January 31, 2015

January 15, 2015 Upper Body


  • Incline Bench Press: 4, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 4
  • Pendlay Rows: 185*3 195*2 
  • Sternum Pullups: 6, 5
Really feeling flat here, missed several reps. Honestly I'm ready for this smolov jr cycle to be over, my anterior delts are just toast right now

January 28, 2015

January 14, 205 Dodgeball!


  • Dodgeball: 90 minutes

good times!

January 13, 2015 Upper (A.M. Workout)


  • Incline Bench Press: 215*5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Delts are definitely getting exhausted, I'm getting no help from them at this point on the movement.  Almost done though! I'm curious to see the results. 

January 12, 2015 Sprinting

100m: 8
Total: 800m

January 11, 2015 Upper Body


  • Incline Bench Press: 205*6,6,6,6,6,6
  • BB Underhand Rows: 225*5 245*4 255*4
  • BB Unilateral T-Bar Rows: 160*3 170*3
  • Hexbar Farmers Walks: 315*41 315*21
Not gonna lie, my anterior delts are exhausted.  We'll see how the rest of the week plays out.  Did some good farmers walks here, I really love these things

January 19, 2015

January 9, 2015 Upper / Lower


  • Incline Bench Press: 230*3,3,3,3,3,2,3,3,2,3
  • Hexbar Deadlifts: 405*1 455*1 495*1 520*1 535*1 TIES PR 545*1 NEW PR!! 555*1 NEW PR!!

On the incline benching my left pec actually started to cramp on those two sets where I only got 2.  Then I decided to do some hexbar deadlifting just for fun.  Probably not the best idea as I was getting fatigued after 10 sets of benching.  But I figured what the hey.  I was surprised at how easily I got 520, so tried 535 which was pretty easy too.  So I got a video of an attempt at 545 (I'll post it later), and then figured I'd go for 555, see the video below.  Before any of you bosu ball single-leg pink dumbbell curling motherfuckers start commenting on my form: 

1) This was an absolute max attempt, my back isn't rounded on any other reps I do over the course of a year, aside from when I go all out. This was also my 17th set of the day. But yes, you should NOT mimic the form I use here for everyday lifting. 

2) With a rounded back you run into trouble if you sheer your spine back and forth to sort of 'shimmy' the weight up. If you're rounded at the start and rounded at the end of the lift there's not nearly as much sheering. Watch most of the guys deadlifting 800+ on here, and all of them are rounding somewhat. Having said that, again, this was ONLY for this attempt, if your back is constantly rounded like that on every pull you do, you almost certainly will run into trouble.

Having said all that, I was exhausted, I didn't even attempt to get into neutral spine alignment before the pull, I didn't really on the 545 either. NOT going to let that happen again, mainly because I can't imagine going for a PR on a compound lift as a 16th and 17th set of a workout ever again.  



January 18, 2015

January 8, 2015 Upper Body


  • Incline Bench Press: 220*4,4,4,4,4,4,3,4 (leg cramp on set I got 3)
  • Sternum Pullups: 5, 4, 5
  • T-Bar Rows: 160*4 170*2 185*1
  • Suitcase Carries: 25*50 25*50
Carrying on here.  I feel like my anterior delts are starting to get fatigued after all these sessions, we'll see what happens. Good session overall!

January 17, 2015

January 7, 2015 Dodgeball!


  • Dodgeball: 90 minutes

Good times, one of the founders came back from NYC and grad school.  Always fun to see old friends. 

January 6, 2015 Upper / Lower


  • Incline Bench Press: 205*5,5,5,5,5,5,5
  • Squats: 315*1 350*1 370*1
  • Front Squats: 275*1 295*1 315*1 NEW PR? NEW PR!!
  • Dead Bugs: 10, 10

Well then....I thought my PR was 320, but as I'm writing this up  (on the 17th of January) I just saw my record was 310. I would have recorded if I had noticed this. Of course the week after this I got 320 and didn't record either since I wasn't aware.  Good session all around, again.  Feeling happy with the workouts lately!

January 5, 2015 Conditioning


  • Rowing 200m: 1,1 0:34, 0:33, 1
  • Hex Farmers: 300*50 300*50
Miserable conditions outside, went for some indoor work instead.  Full 2 seconds off record pace on the 200m rows, not surprising though, I don't really do it often.  

January 4, 2015 Upper / Conditioning

  • Incline Bench: 195*6,6,6,6,6,6
  • Broad Jumps: 8' 3", 8' 7.5", 9' 0.5", 8' 8", 9' 1.5", 9' 0", 9' 0", 9' 2" Tied PR?, 9' 1.5", 9' 1", 9' 2.5" NEW PR?? YUP! NEW PR!!
Alright, week 2 of smolov begins, we'll see how it goes.  More importantly though, I for some reason got away from doing broad jumps, I think because I was so gassed after sprinting when I was setting my records in sep/oct that I never had the energy, and then they just faded from my repertoire. Kind of like landmine laterals (note to self: do these again).  So today after inclining I decided to try some more. First few didn't feel that good, and I gave myself some shin splints from landing too heavy.  I actually had no idea what my PR was, but as I entered them here I just realized I tied, and then broke it.  Not too bad for a couple months off from them, and being about 203 lbs.  I guess all the squatting has been paying off. 

January 2, 2015 Upper


  • Incline Bench Press: 220*3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3
  • Deadlifts: 430*5
  • Hanging Power Snatches: 95*5 115*5 135*2
  • Hex Farmers Walks: 225*50 275*50 300*40 300*20
Good session, really good actually.  If I ever go to full body routines in the future I could see a day like this occurring, just with deadlifts leading off, and higher weight/fewer sets on incline benching. This actually may have been one of my favorite sessions in recent memory.

January 16, 2015

January 1, 2015 Upper Body


  • Incline Bench Press: 210*4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4
  • Cable Rows: 210*3 230*1 240*1
  • Sternum Pullups: 6, 5, 4
  • Suitcase Carries: 25*50 25*50
  • Farmers Walks: 105*57 115*35 115*14
Happy New Year! My goal is the same as every year; get into disgustingly good shape, the best of my life, continue to be athletic, only more so than ever. More smolov jr.  So far so good.  Heeeavy cable rows.  On suitcase carries again focusing on making sure my form is perfect.  Farmers walks went well. I think next time I'm using the hex bar. I love weighted carries

December 30, 2014 (PM Session) Lower Body


  • Squats: 315*1 365*1 365*1 385*1
  • Front Squats: 265*1 285*1 310*1
  • Good Mornings: 225*1 240*1 250*1
  • Farmers Walks: 100*60 110*60
  • Dead Bugs: 10, 10
  • Standing Calves: 180*12
IT bands were ridiculously tight here, they just did not want to let go.  Good Mornings are going well too, really keeping form tight and seeing rewards now with weights approaching what I was doing before with sloppier form.  Also loving farmers walks. 

January 7, 2015

December 30, 2014 Upper Body (Morning Session)


  • Incline Bench: 195*5 195*5 195*5 195*5 195*5 195*5 195*5

December 29, 2014 Sprinting


  • 110m: 7
  • Total: 770m
Not too bad, just the usual. 

December 28, 2014 Upper


  • Incline Bench Press: 185*6 185*6 185*6 185*6 185*6 185*6
  • T-Bar Rows: 160*4 160*4 160*4
  • 1.5 Sternum Pullups: 2, 2
  • DB Farmer's Walk: 95*52 105*54
  • Wide-Stance Anti-Rotational Chops: 70*10

Good first session. the smolov jr. stuff only covers incline benching, everything else is just me throwing in my regular workouts after.  Not too hard at all so far, hopefully it gets more challenging. 

Smolov Jr. For Incline Bench

I decided that since I rarely/never do premade routines I would try the Smolov Jr. protocol, for incline benching in this case. It's commonly used for squatting and bench pressing, so inclining isn't that far out of the realm of what it's regularly used for.  Hopefully that gets me to the 300 lbs. mark on inclining, we shall see!  It's pretty intense, but really all that changes for me is that on my squat day I'll do some incline benching first, same for deadlifting day. Also, I'll be sprinting on Mondays for the three weeks that the cycle takes. 

January 5, 2015

Deacon Jones Quote

Q: Do you have any regrets from your career? Is there one thing that you'd like to take a "mulligan" on and do over?

Jones: Yes. … I'd kill more quarterbacks. That's the only thing I could do differently. I couldn't be any nastier. I couldn't have any more intent. The only thing I do is "execute" better


Anytime I think that the path ahead of me is hard, whether in life, athletics, career, whatever, I bring up that quote.  That interview was for ESPN's Page2 feature, 10 Burning Questions. Here.  It's probably my favorite quote on anything, ever.  Just raw unencumbered focus on what his goal is, even at age 70 looking back at what he would've done different.   That's really what I aim to do with myself; execute execute execute, if I fuck something up, go back and do an autopsy on that mistake and make sure it doesn't happen again. Turn that weakness into a strength.  Every action / thought / moment I'm awake has a purpose and intent behind it, every thing I do is part of the plan I have for myself.  Ask yourself if you're doing the same; are you making excuses? Are you letting yourself off too easy?  Could you have driven harder towards some goal? If the answer is yes, then suck it up and apply yourself.  Get that brutal streak when it comes towards getting your goals.  It doesn't mean you have to be hurting anyone, but it does mean that if someone thinks of getting in your way, their very next thought is that you'll run their ass over and leave them for dead. 

January 1, 2015

December 26, 2014 Upper


  • Incline Bench Press: 225*1 250*1 265*1 270*1
  • BB Underhand Rows: 225*3 245*3 255*2
  • Push Press: 225*1 235*1
  • Rope Pullups: 4, 4, 4
  • Ring Pullups: 9
Good times, Got 265 pretty easy here.  Still I want to add more strength to my incline bench. May try a program of some sort, need to figure out what.  

December 24, 2014 Lower


  • Paused Deadlifts: 315*2 365*1 385*1 405*1
  • Deadlifts: 455*1 - cns toast
  • Hanging-Power Snatches: 115*5 135*3 145*2
  • Suitcase Carries: 25*50 20*50

So instead of snatch-grip deads I'm trying paused deadlifts where I pause right after breaking off the ground, so like 1.5-2.5" from the surface of the floor. Absolutely fried my CNS, I could feel how done it was after.  Good times.  We'll see what the end result is.  On suitcase carries I focused on form and keeping my hips straight under my torso.  On the heavier weights I've been using there's this tendency to kind of 'slide' my hips to one side or the other. I fight against it, but then my upper torso ends up leaning over a bit to the side that has the weight. Not what I'm going for at all with these. Need to build back up with better form. 

December 23, 2014 Upper Body


  • Bench Press: 245*1 265*1 285*1 300*1
  • Sternum Pullups: 25*3 25*2 25*2
  • Seated Press: 160*1 180*1 195*1 205*X
  • T-Bar Rows: 160*3 170*2 180*1
  • DB Reverse Flyes: 30*6 35*4
Good stuff, 300 was a bit sktechy.  Rest of session went well, adding some good wegith on to the seated press.  

December 22, 2014 Lower Body


  • Squats: 315*1 350*1 365*1 385*1
  • Front Squats: 255*1 280*1 305*1
  • Good Mornings: 225*1 235*1 245*1
  • Dead Bugs: 10, 10

Good times, went really deep on the 385, almost ATG.  Front squats have been picking up appreciably last couple sessions, hopefully that keeps up.  Good Mornings as well, I'm using much better form than the last time I was at these weights, no back bowing out or anything.