Training - Squats

Bodyweight - 244

Hip and Ass Machine - 2 sets of 50
Calf Press - 2 sets of 20

Squats -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
365 x 3
425 x 3
475 x 8

Leg Curls - 4 sets of 10
Calf Press - 1 x 20 with stack

Notes - Just felt ok.  Not great.  I left 2 reps in the tank on the squats.  Probably could have pushed through it but just didn't feel like going that "all-out" tonight.  Either way, still was a productive session.

Motivation

Training - Bench

Bodyweight - 244

Close Grip Bench -
135 x 15
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3
365 x 3
315 x 10

The bar I was using was bent and on the last set I forgot to turn it so that the bend was facing upwards.  Because the bend was facing downwards it made 315 feel like 350.  Elbow was killing me after this set too because the downward bend made the bar very hard to control.

T-bar Rows - 10 reps with 1 plate, 2 plates, 3 plates, 4 plates, 5 plates

Pushdowns and Curls

Notes - Good session.  Cutting back to lifting twice a week is already making me feel better.  Ran hills last night and did 17 40 yard sprints the day before that.  Feeling a lot better already.

Lessons learned as an adolescent (and adult) lifter

I get a lot of questions from young guys through e-mail and on here and Facebook, and they are usually the same questions, but phrased different ways.  I have written several articles that address training for young guys however I want to go into more depth about why I think most young guys struggle so much with paralysis by analysis when they start lifting and learning more about lifting.

Mainly, they don't understand/accept the speed of their development, especially in relation to their peers or set unrealistic goals and time lines to reach said goals.

In my mind, this is the main reason why most young guys bounce around from routine to routine, failing to stick with basic tried and true philosophies for long periods at a time.

When a young guy starts lifting, he knows very little.  He makes progress fairly fast, and is usually satisfied because it's all new.  After months of lifting however he notices a peer that is bigger and/or stronger than him and basically, jealousy and coveting sets in.

"I want to be as big/strong as him"

Do not Covet made the top 10 list

Everyone is blessed in different ways physiologically.  I was watching football the other night and I watched Brian Dawkins make a few plays for the Broncos (yuck).  Dawkins has been an all-pro safety for a long time and he was standing next to some offensive lineman from the Chargers talking in between plays.  Both guys were playing on an NFL field, making NFL money and starting for their respective teams.  But what if both guys, in some strange parallel universe, decided they wanted to play each others position.  The offensive lineman wanted to play safety, and Brian Dawkins wanted to be an offensive lineman.  It's a great chance that neither guy finds himself on an NFL field, making NFL money, and starting for any NFL team.

Understanding your limitations as a lifter is vitally important in maximizing your progress.  Brian Dawkins and that offensive linemen ended up on the same NFL field because they both understood their limitations.  Dawkins was never going to be an NFL offensive lineman, and that lineman was never going to be an all-pro safety.  People associate the word limitations with failure far too often.  That's simply not the case.  Everyone has limits.  Period.  This bullshit I read from ego inflated guys about how there is no limit and they don't like to set limits makes me laugh.  I love the quote from Robert De Niro in Ronin when he was talking about being tortured and holding out.

"No one can hold out indefinitely.  Everyone has a limit".

Even Max Cady understood limits

Well the guys that talk that no limits bullshit are spewing just that.  Everyone has limitations.  As a young guy, understand, you may not grow as fast as that other guy, or get as strong as fast as he does.  This doesn't mean you suck, or that you have to continue sucking (if you have been).  It just means the ladder of progression for you is different than it is for him.  That's all.  And part of getting to where that guy is, if you are capable, is to understand your limitations so that you can build your training ideology to maximize your progress.  I never said to say to yourself "I can NEVER be as big or as strong as him".  But understanding your limitations is saying "I can't train the same way he does, to maximize my own results."  Again, UNDERSTAND what limitations means.  Then apply properly.    

Understanding your limits helps you know what you are capable of over a training cycle length, and how much training stress you need.  Without knowing those things, you can and often will do too much, and short circuit your gains.

For example, lots of guys preach volume, volume, volume.  And volume, for me, has to be limited.  I don't recover well from high volume, and never have.  I do well on limited volume and focusing on a limited number of sets.  Anytime I up my volume to what I would consider "high" I become lethargic, lose interest, lose strength, and usually get injured.  Training high volume along with a high frequency style does not work well for me.  It does not mean it doesn't work for anyone, just not for me.  And on the flip side, just because it works for Brian Siders, doesn't mean it works for me, or will work for you.  So I don't try to train like Brian Siders, because I am not Brian Siders.

However on the intarwebs, where everyone has all the answers, someone will in fact use Brian Siders as "proof" that high volume training is the best way, because of his very elite strength.  Or, someone will say "you only lift X amount, and you're saying that a guy who lifts X amount, that his training doesn't work?  You're an idiot!" etc.

This is hogwash.  What a guy lifts in comparison to another lifter isn't the measuring stick as to the knowledge of those two lifters.  Yes, the amount of weight on the bar does count, make no mistake.  No one deadlifting a max of 225 after 10 years of hard training can be trusted to raise your deadlift.  However a guy deadlifting 700 also might not have all the keys to the kingdom either.  Being born with great leverages to a lift doesn't mean you also have divine knowledge in regards to how that lift should be trained for everyone, nor does it grant you super "bro powers" for internet discussion.

For example, why does Georges St. Pierre hire boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and judo coaches?  He's already possibly the best pound for pound fighter in the world.  So why doesn't he just train by himself, save the money, and show up on fight day?  Because GSP is smart enough to know that just because he could run through the guys that train him, doesn't mean he can't learn from them.  I had martial arts instructors that I could have destroyed.  But I was there to learn from them.  I could take what they knew, and apply it and become better.  Lifting is no different.  The strongest or biggest guy isn't always the best guy to learn from.

GSP demolishes opponents because he's smart

 

If there is any one painful lesson you will learn about training, it's that you will often have to fail many times before you find your answer.

"Good plan bro..."

Most often, however, young guys decide to use a training plan and then they search out the confirmation of others through boards and e-mails that tell them they are on the right path.  They ask for permission rather than forgiveness.  Then the insanity ensues.

"Hey bro, I want to do 5x5 bro.  Will it work for mass?"

"Yeah bro.  It will.  But I don't do it that way.  I change it around.  Because 5 reps aren't enough to get big bro."

"How do you do it then?"

"Well I use the 5x5 outline but I do 3x12, then what I do is superset the next two movements and do like 5 burn out sets bro.  Makes my arms pumped to the max bro."

"But that's not 5x5."

"Sure it is bro.  I use it almost exactly like it says.  I just add my own thing to it.  So it's almost the same.  I've gotten jacked this way bro.  My arms have never been so swole."

"Sounds good bro.  I will do that."

I can search almost any training board and find a discussion similar to this.  People bastardizing routines, giving out shitty training advice, and saying "so-n-so lifts X amount so I'm doing his routine".

It is a vicious cycle.  And all of this isn't even the complicated part.

"should I do side laterals?"

"should I do leg extensions?"

"how many sets?"

"how many reps?"

The next thing you know the guy isn't even training or going to the gym, he just writes out routines all day and never puts anything into action, paralyzed by his own thoughts and confusions about training.

Training isn't about routines.  It's about a philosophy.  My routine "changes" every few months.  But the philosophy of my training hasn't changed in years.

- Train hard on the basic movements like squat, deads, bench, dips, chins, etc.

- Cover, don't smother, with training volume.

- Maximize recovery

- Condition

- Have some form of a progression plan

That's about it.  There is no magic routine out there that is going to make you jacked overnight or add 30 pounds to your bench in 30 hours.  A good, sound, training philosophy is far more valuable than any temporary routine you are going to find.  You can always go back to the well and draw from it, and never get thirsty.  Or you can chose the mountain spring bottled water, and be satisfied for a short while, but eventually you will be thirsty again, and have to go find another bottle.  This again, is about understanding limitations.

This doesn't mean I don't make mistakes either.  Just recently I split up my deadlift and squat again, knowing full well that I can't do that for very long before I actually start to lose strength.  I either have to keep them together, or train them on alternating weeks.

But post-surgery I thought it might help to split them up once I started deadlifting again.  Feeling that my deadlift needed special attention.  7 weeks later my squat was taking a dive and my deadlift had just barely crept back up to 600.  At least 50 pounds below where I was at the time of my injury.  Informing Jim Wendler of my stupid mistake, he proceeded to tell me "Do I need to scold you like you scolded me a while back?"

Staying the course and following your own advice can be difficult and painful at times.  I scolded Jim because he told me how great he felt training twice a week and running a lot.  He was in his best condition in years and was hitting rep PR's every few weeks.  He then proceeded to tell me he was going to change his training around completely.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because."

"Ok.  Seems stupid.  You're hitting PR's every other week doing very little and you feel great.  Why the hell would you change anything?"

"I have a plan.  It will work."

"We'll see bro"

4 weeks later Jim told me he was injured and realized he had screwed up.

"Well I'm not the type to say I told you so...but here goes.........." 

I repeated the above line at least 2 or 3 hundred times.  I'm sure he appreciated it.  He said the same to me upon informing him I made similar mistakes in my own training.

Told you so too...

Ask yourself...

If you want a simple way to cut through the bullshit in your training, then don't ask everyone else to figure it out for you.  Ask yourself why you are doing everything you are doing.  And be honest about the question and the answer.

Why am I doing good mornings?

Is it because someone told you it would raise your squat and deadlift?  Or because you have weak hamstrings and know this?  And how do you know this?  Because someone told you?  Or because you figured out that your hips shoot up high at the start of a deadlift and your strength off the floor is incredibly weak?

Asking the right questions will give you the right answers.  Then training can be maximized as well.

Why am I lifting 6 days a week?

Is it because Bodybuilder-X does?  Or because powerlifter X does?  Because some soviet comrade told you to?

If these are your questions and answers, then it's a safe bet you're on the wrong track, and will find yourself holding that bottle of water again.

Ask yourself why you are training as often or as little as you are.  Why you are doing certain movements.  I did a consultation with a guy that said he never felt "right" squatting because of his scoliosis.  He said his hip felt like it turned inward, and no amount of working on form could fix this.  It was a physiological problem associated with his scoliosis.  He said he only felt good on the Hammer Strength Squat machine.

"Do you plan on competing in powerlifting?"

"No"

"Then do the Hammer machine.  If squatting is hard on you because of your scoliosis then don't try to fit a round peg into a square hole.  Do the Hammer machine and have a progression plan for that lift."

Problem solved.  When I put it this way to him, it was like a light bulb went off in his head.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it that way before." he told me.

Mainly because people often get too caught up in finding the acceptance of their peers.  Then they spin their wheels doing unproductive shit, rather than asking themselves the right questions.  For him the right question was "am I going to compete in powerlifting?" and the right answer was "no".  So his problem was solved.

To sum up this long and way too wordy article...

- Understand (as much as you can) your limitations.  Set realistic goals based around them.  Don't worry about comparing yourself to others.

- Ask yourself good questions about why you are doing the things you are doing.  If something fails, understand to the best of your ability why it failed, and make changes.  Whatever change you make, have a reason for that change.

- Build a philosophy of training based on the principles above, rather than relying on routines, so that it serves as your wellspring.  Don't be the bottled water guy, constantly needing a new routine to quench his thirst.

The metaphor for your training 

 

Training - Deadlift

Bodyweight - 244

Deads -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
385 x 3
455 x 3
500 x 8

Leg Curls - 2 sets

Notes - That was it.  Tired as hell tonight.  Generally 500x8-10 is really fast but tonight I was just dragging ass.  I am hoping that reducing my volume and frequency for a while will give me a little pep in my step back.

Conditioning for winter

Conditioning for Winter -

For those of us that have to contend with months of suck from Old Man Winter, it becomes increasingly harder to get outside to do the things we love.  I have ran many a sprints in snow, so it's not about my vag hurting over the cold.  I love it actually.  The issue is when the snow piles up too high to run effectively or when ice storms come in, and it becomes an injury waiting to happen.  Pushing a prowler or car doesn't work either.  

So one of the things I have done over the years in this regard is to do bodyweight conditioning circuits to stay in as good as shape as I can.  

Generally training can be broken down like this. 

Your core days, where you squat, bench, and dead (and or overhead).  

Your conditioning days where you do the circuits.  

My recommendation is to train your core lifts twice.  So squat and pull on alternating weeks, or squat and pull in the same workout, then bench or press the other day of the week.  Then do the bodyweight conditioning for the other two days.  

The good thing about this is that on the core days you can just focus on that lift, and get more volume in if you want.  The "assistance work" is essentially the bodyweight conditioning stuff.

Circuit #1

Decline Sit Ups - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Bodyweight Squats - 6 reps per round

Dips - 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2

Chins - 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2

You can do this a few ways.  You can go through the whole thing non-stop or you can do it with a buddy and take turns going, with the only rest being that you take while your partner does it.  

If you want to make the circuit more demanding add a weighted vest or just up the reps per round.  

Circuit #2

Hanging Leg Raises - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Lunge - 6 reps per round

Push Ups - 5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5

Vertical Rows - 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3

Again, work fast and hard.  Adjust the reps based on how hard or easy you want it to be.  If you feel like shit but want to get a workout in anyway just lower the reps.  

Another thing you can do is challenge yourself now and then and just keep going up until you don't want anymore by 1 rep at a time.

Decline Sit Ups - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15, etc

Bodyweight Squats - same

Dips - same

Chins - same

So you just start with 1 rep then add a rep each circuit.  In this one I recommend no rest and just continue through the circuit until you fail on two of the exercises or just don't want anymore.

For your core lifting days, just do the big lift and go hit a shitty treadmill for 20.  If you have an indoor track use that.  Point is, be creative with your conditioning.  

This will keep you in good enough shape so that when spring rolls back around you won't be dying when you hit the sprints and hills again. 

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff

Why does Superman need an alter ego?  Seriously.  Ever think about it?  If anything, the disguise puts his adopted mom in more danger because Clark Kent is the only connection to her.  He should have just showed up as Superman one day and that's it.  And how come no one can see Clark Kent is Superman?  Glass?  That's it???  So if you show up for work Monday, and have a pair of glasses on, no one will know who you are?  Retardedly stupid.

I'm going back to squatting one week and pulling the next.  I'm not sure if I will squat light on heavy deadlift day, and pull light on heavy squat day, but it's possible.  Either way, I think lifting twice a week with two to three days of solid conditioning is a great overall plan no matter what you are doing unless you are entering a bodybuilding contest.

I have the litmus test for what drugs should be illegal and legal.  It's real simple.

1.  If they cause physical damage even in small doses, or are lethal (like rat poison should never be a med, but if it were it would be illegal, just for example), then they are illegal.

2.  If you are a straight male, and you one day find yourself with another man's penis in your mouth to gain money to purchase said drug, that drug should be illegal.

I watched Kick-Ass a few weeks ago.  Loved it.  Was really surprised how awesome it was.  I thought it was going to be something like an even dumber version of Mystery Men.  But Hit-Girl made the whole movie for me.  Heard they are making a Part II.  Hope they don't ruin it.

I'm good enough to walk into the meet in December and do ok.  I could squat 605, bench 430, and pull 615-620 right now but to be honest, that would be a disappointment.  I know I have a 450 close grip bench in me if my elbow clears up, and a 650 pull in me once I'm back to full strength.  So I will push my meet out until January in order to get back there.  635 (maybe 650?) squat, 450 bench, and 650 dead would make me much happier.  Obviously.

Some people you think are cool, are douchier than you think.  I asked someone I thought was somewhat of a friend this week if he'd call me.  I have been dealing with some personal issues and he's gone through them himself.  Rather than call me back, he blew me off and big timed me.  All I can say is, that shit comes back around to you.  I have a lot of guys ask me similar questions or ask the same questions over and over again and I've never big timed anyone.  I know what it's like to be clueless on the other end, or feel the need to know as much as possible.

I had some guys call me a zealot because I think raw should be no belt/no wraps.  Welllll, what is raw then?  Let me ask you a question.  How long do you have to train for 50 pounds on your squat?  Even a new guy will train for months to add that.  Yet 50 pounds from wraps is considered no big deal by a lot of "raw" guys. Most guys get something from belt and/or belt and wraps.  So if you are getting something from it, are you actually raw?  I generally don't fight this battle or talk about this anymore because I don't care that much, however my personal opinion is that raw should mean you in your singlet.  No belt and no wraps.  Only you against the bar.  This bullshit about how wraps help your achy knees is just that.  My elbows are wrecked.  However I don't bitch and moan that I should be able to wear my elbow wraps because they allow me to bench pain free (for the most part) do I?  And would these same people be ok with allowing elbow wraps since we're talking apples to apples?  I just think raw needs to be raw, and that should be the standard.  I also think you should squat all the fucking way down too but I see some of these same guys cutting their squats above parallel too and it gets passed.  Maybe I'm just cranky this morning?

Apparently, this guy is a zealot too.













UFC is really loaded now.  Every month the PPV seems to have a solid main event now.  They are getting a lot of money from me.  I can't see how boxers are still getting 20 million dollar paydays when they spend most of their career fighting tomato cans and fight for 15 rounds.  If you can go for 15 rounds you aren't expending a lot of energy.  You just aren't.  Not in comparison to MMA anyway.  So to sum it up, boxing sucks.  There.

Hot chic of eternity........Jamie Eason

Lord have mercy.......................

What was I talking about again?

Push your reps or into your 90% range sparingly.  Every three weeks or so.  Then you don't need a deload.  Keep the weights fast then push hard on the days your body feels good.  If you don't think this will tell you a lot about how working above 90% impedes recovery, do it for a while.  Then monitor how you feel on the days after you push above 90%.  Then think about how working in that range on a constant basis is hard to recover from.  You should always FEEL strong.  If you are constantly trying to recover from that last workout, you won't.  Feel strong and fast at all times.  This means recovery should always be maximized when training for strength.  When training for hypertrophy, food should be maximized while staying in a medium/heavy zone.

Meet Update

Ok so I have decided to push out and do the meet on January 29th In Minnesota (UPA).

There are a few reasons for this.

Financially with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up and my wife closing her business, it doesn't work right now.  That's the number 1 reason.  My training has gone good enough to show up and total something like 1650.  Which is still shit, but it's not complete shit.

I have probably over done it a little bit.  As I have written about many times, I do better squatting and pulling in the same workout, once a week.  I thought coming off my injury that I would benefit by pulling on a separate day, but as my lifts climbed back up, I didn't do the smart thing by reducing training volume or frequency.

I will deload this week and then go back to my two days a week plan with 2-3 days of conditioning.  I also think having another 9 weeks to train will put me over the 1700 mark.  I think that 650-450-650 is very doable with another 2 months of training.

My plan is very simple - get stronger.  I will train twice a week.  Squat one week and pull the other.  I will bench one week and incline the next.  Followed up by some rows or chins and some light shoulder/arm work.

That's it.  I am going to take off between now and next Tuesday more than likely to foam roll, heal up, and mentally get ready again.

Training - Deadlift

Weight - 245

Deads -

135 x 5

225 x 5

315 x 3

405 x 3

500 x 1

550 x 1

585 x 1

605 x 1

550 x 4

Shrugs - 405 x 25

Notes - Last deadlift session before the meet and well, it sucked. The 605 wasn't hard but it was no smoke show either.

In retrospect I think the injury hampered my training because I felt like I needed to split my squat and dead up for recovery, but as usual, it worked opposite. If anything I should have just squatted heavy 1 week and pulled light, then squatted light the next week and pulled heavy. I have almost never done well on the dead/bench/squat split. It usually works for me for a few weeks then I get overtrained and start dragging ass. I always do better with squats and deads in the same session. My injury deterred me from that and it has hurt. I am hoping that there will be a rebound from the deload week and I will still get close to 1700.

Was hoping for 6-8 here but had some shakes on #4 so I just cut it off there.

I apologize for the ass shot.

Random Music Post

FUCK

YES

If you don't like this song, you don't like metal.  I don't care what your favorite genre is.

Training - Squats

Hip and Ass Machine - 2 x 50

Squats -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 1
500 x 1
535 x 1
550 x 1

Pulled something in my right quad.  Not too bad but didn't want to go to 585.  Ugh.  This is the second time squat training has been completely shitty preparing for a meet.

Oh well.  I don't think I will push it next week.  I think I will do some heavy walk outs and then maybe something easy like 455 for 5 sets of 5.

Training - Bench

Weight - 247

Close Grip Bench -
bar x 40
135 x 15
225 x 8
315 x 3

365 x 1
385 x 1
405 x 1
335 x 10

Side Laterals -
25's x 12
30's x 10
40's x 10,10

Pipes - 6 sets of pushdowns/extensions and Ez Curl

Notes - Elbows felt good today!  I think I FINALLY figured it out.  It was sleeping on that elbow too often.  I must credit my wife's best friend who thought that might be it.  So the next few nights I was cognitive of sleeping on my left side instead of my right, and what do you know the pain has lessened a ton.

Training - Deadlift

On the road at a St. Louis 24 Hour Fruitness

Deadlifts -
155 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 1

455 x 1
500 x 1
550 x 1
585 x 1
500 x 3

Hammer Seated Row - 3 plates x 3 sets of 15
Shrugs - 315 x 3 sets of 30
Chins - 2 sets of 10 reps

Weight was up to 254.  I hate earing on the road because I gain so much sodium weight.  I am not used to eating that much salt so it only takes about a day for me to blow up like a frog.  Should be back down to 245-248 in a few days now that I am home.

Weekly Q & A.......

Leave a name with your question please........

3......2.......1........go

Training - Squats

Weight - 245

Hip and Ass Machine - 2 sets of 50

Calf Press - 2 sets of 20

Squats -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 3

455 x 1
500 x 1
550 x 1

Called it a day after this.  Super tired and feel like shit.  Couldn't sleep and was up until 2:30 a.m. then woke up at 7:30.  Some guys do fine with little sleep but from a lifting standpoint I can't.  I know when I unrack 405 and my mind says "I don't want to be here today" I am NOT in for a good session.  So I just worked up to 550 and called it a day.  You have to know when to hold em and when to fold em.  I will fold em this week for squats and try for 585 next week.

"...but will it"

I recently shot over some material I had been sent about powerlifting that was non-training related to a well respected friend of mine.  After getting back with me on the article his response was...

"Will any of this make you stronger?"

This got my wheels to spinning about a lot of things.  About decisions you make in and out of the gym, on the athletic field, in your personal and professional life.  Most of us have seen reminder clothing that makes you think about your actions before you actually act out, or you can just call on the golden rule.  

This one really hit home for me however.  

In the gym -

"Will this make me........"

 Stronger.  

For the majority of people reading this, that is the goal.  To get stronger.  That is what we spend that time in the gym doing.  Whether it be for sport, powerlifting, or self gratification you should be lifting weights to get stronger.  You don't use a screwdriver to hammer a nail into a piece of wood, although I'm sure it could be done.  But it would be less effective than using a hammer.  You can use weights for a lot of things, but the thing they are obviously used best for, is getting stronger and building muscle.  So when you are in the gym, do you ask yourself the question above about why you are doing the things you are doing.

"Will this make me stronger?"

In your personal and professional life -

"Will this make me......"

Better.

All of us make decisions we regret.  Regret is the outcome of decisions made when you allow your emotions to become unbalanced.  You regret doing something because you are/were......

Too angry?

Too sad?

Too jealous?  

Regret is often centered around situations where negativity takes control and we allow ourself to believe that our actions are justified because we feel jilted.  We feel cheated and wronged.  And it's hard to answer the question of "will this make me better?" with a clear mind when said mind is clouded with animosity and bitterness.  

But to become "better" we must find a way to put aside our animosity and bitterness.  Don't make decisions based on short term self-serving emotional satisfaction, which gives birth to regret.  But on whether or not the decision you make next will make you better.  Not just for today or next month, but for good.  What does it do in terms of your legacy?    

We make thousands of choices each.  From whether or not you will eat breakfast or not, to whether you will train or not that evening.  However, I believe that your life will end up being defined around a few select choices you make.  When it comes to the important stuff I mean.  If you think hard about it, you can probably pin point some of those down right now.  Asking yourself a simple question when you are presented with a situation where you feel wronged, may be the difference in living life with regret or fulfillment.  Just make sure you give the right answer. 

Training - Bench

Weight - 244

Close Grip Bench -
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3

345 x 1 paused
365 x 1 paused
390 x 1 paused

335 x 9

Wide Grip - 275x15 ARG!

Side Lateral Machine - 4 sets of 10
Db Curls - 30's x 4 sets of 12
Rope Pushdowns - 4 sets of 10 @ 60 pounds

Notes - Elbows are just wrecked right now.  I know I have a 440-450 close grip in me but the pain in my elbows make it damn near impossible.  Even with the wraps on they hurt.  I am going to see the doc in a few weeks and do about 2 weeks worth or strong anti-inflammatory before the meet.  I think (hope) that will do the trick, at least for the meet.

390x1





335x9

Training - Deadlift

Weight - 248

Hip and Ass Machine - 1x50

Leg press - 250x20

Did the above to  get warm and "wake up" a little bit.

Deadlifts -
135 x 10
225 x 3
315 x 3
405 x 3

455 x 1
500 x 1
545 x 1
565 x 1

515 x 3
500 x 3

Shrugs - 405 x 3 sets of 10

Pulldowns - stack + 15 x 14,8

Notes - Decent session.  ALL of the deadlifts were Vin Diesel.  Fast and furious.