 6-7
135 2x15 @ 6
Incline DB Press
65 3x15 slow
100 band pressdowns
Standing DB Military
50lbs 4x6
65lbs 1x6
Band Fly's 3x15
Concentration curls
15, 15, 8, 6, 10 each arm
Thoughts on Block Pulls
After posting my heavy deadlift training from the other day, I got some questions about why I am block pulling and it made me start thinking about why I really am. So, let me address some thoughts I have about it and why I do what I do.
Historically, I fail my competition style deadlift right around my knees. I put about 50lbs on my deadlift in the last year just by working on technique. My coach, Dustin, convinced me to start my pull off the floor slower, get to my knees, and then explode. That idea, coupled with pushing my knees straight out and going down to the bar, has proved to be successful. I used to push my hips back first and really load up my hamstrings, but now I think more about sitting down on to the bar.
I started adding in block pulls when I started the cube method. I thought: "Great, I'll get to overload an area that I suck at." Many people might wonder how these are different at all from rack pulls. Well, let me tell you that they are very different. Rack pulls serve more as an ego lift for me, and I think it's safe to say many of you agree. A major difference that I have found is the way that the weight is spread over the pins in a rack pull makes it so much more...well, stiff. Rack pulls just don't simulate a deadlift from the floor like block pulls--block pulls allow for that natural feeling of being able to pull the slack out of the bar.
So now I'm thinking: "Nice, I've got a lift that will let me overload my sticking point in the lift and strengthen the weak parts." On my max effort days, I'll hit something heavy off of a high block, then next max effort day hit something off a lower block, then on a third max effort day hit something off the lowest block in my training cycle, then finally I will take a heavy deadlift off the floor. Naturally, I would expect to hit the heaviest weight off the highest block and work down from there until I get to the floor. Whats puzzling, yet pleasing to me is that I was able to hit 550 off a 4" block @rpe 10, and 565 off a 2" block @rpe 9-9.5.
Range of motion is increasing, and so are the numbers? I'll take that. I also am really attributing the increases to a ton of volume in high bar paused squats that I have been doing lately. I wonder if anyone has had similar experiences with range of motion training like this, too?
Check out my YouTube channel, too. I will be regularly adding training sessions throughout my off-season and in-season training
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_PbGtsx2AdFmSEeyd8hiSQ
Historically, I fail my competition style deadlift right around my knees. I put about 50lbs on my deadlift in the last year just by working on technique. My coach, Dustin, convinced me to start my pull off the floor slower, get to my knees, and then explode. That idea, coupled with pushing my knees straight out and going down to the bar, has proved to be successful. I used to push my hips back first and really load up my hamstrings, but now I think more about sitting down on to the bar.
I started adding in block pulls when I started the cube method. I thought: "Great, I'll get to overload an area that I suck at." Many people might wonder how these are different at all from rack pulls. Well, let me tell you that they are very different. Rack pulls serve more as an ego lift for me, and I think it's safe to say many of you agree. A major difference that I have found is the way that the weight is spread over the pins in a rack pull makes it so much more...well, stiff. Rack pulls just don't simulate a deadlift from the floor like block pulls--block pulls allow for that natural feeling of being able to pull the slack out of the bar.
So now I'm thinking: "Nice, I've got a lift that will let me overload my sticking point in the lift and strengthen the weak parts." On my max effort days, I'll hit something heavy off of a high block, then next max effort day hit something off a lower block, then on a third max effort day hit something off the lowest block in my training cycle, then finally I will take a heavy deadlift off the floor. Naturally, I would expect to hit the heaviest weight off the highest block and work down from there until I get to the floor. Whats puzzling, yet pleasing to me is that I was able to hit 550 off a 4" block @rpe 10, and 565 off a 2" block @rpe 9-9.5.
Range of motion is increasing, and so are the numbers? I'll take that. I also am really attributing the increases to a ton of volume in high bar paused squats that I have been doing lately. I wonder if anyone has had similar experiences with range of motion training like this, too?
Check out my YouTube channel, too. I will be regularly adding training sessions throughout my off-season and in-season training
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_PbGtsx2AdFmSEeyd8hiSQ
Monday, June 17, 2013
6-17-13 Heavy Deadlifts
Today, I felt a little sluggish, but ended up pr'ing nonetheless. My bodyweight has been hanging right around 201.5 in the am. I felt really slow, but strong today--I just kinda drug through and didn't have the intensity that I had last week. I ended up working to a 565 pull off of 2" blocks, and seeing as just three weeks ago I worked up to an rpe 10 550 off of 4" blocks, I'm quite pleased with the progress. A range of motion pr + weight pr combined is awesome.
I'm continuing working on adapting the cube method for me to use no percents at all. I've been lifting totally based around an rpe scale, similar to what reactive training systems use, and my numbers for all three lifts have been moving very well. I expect some decent competition style pr's at the end of this cycle
My high bar squats have been progressing well, too. I haven't been pushing the weight hard, but rather I've been increasing reps, then hitting that same weight all paused reps, then lowering the reps and increasing the weight, working back up to higher reps, and progressing so forth.
Deadlift from floor
135x5
225x5
Deadlift off 2" Blocks
275x5
315x5
365x3
405x3
455x2
475 3x2 @ 8
515x1
550x1
565x1 @ 9.5
High Bar Close Stance Squats
135x5
225x5
275 3x8 all reps paused
Conventional Deadlift
365 8x2 @6-7
I worked on some conventional deadlifts today too. I definitely have trouble getting into position and rounding my lower back. I don't know if it is just because I'm not used to the movement or if it is a hamstring flexibility issue or what. All I know is that my erectors are fried
Barbell Shrugs
225 3x15
DB Rows
100x20 each arm
100x10 each arm
50x10 each arm
50 up and down planks
I'm continuing working on adapting the cube method for me to use no percents at all. I've been lifting totally based around an rpe scale, similar to what reactive training systems use, and my numbers for all three lifts have been moving very well. I expect some decent competition style pr's at the end of this cycle
My high bar squats have been progressing well, too. I haven't been pushing the weight hard, but rather I've been increasing reps, then hitting that same weight all paused reps, then lowering the reps and increasing the weight, working back up to higher reps, and progressing so forth.
Deadlift from floor
135x5
225x5
Deadlift off 2" Blocks
275x5
315x5
365x3
405x3
455x2
475 3x2 @ 8
515x1
550x1
565x1 @ 9.5
High Bar Close Stance Squats
135x5
225x5
275 3x8 all reps paused
Conventional Deadlift
365 8x2 @6-7
I worked on some conventional deadlifts today too. I definitely have trouble getting into position and rounding my lower back. I don't know if it is just because I'm not used to the movement or if it is a hamstring flexibility issue or what. All I know is that my erectors are fried
Barbell Shrugs
225 3x15
DB Rows
100x20 each arm
100x10 each arm
50x10 each arm
50 up and down planks
Friday, June 14, 2013
6-14-13 Accessories
Close Grip Paused Bench
bar
95x5
135x5
165x5
195x5
225 5x5 these felt great today
drop set 185 rest-pause 10-3-2
military press
95x15
95x10
95x12
snatch grip high pulls
95x10
115x10
115x10
leg ext 3x15
leg curls 2x20
preacher curls 4 sets
hammer curls 2 sets
calves 3x10
bar
95x5
135x5
165x5
195x5
225 5x5 these felt great today
drop set 185 rest-pause 10-3-2
military press
95x15
95x10
95x12
snatch grip high pulls
95x10
115x10
115x10
leg ext 3x15
leg curls 2x20
preacher curls 4 sets
hammer curls 2 sets
calves 3x10
Thursday, June 13, 2013
6-13-13 Heavy Squats
Competition Squat Stance Low Bar
Barx10
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x3
365x2
385 3x2 @8
415x1
445x1 @8.5-9
So the issue here is something that Kev and I have been talking about recently and that is my perceived feeling on the set versus what they really look like or what someone else would rate them on an rpe scale when they see the lift. I decided to shut it down at this weight, as far as raw squatting goes. My goal for the day was to work up to a single at rpe 9, however, going back and looking at the videos indicates to me that this was more like a 7-8. Nonetheless, it was a PR...I haven't raw squatted above 415x3 since aug 2012...retarded.
Reverse light band squat
475x1
500x1@8.5-9
High Bar Close Stance Squat--tight and slow
225x10
245x10
275x10
Leg Press 3x20
GM 3x12 95lbs
Back exts 60
Barx10
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x3
365x2
385 3x2 @8
415x1
445x1 @8.5-9
So the issue here is something that Kev and I have been talking about recently and that is my perceived feeling on the set versus what they really look like or what someone else would rate them on an rpe scale when they see the lift. I decided to shut it down at this weight, as far as raw squatting goes. My goal for the day was to work up to a single at rpe 9, however, going back and looking at the videos indicates to me that this was more like a 7-8. Nonetheless, it was a PR...I haven't raw squatted above 415x3 since aug 2012...retarded.
Reverse light band squat
475x1
500x1@8.5-9
High Bar Close Stance Squat--tight and slow
225x10
245x10
275x10
Leg Press 3x20
GM 3x12 95lbs
Back exts 60
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