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.  

May 30, 2014 Lower / Olympic Lifting

• Hanging Power Snatch: 135*3 145*2 155*1
• Hanging Power Cleans: 155*3 175*3
• Trap-Bar Deadlifts: 405*10 495*3(!) 500*3(!!!!) 
• Paloff Iso-holds: 50*3 70*3

whoooooooooooooooooooo whaaaaaaaaargaaaaarbl.  Olympic lifting must have primed my cns because I was deadlifting like crazy here.  Was just going to do 10 at 405, but then I wanted to see how getting in that groove effected my ability to lift some heavier weights. Absolutely demolished 495 and then 500 a few minutes later.  May have to do something like this before I go to set a PR on deadlifting or squatting.  Usually I just go in and go for the record.  

December 16, 2013 Lower / light & heavy

• Trap-Bar DL: 405*1 455*1 495*1 525*1 545*X-gassed 525*1
• Front Squats: 225*3 250*3 275*2
• Good Mornings: 135*10 
• Reverse Hypers: 25*10 25*10

49 minutes

Hard to resist the temptation of loading up the hex bar..went for a PR, missed it, my hips were tired, probably should have gone 405-475-515-545 or something. Rest of session went well, gaining strength. 

July 30, 2013 Lower Body

• Hanging Power Cleans (3 minutes): 135*32
• Hanging Power Cleans: 155*1 175*1
• Trap-Bar Deadlifts: 405*1 495*1 545*X 505*1 
• PUPP: 1:00

41 minutes

My gym is doing some competitions, I've mentioned it before. One of them was most reps on 135 hanging cleans in 3 minutes. Got 32. Going to do it again in several days, should have had way more than that.    Was pretty gassed after, just did some trap-bar dl'ing and some ab stuff then went home. 

March 19, 2013 Lower Body

• Hex-Bar Deadlifts: 405*1 455*1 495*1 545*X 515*1
• Pullups: 75*3 75*3 75*2 75*2 75*2
• DB Goblet Walk: 105*1:01
• Cable Unilateral Reverse-Flyes: 15*12 25*7
• Ab Wheel: 12, 10

45 minutes

Well I figured why not try for a PR here, haven't pulled on a hex bar in ages, I think if I had done the 515 first I would've had 545.  I got it a few inches off the ground but my form was a massacre to behold, so I didn't keep trying.  Pullups were tough after the exertion of deadlifting.  Hadn't done goblet walks in a while either, that was quite the spittling spectacle as I heaved my way past the 1:00 mark.   Also, did more shoulder work, I'm enjoying it.  Ironically after doing the landmines yesterday, jerry-rigged I might add, I was in the gym office and saw they had bought a real one! 

I had long contemplated doing a DL/Pullup posterior chain day, and moving all the o-lifts to their own day.  Honestly not sure how well that's going to work out.  Because Mondays I also work my lats/back so doing pullups on back to back days doesn't feel fabulous.  I don't think it hurts things a whole ton, but I'm betting in the next few days my lats/rhomboids/stabilizers are going to be absolutely shot.   Some of that is from loading up on the hex-bar deads, but I'm not doing my recovery time any favors by loading up on pullups two days in a row.  We shall see

July 30, 2012 Upper/Lower

• Bench Press: 285*1 305*3 295*2
• Trap-Bar Deadlifts: 315*4-back 315*10 
• BB Underhand Rows: 235*10 245*8
• Push Press: 225*1 235*X
• Double mini-banded reverse hypers: 10, 10
• Sauna: 190 degrees / 20 minutes

So I can't workout tomorrow so wanted to get some lower body work in too. Benching was ok, my lower back just feels bruised at this point, not sure what the issue is.  When I sit down and then turn to one side I get this pain in my lower left back.  Then if I go back to center and turn again, it doesn't hurt.  It's not on my spine so I'm not incredibly worried. It's more annoying at this point. On the trap-bar deadlifts I felt it the second I tilted forward a little and my back took over some of the movement.    Legs were actually fatigued from conditioning yesterday, definitely cost me some trap bar deadlift reps, and the push press as well, had no pop.  Did some reverse hypers to try to work out the back issue. Then laid around in the sauna.  Leaving the gym when I turned around in my car seat to back out of my parking space my back still hurt, but not quite as bad.  

June 12, 2012 Lower Body

• Trap Bar Deadlifts: 495*1 515*1 535*1 NEW PR!! 405*1
• Hanging Power Cleans: 175*3 185*1
• Shoulder-Touch Planks: 11

Well, I had said after last week when my back was sore that I was going to do some trap bar deadlifting.  The thing is, since it's easier to pull bigger weights I'm always tempted to go for a new record.  So I had a choice, take it easy, or go all in and try and break a record.  You can see which one won out there.  Was pretty much toast after that, so just did some cleans, and planks, then left.  Here's a video.  The form wasn't extraordinarily awful.  

March 26, 2012 Lower WHARGARBL!!! WITH VIDEOS

• BB DL: 400*1 445*1 475*1 505*1  NEW PR!! 515*1 NEW PR!!
• Trap-Bar DL: 405*1 495*1 515*1

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.  As I transition out of my 20s I keep thinking to myself "someday, maybe it's today even, there will be a day when I am never stronger over the course of my life.  I will look back on it 30 years from now and say "I never lifted more than I did that day".  I don't know if today's that day; I hope not.  But still at some point I'll hit a pull/bench/squat/whatever that I'll never surpass. I may not know it at the time; in fact I probably won't.  Nonetheless that day will come.  Today was hopefully not that day.  I got the 475 easily, then decided to just go for 505 instead of ramping anymore.  That went up fairly easy.  I was actually surprised how easy.  I decided to go for 515.  The horror....I locked it out...but my form was...rough, to say the least.  I hadn't really planned on doing two pulls above 500 on standard deadlifting.  Still though, felt great.  I'll probably forget the form I used in a month or two, but I'll always remember pulling 515...until I pull 520.  Worth noting, I was 205.5 lbs here.  


Hit trap-bar deadlifts after sort of just for fun.  Tied my old record.  Considered breaking it with 520, but figured I'd save it for another day, I was getting hungry and I didn't want to tax my CNS anymore than I have to.   On to the videos!

First the non-horrifying.  505

Now for the horrifying, my form on 515.  I actually started laughing as I locked out

Finally, 515 on a hex bar. Just for fun

December 26, 2011 Lower / Heavy

• Deadlift: 405*3 430*3 440*3
• Hanging Power Cleans: 185*3 195*3 205*2
• Trap-Bar Deadlifts: 315*3 405*3 495*1 545*X

Whoo...good times. Probably could've done 450 here for a 3rd set. If I ramped up properly I could hit 500 right now I believe. But I'm going to keep adding poundage instead. I actually wanted to do some trap-bar deadlifting so I only did 3 sets of deadlifts, and 3 sets of hang cleans. The hang cleans went great, I'm really getting forceful with the jump and my catches are improving. Last week I got 200 for 3, but the 3rd was a really bad catch. If I had used that same form I could've gotten a 3rd at 205 but I didn't want to torque my spine again, so I just dropped it instead. The two that I got at 205 were solid. I need to start using chalk though, my grip is shot by the end of these. So the trap-bar deads went great, I was pretty tired but got 315 and 405 for easy triples. Decided to try 495 for a single, and if it went easy go for 515. I got 495 easily. I decided though that since 515 was my old record why not go for something a bit more challenging. Threw 545 on there, with my cellphone recording. I got it 2" off the ground and was just too tired to finish the rep (my sticking point is actually about 2" off the ground, unlike breaking it off the floor for most people), I've actually never failed to complete a pull that I've gotten past that 2" point. I think if I went 315 405 and 495 for singles I might've had a better chance. I deleted the video, but I regret it now, I haven't posted one in a while. Not all my videos need to be successful lifts. I'll try trap-barring again in a few weeks, see if I can get 545. 

note:  I've been doing hanging power cleans, I need to go back and correct this in previous entries.  

September 30, 2011 Lower

• Deadlifting: 405*1 420*1
• Trap-Bar Deadlifts: 405*5 405*3 405*3
• Double Mini-Banded Hypers: 15, 15
• Face Pulls: 60*10 70*10
• Weighted P.U.P.P.: 8kg*1:00 8kg*1:00 8kg*1:00

ugh. Probably should've taken the week off from deadlifting after breaking my trap-bar record last week, but I had already rested two weeks ago after my birthday, didn't want to do it again.  Completely flat, back was tired, exhausted actually.  Legs were dead.  Put some weight on my back for the PUPPs

September 23, 2011 First 500 lbs. deadlift!

• Deadlift: 405*1 420*1 430*1 405*1 405*1 
• Trap-Bar Deadlift: 315*3 405*3 455*1 495*1 515*1 NEW PR!!
• Pullups: 12
• BB Curls: 95*7 95*5 95*5 95*7

WHARGARBL.  Wasn't really feeling great on the regular deadlifting, and one of the trainers bought a trap-bar to replace the previous one that was taken home by its owner.  Anyway, he told me to go ahead and try it out, so I did.  I forgot how much I enjoy trap-bar lifting.  Easier to keep your form, especially the middle back and neutral spine.  I may lead off with them next week and see if I can get 550.   Did some curls cause a buddy was doing them and I haven't curled in 2 years.   This morning my biceps aren't even even vaguely sore.  I like doing some direct arm work every year or so just to test out of it still has no effect on me.  Confirmed.