Bodyweight - 235
Front Squats - beltless
135 x 10,5
185 x 5
225 x 4
275 x 3
315 x 1
365 x 1
Leg Ext - 5 sets of 30
Glute Machine - 4 sets of 20
Seated Leg Curl - 3 sets of 30
Calf Press Machine - 2 sets of 15
Notes - Was very tired today because I didn't sleep a lot the night before (and yes that's a sex reference dammit). The Fronts felt awkward but the 365 wasn't hard. I wanted to work up to 425 but not with how I was feeling. Still all the reps and assistance made my legs jello.
Strength Life Legacy
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Weekly Q & A.......
I'm actually making this thing weekly so fire away. Name and question please. Anything any everything.....
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Training - Pressing Light
A.M. Cardio - 35 minutes of steady state
Seated Db Press -
50's x 20, 12
80's x 8
110's x 12, 5
Incline Press -
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 8
275 x 3
225 x 6
Upright Rows/Overhead Rope Extensions - 6 sets of 20 on each
Notes - Was out of gas by the time I hit the gym. Still it was an "ok" session. Another 80%er.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Heavy/Light Template 2X A WEEK
This has been asked and begged for enough so I figured I would get it out there.
If training 3X a week isn't doable, which is sometimes the case, the LRB template can be massaged into a 2X a week template with little hassle.
Week 1 -
Day 1 - Heavy Pressing - Light Back
Barbell Over Head Work - 3 sets of 5
Bench Press - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Bent Laterals - 5x20
Pulldowns - 5x20
Day 2 - Heavy Legs
Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Hacks or Leg Press - 4-5 x 6-8
1-Legged Work - 4x20
Addutor/Abductor Work - 4x15-20
Week 2 -
Day 1 - Light Pressing
Db or Machine Press - 3-4 x 15-20
Chest Press - 2-3 x 12-15
Side Laterals/Upright Rows (pick one) - 4-5 x 20-30
Triceps Movement - 5-6 x 15-20
Day 2 - Light Legs - Heavy Back
Front Squats - to a top triple
Deadlift (rack or from floor) - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
T-bar/Hammer/Barbell Rows - 4 x 6-8
Good Mornings - 4x5 (medium weight)
Curls - 4 x 12-15
Because this is spread over two days instead of three you may have to squeeze just a little more work into the light leg and heavy back day. But that's ok, it's the only heavy workout of that week just like with the standard template.
Not a whole lot else to say here. This should not be hard to incorporate into your schedule.
If training 3X a week isn't doable, which is sometimes the case, the LRB template can be massaged into a 2X a week template with little hassle.
Week 1 -
Day 1 - Heavy Pressing - Light Back
Barbell Over Head Work - 3 sets of 5
Bench Press - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Bent Laterals - 5x20
Pulldowns - 5x20
Day 2 - Heavy Legs
Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Hacks or Leg Press - 4-5 x 6-8
1-Legged Work - 4x20
Addutor/Abductor Work - 4x15-20
Week 2 -
Day 1 - Light Pressing
Db or Machine Press - 3-4 x 15-20
Chest Press - 2-3 x 12-15
Side Laterals/Upright Rows (pick one) - 4-5 x 20-30
Triceps Movement - 5-6 x 15-20
Day 2 - Light Legs - Heavy Back
Front Squats - to a top triple
Deadlift (rack or from floor) - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
T-bar/Hammer/Barbell Rows - 4 x 6-8
Good Mornings - 4x5 (medium weight)
Curls - 4 x 12-15
Because this is spread over two days instead of three you may have to squeeze just a little more work into the light leg and heavy back day. But that's ok, it's the only heavy workout of that week just like with the standard template.
Not a whole lot else to say here. This should not be hard to incorporate into your schedule.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff
Senseless Loss -
I found out this past week that a great friend of mine killed himself last December. He was a sparring partner and combatives training partner with me for years. I feel beyond awful for not knowing of his passing for this long but his cell was all I had. I called for months and months, obviously to no answer. Then one day when I called his cell service had been cancelled. Our fight instructor told me that he had "fallen off the face of the Earth" which was unusual because this guy was in to train like clockwork. Then all of a sudden one day, nothing. "He's never returned an e-mail" he told me. I should have put it together then but I didn't.
I'm angry and sad at the same time. I know by the time that people work themselves into really going through something like that they are in a very dark place, and the last thing they are going to do is pick up the phone, but as a friend you feel so helpless in this situation. That you would have done anything to help them, and I would have. It's so crazy to me because Mark (my friend) was LITERALLY the happiest guy I have ever known. His smile lit up a room and he had an upbeat energy about him that was contagious. He was one of those people you loved to be around. He was also a guy that trained hard, and made you better. I wish things like this never happened, that people would think for just one minute about the pain they will inflict on the people that care about them. But as I noted, by the time people get into a place that dark, it's probably not something they care about. I will miss you Mark. A great friend and training partner. Rest in peace brother.
Warrior -
So I went to the movies and saw this with my fight guy, and I we both gave this flick two thumbs up. Who knew some actor (Tom Hardy) could build such awesome traps?
But outside of that, the movie was first rate in every way. Nick Nolte probably did the greatest acting job of his career, and Hardy's counterpart, played by Joel Edgerton, was fantastic in his role as well as big brother. And his wife was hot too (just for the eye candy factor). The movie hit home with me in some ways and I mostdef had to hold back on being a big cry baby in the middle of the theater but I managed somehow, and will end up taking the better half to see it real soon.
UFC 135 -
This card sucked I thought. Two heavyweight fights that go the distance? And does Ben Rothwell have pics of Dana White humping a dead monkey or something? There is no reason that he and Mark Hunt should be on the card. Put that shit on the prelims if they have to be.
Matt Hughes needs to retire. Matt has a legacy as one of the greatest buck-70 guys all time and has nothing to prove to anyone. I hated to see Koshdouche win and can't wait to see him get destroyed again by anyone/anything.
As far as the Jones/Page fight goes, I know everyone will be back on Jones crotch but I actually came away less impressed after this fight. One thing Rampage was right about with him, the dude can't bust a grape. Jones doesn't have a single KO to his name since he's been in the UFC. I know he finishes fights but he is most definitely lacking power. He hit Rampage square in the face several times and Page never flinched. Now, I may be being unfair to Jones because Rampage does have one of the best chins in all of MMA, but when you kick someone in the face with a front kick and they don't even move, that says a lot about your power, or lack of it. I will also say that I lost some respect for Jones when he got in trouble and literally ran away from Page, to the other side of the ring. That's a bitch move. I think the fight with Rashad will be more trouble than people think because Rashad's wrestling is very good and Jones will struggle with that. But that reach is always going to an issue and I personally think that is the reason why people are having so much trouble with Jones and not really because of his ability. His arm and leg length are giving people fits right now but when someone cracks that code he's going to have to figure something else out. I think Phil Davis may be an even bigger threat once healthy.
Life in General -
The suicide of my friend really drives home my theory about life. Stop worrying about the things you can't change, and if it's something you can change, then don't worry either.
"The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered, 'Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived,'"
I don't know that I can sum up my thinking about life any better than that. I'm not saying I don't fall into the trap of thinking about future plans sometimes, but it's rare now. If you live each day at a time the right way, with integrity and honor then the future will take care of itself. Worry about the RIGHT NOW, not about things you can't do anything about.
With that said as well, I have reached a point of forgiveness with some people in my life that wronged me, and that I wronged in return for it. I'm no angel. Generally in the past, if someone fucks me, I will fuck them back 10 fold. But the truth is, this really isn't how I need/want to live my life. If you are successful in any facet of your life you're going to have people who are jealous of that success and talk shit about you/wrong you. Even people you think are your friends. But instead of going the extra mile to do that, what I believe is needed is to go the extra mile to take the high road. Then what can they say? What can they do? With every hateful and jealous word, it just looks bad on them. When you end up lashing out you justify their words. The very thing you are trying to avoid.
I'm glad those people have found happiness in their life again. Even if they are never a part of my life (which I would never want) I do not want to live with animosity and bitterness over things I can't change. You have to let those things go. And I have. Feels good man.
I found out this past week that a great friend of mine killed himself last December. He was a sparring partner and combatives training partner with me for years. I feel beyond awful for not knowing of his passing for this long but his cell was all I had. I called for months and months, obviously to no answer. Then one day when I called his cell service had been cancelled. Our fight instructor told me that he had "fallen off the face of the Earth" which was unusual because this guy was in to train like clockwork. Then all of a sudden one day, nothing. "He's never returned an e-mail" he told me. I should have put it together then but I didn't.
I'm angry and sad at the same time. I know by the time that people work themselves into really going through something like that they are in a very dark place, and the last thing they are going to do is pick up the phone, but as a friend you feel so helpless in this situation. That you would have done anything to help them, and I would have. It's so crazy to me because Mark (my friend) was LITERALLY the happiest guy I have ever known. His smile lit up a room and he had an upbeat energy about him that was contagious. He was one of those people you loved to be around. He was also a guy that trained hard, and made you better. I wish things like this never happened, that people would think for just one minute about the pain they will inflict on the people that care about them. But as I noted, by the time people get into a place that dark, it's probably not something they care about. I will miss you Mark. A great friend and training partner. Rest in peace brother.
Warrior -
So I went to the movies and saw this with my fight guy, and I we both gave this flick two thumbs up. Who knew some actor (Tom Hardy) could build such awesome traps?
But outside of that, the movie was first rate in every way. Nick Nolte probably did the greatest acting job of his career, and Hardy's counterpart, played by Joel Edgerton, was fantastic in his role as well as big brother. And his wife was hot too (just for the eye candy factor). The movie hit home with me in some ways and I mostdef had to hold back on being a big cry baby in the middle of the theater but I managed somehow, and will end up taking the better half to see it real soon.
UFC 135 -
This card sucked I thought. Two heavyweight fights that go the distance? And does Ben Rothwell have pics of Dana White humping a dead monkey or something? There is no reason that he and Mark Hunt should be on the card. Put that shit on the prelims if they have to be.
Matt Hughes needs to retire. Matt has a legacy as one of the greatest buck-70 guys all time and has nothing to prove to anyone. I hated to see Koshdouche win and can't wait to see him get destroyed again by anyone/anything.
 |
| Retire dude... |
As far as the Jones/Page fight goes, I know everyone will be back on Jones crotch but I actually came away less impressed after this fight. One thing Rampage was right about with him, the dude can't bust a grape. Jones doesn't have a single KO to his name since he's been in the UFC. I know he finishes fights but he is most definitely lacking power. He hit Rampage square in the face several times and Page never flinched. Now, I may be being unfair to Jones because Rampage does have one of the best chins in all of MMA, but when you kick someone in the face with a front kick and they don't even move, that says a lot about your power, or lack of it. I will also say that I lost some respect for Jones when he got in trouble and literally ran away from Page, to the other side of the ring. That's a bitch move. I think the fight with Rashad will be more trouble than people think because Rashad's wrestling is very good and Jones will struggle with that. But that reach is always going to an issue and I personally think that is the reason why people are having so much trouble with Jones and not really because of his ability. His arm and leg length are giving people fits right now but when someone cracks that code he's going to have to figure something else out. I think Phil Davis may be an even bigger threat once healthy.
Life in General -
The suicide of my friend really drives home my theory about life. Stop worrying about the things you can't change, and if it's something you can change, then don't worry either.
"The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered, 'Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived,'"
I don't know that I can sum up my thinking about life any better than that. I'm not saying I don't fall into the trap of thinking about future plans sometimes, but it's rare now. If you live each day at a time the right way, with integrity and honor then the future will take care of itself. Worry about the RIGHT NOW, not about things you can't do anything about.
With that said as well, I have reached a point of forgiveness with some people in my life that wronged me, and that I wronged in return for it. I'm no angel. Generally in the past, if someone fucks me, I will fuck them back 10 fold. But the truth is, this really isn't how I need/want to live my life. If you are successful in any facet of your life you're going to have people who are jealous of that success and talk shit about you/wrong you. Even people you think are your friends. But instead of going the extra mile to do that, what I believe is needed is to go the extra mile to take the high road. Then what can they say? What can they do? With every hateful and jealous word, it just looks bad on them. When you end up lashing out you justify their words. The very thing you are trying to avoid.
I'm glad those people have found happiness in their life again. Even if they are never a part of my life (which I would never want) I do not want to live with animosity and bitterness over things I can't change. You have to let those things go. And I have. Feels good man.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Training - Back Light
Bodyweight - did not weigh weird
Speed pulls - 315 x 6 or 7 singles
Hammer Shrugs - 315 x 5 sets of 20-30
Hammer Seated Row - 45+35 x 5 sets of 20
Glute-Ham Raise - body x 4 sets of 10
Bar Curl - 65 x 6 sets of 20
Notes - Felt sluggish and awful. This was no surprise. I was out late drinking last night. Yesterday I found out that a good friend of mine killed himself months ago, and that was the reason he obviously had no returned my phone calls or texts. So I joined a mutual friend last night out for a while and we had a few and talked about shit. So today I was dragging ass but didn't really care. Still probably an 80%er.
Speed pulls - 315 x 6 or 7 singles
Hammer Shrugs - 315 x 5 sets of 20-30
Hammer Seated Row - 45+35 x 5 sets of 20
Glute-Ham Raise - body x 4 sets of 10
Bar Curl - 65 x 6 sets of 20
Notes - Felt sluggish and awful. This was no surprise. I was out late drinking last night. Yesterday I found out that a good friend of mine killed himself months ago, and that was the reason he obviously had no returned my phone calls or texts. So I joined a mutual friend last night out for a while and we had a few and talked about shit. So today I was dragging ass but didn't really care. Still probably an 80%er.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Training - Legs Heavy
Bodyweight - 236
Squats - no belt no wraps
bar x 20
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3
405 x 2
500 x 1
550 x 1
565 x 1
Hammer Hack Squat -
2 plates x 8
3 plates x 8
4 plates x 8
5 plates x 1 (VMO felt a little weird, and it's the same one I tore at the last meet so I just shut it down here)
1-legged squats - 3 sets of 20, bodyweight only
Adductor Machine - 255 x 3 sets of 10
Standing Calf - 230 x 2 sets of 10
Notes - Looks like a lot of work but I was done in less than an hour. Felt really solid tonight. This was def an 80% session and a nice one at that. Don't know where the extra 4 pounds came from, I actually ate less today because my stomach was kinda upset for some reason.
Squats - no belt no wraps
bar x 20
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3
405 x 2
500 x 1
550 x 1
565 x 1
Hammer Hack Squat -
2 plates x 8
3 plates x 8
4 plates x 8
5 plates x 1 (VMO felt a little weird, and it's the same one I tore at the last meet so I just shut it down here)
1-legged squats - 3 sets of 20, bodyweight only
Adductor Machine - 255 x 3 sets of 10
Standing Calf - 230 x 2 sets of 10
Notes - Looks like a lot of work but I was done in less than an hour. Felt really solid tonight. This was def an 80% session and a nice one at that. Don't know where the extra 4 pounds came from, I actually ate less today because my stomach was kinda upset for some reason.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Training - Heavy Press
A.M. Conditioning - 45 minutes steady state
Bodyweight - 232 (that's not a misprint)
Seated Press Behind the Neck -
85 x 20
135 x 5
155x 4
185 x 3
225 x 5,5,5
Close Grip Bench -
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 4
315 x 3
335 x 2
365 x 1
315 x 8
Upright Rows - 95 x 8 sets of 15
Tricep Extension Machine - 5 sets of 15
Tricep Seated Pushdown Machine - 4 sets of 15
Notes - A total "I just got face fucked by a 400 pound man with smegma in the rest stop bathroom" session. -1000000%. Tired, sore joints, muscles didn't want to fire very hard, just bad in every way. Even 315 felt heavy which is shit. My weight just fell right the fuck off in the last week, so it appears all of the cardio/diet is really starting kick in. So obviously in this caloric deficit state my strength is going to wane. When I feel lean enough I will slowly add some calories back in until I feel "fuller" most of the time but retain my leanness. Right now however, this shit sucks ass.
Bodyweight - 232 (that's not a misprint)
Seated Press Behind the Neck -
85 x 20
135 x 5
155x 4
185 x 3
225 x 5,5,5
Close Grip Bench -
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 4
315 x 3
335 x 2
365 x 1
315 x 8
Upright Rows - 95 x 8 sets of 15
Tricep Extension Machine - 5 sets of 15
Tricep Seated Pushdown Machine - 4 sets of 15
Notes - A total "I just got face fucked by a 400 pound man with smegma in the rest stop bathroom" session. -1000000%. Tired, sore joints, muscles didn't want to fire very hard, just bad in every way. Even 315 felt heavy which is shit. My weight just fell right the fuck off in the last week, so it appears all of the cardio/diet is really starting kick in. So obviously in this caloric deficit state my strength is going to wane. When I feel lean enough I will slowly add some calories back in until I feel "fuller" most of the time but retain my leanness. Right now however, this shit sucks ass.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Getting Jacked - Part 6 - Conditioning
Big strong
Be in shape
That's everything in a nut shell about my philosophy if I had to REALLY narrow it down.
Strength without a gas tank is fairly useless to me. Being able to waddle up to a bar, wheezing and red faced, and squatting whatever, isn't that impressive to me. Maybe it's because my background is more sports/athletically based than powerlifting based.
Yes I like and compete in powerlifting, but I personally have always thought strongman to be the better all around strength sport. Because well, it is. In my opinion anyway.
Lots of athletes train strongman style because generally most of them need to be able to move and run and have some coordination and agility. And conditioning is usually part of strongman training.
So what is the LRB method for getting into good condition? Easy. Steady state AND interval work.
Conditioning - Free, but not easy
It's been the rave for a while to do sled and prowler work and things like that, but what if you don't have those? I get asked that a lot. I have a sled. It collects dust and cobwebs in my lawn mower shed for the most part. I don't have a prowler but my buddy does. I really never go use it. Why? Because getting into shape is free. You walk outside for your steady state and run outside for your interval training. If you live somewhere like I do, with inclement weather, do your steady state outside and go to the gym for the interval work when the weather sucks total nuts. Yes running on a treadmill sucks nuts but you do what you gotta do. Otherwise I am always outside doing my conditioning work. Unless it's the heavy bag.
Anyway, rather than lay out a template for conditioning I am just going to go over a lot of what I do, why I do it, and what you could do with your conditioning.
Steady State -
I really do like steady state in the morning before I eat. I sometimes do it in the afternoons or late evenings, but doing it in the morning does seem to have a greater fat loss effect, and I tend to feel "good" for the rest of the day.
What I generally do is have some black coffee and water then head out for 25-45 minutes all depending. I try to get this work in 3-5 times a week. Steady state is great for recovery, blood pressure, the heart, and the joints. One of the things nurses will have you do as soon as you can after surgery (if you have a stay) is to get walking. Walking is also great for the mind and overall stress relief. And we talked about that in the article on cortisol and life stress. Getting out for a 30-45 minute walk to clear your mind can be invigorating.
If you can't get it in the morning that's fine. Just get it in 3-5 times a week. And if you want to get in more, by all means do so. At the moment, I probably get in something more like 5-9 steady state sessions a week. On the weekends sometimes I will get in 5 or 6 steady state sessions. I am trying to rid myself of as much fat as possible at the moment, so I'm getting in the easy stuff as often as I can.
Interval Training -
I like both hill running and 30-40 yard sprints at about 60-70% speed for interval work. How much? Till I think that's enough. That doesn't mean I run until I'm seeing William Wallace cursing at me. I generally get the work in, and then do a cool down (yes more steady state) or either some neck and ab work.
This is what I will tell you about interval work. Ease into it.
Let me repeat that.
EASE INTO IT.
The best way to sideline yourself with a pulled hammy or overuse injury is to act retarded and go run a ton of sprints or hills. If you can only run 2, run 2. Doing interval work isn't a lot different than lifting. Start light, work your way up, don't rush things. As far as time between sprints/hills, I use the walk down the hill as the recovery period. I never stand around until I am recovered. Now that's just me. If you run a hill and feel like passing out, wait until you recover and run another. Don't kill yourself on the hard conditioning work right out of the gate. And the same way you don't destroy yourself in the gym every single training session, don't destroy yourself every time you set out for some "hard" conditioning. I call it hard conditioning because its not "easy" (steady state).
Generally I will do hard conditioning twice a week. Three times if feel like it.
One day I will do 30-40 yard sprints. The other day I will run hills. I try to get in the 40 yarders after leg day, and I try to get in the hills after back day. Both of those workouts require the legs and hips to work so I keep the harder conditioning close to those days so there is less hard leg training done in bigger gaps (if that makes sense).
Again, when I set out to do sprints or hills, I don't know ahead of time how many I will do. Sometimes I start and tire easily, and just do a few more. And sometimes I get started and feel great, and go until I get bored or don't want anymore. I do much more "body listening" when it comes to conditioning.
Sample Conditioning Template -
If I had to lay out a conditioning template, I would say this is how my usual week looks.
Conditioning week -
Monday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (sometimes I lift on Tuesday instead, depending on how I feel)
Tuesday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (if I didn't lift on Monday) optional p.m. SS
Wednesday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (if I lifted on Monday) optional p.m. SS
Thursday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. interval work
Friday - off
Saturday - a.m. conditioning SS a.m. lifting
Sunday - .a.m. conditioning p.m. interval training
Now let me explain a few things here before someone says they are confused.
I train 3Xweek, however one week it's usually M-W-S and the next week it's T-Thu-Sat.
Generally on heavy back week I go M-W-Sat because that gives me two days of rest between light legs and heavy back. On light back week I don't pull, or at least not heavy so I will go T-Thu-Sat. So depending on my leg day the interval training will vary a little bit. Except for on Sunday. Sunday I do a steady state in the morning and then the interval work later in the day.
On Saturday I do steady state in the morning, then go home and eat breakfast, and head out to lift about 30 minutes later. I have found this usually makes for a great Saturday training session and I don't feel as "bogged down".
Don't overthink the conditioning. Just get in steady state 3,5,6 times a week or whatever and some hard conditioning in 2-3 times a week.
If conditioning is your PRIORITY, then drop training back to 2X a week.
"How do I do that on the LRB template?"
Next article.........
Sample Conditioning Template -
If I had to lay out a conditioning template, I would say this is how my usual week looks.
Conditioning week -
Monday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (sometimes I lift on Tuesday instead, depending on how I feel)
Tuesday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (if I didn't lift on Monday) optional p.m. SS
Wednesday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. lifting (if I lifted on Monday) optional p.m. SS
Thursday - a.m. conditioning SS p.m. interval work
Friday - off
Saturday - a.m. conditioning SS a.m. lifting
Sunday - .a.m. conditioning p.m. interval training
Now let me explain a few things here before someone says they are confused.
I train 3Xweek, however one week it's usually M-W-S and the next week it's T-Thu-Sat.
Generally on heavy back week I go M-W-Sat because that gives me two days of rest between light legs and heavy back. On light back week I don't pull, or at least not heavy so I will go T-Thu-Sat. So depending on my leg day the interval training will vary a little bit. Except for on Sunday. Sunday I do a steady state in the morning and then the interval work later in the day.
On Saturday I do steady state in the morning, then go home and eat breakfast, and head out to lift about 30 minutes later. I have found this usually makes for a great Saturday training session and I don't feel as "bogged down".
Don't overthink the conditioning. Just get in steady state 3,5,6 times a week or whatever and some hard conditioning in 2-3 times a week.
If conditioning is your PRIORITY, then drop training back to 2X a week.
"How do I do that on the LRB template?"
Next article.........
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Training - Back - Heavy
Before Breakfast - 30 minutes of steady state cardio
After breakfast - Lifting
Bodyweight - 240
Below the knee pulls -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
500 x 1
add straps
585 x 1
635 x 1
675 x 1
Was at a new gym and it's not chalk friendly. So I brought the straps. It's obvious grip is what is holding my pull back because pulling from mid-shin and below the knee is usually stupid hard for me. The 675 was pretty easy. What I figure is, I'm going to see how close to 800 I can get from below the knee rather than concentrate on grip strength. I could waste a whole bunch of time doing grip work or just use the straps on the block/rack pulls and see what I can get to.
Hammer Strength Rows -
1 plate x 10
2 plates x 10
3 plates x 10
4 plates x 10
5 plates x 10
Good Mornings -
225 x 5,5,5,5,5
275 x 3,3
Hammer Shrugs - 3 plates per side 4 sets of 20
Seated Db Curls - 30's x 4 sets of 20, 20's x 2 sets of 20
Notes - Really probably a +10% session. I could have pulled more than 700 from below the knee and I felt REALLY good. The one thing about this template is, it forces you to get in shape if you want to get the lighter volume work in. After even a very tough set, I'm ready to go again in 25-30 seconds.
After breakfast - Lifting
Bodyweight - 240
Below the knee pulls -
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
500 x 1
add straps
585 x 1
635 x 1
675 x 1
Was at a new gym and it's not chalk friendly. So I brought the straps. It's obvious grip is what is holding my pull back because pulling from mid-shin and below the knee is usually stupid hard for me. The 675 was pretty easy. What I figure is, I'm going to see how close to 800 I can get from below the knee rather than concentrate on grip strength. I could waste a whole bunch of time doing grip work or just use the straps on the block/rack pulls and see what I can get to.
Hammer Strength Rows -
1 plate x 10
2 plates x 10
3 plates x 10
4 plates x 10
5 plates x 10
Good Mornings -
225 x 5,5,5,5,5
275 x 3,3
Hammer Shrugs - 3 plates per side 4 sets of 20
Seated Db Curls - 30's x 4 sets of 20, 20's x 2 sets of 20
Notes - Really probably a +10% session. I could have pulled more than 700 from below the knee and I felt REALLY good. The one thing about this template is, it forces you to get in shape if you want to get the lighter volume work in. After even a very tough set, I'm ready to go again in 25-30 seconds.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff
I have a particular person I would like to give some thanks to. Someone who has been really good to me the last month and a half. Has been one of the best people I have met in a while and been really supportive and awesome to me. It's not often to find people that really improve your life and add even more quality to it. But this person has, and I always like for them to know about it. Whenever shit is bad people love to complain, but when things are going good, people often forget to give thanks for the good times.
I also want to give a major league FUCK YOU to people who don't take personal accountability in their life, and constantly use scapegoats for every shitty decision they make. For instance, I know some "religious" people who blame the devil for their shit decisions. No asshole, the devil didn't make you do it you shithead. You did it. And you wanted to do it. Don't get all fucking super Jesus on me because you want to run away from personal accountability in your life. You weren't blinded by Satan, you were blinded by your own greed, lust, and selfishness. You told yourself whatever it was you needed to say to find justification for your actions. Stop blaming something or someone else and own your fuck ups and bullshit. If you make changes in your life to get out of a bad situation that's fine, and good for you. But there isn't anything worse than someone using the "I was in a bad place" or "the devil made me do it" fucking excuse. These same people are always victims as well. It's always someone else's fault. Never their own. Someone brainwashed them or "made" them do things they didn't want to do. Go fuck yourself. Let me add this is NOT a religious rant. I have tons of friends who are "religious" that are some of the best people I've ever known. What I'm talking about are those people who get busted doing shit they know better than, then suddenly find Jesus and claim the devil was responsible for all of those decisions. This also applies to non-religious people who always blame someone else, or say they were in a bad place at the time. What the fuck does that even mean? It means you were human, and made poor decisions because your current environment effected your actions. Nothing more, nothing less. Just make yourself accountable please, and don't blame others for your own thought out actions.
I'm so on a movie downslide but I am going to get out this weekend to see Warrior. I've heard nothing but good stuff about it and obviously being an MMA whore I will wear my ass groove into a theater seat this weekend to view it.
I've been in Information Technology now for right around 15 years. The IT job market is actually doing really well because of all the new technology that has been developed and because data centers are exploding with business. However the openings remind me so much of the pre-Y2K shit. Basically some assclown of an employer wants someone with 10 years of Oracle experience, 10 years of AIX, 5 years of Java programming, 5 years of Linux, and 5 years of SAN administration and they want to pay him 80K. Go eat a bag of Lexington Steel dicks. Guys with 10+ years of experience in Oracle or AIX make 6 figures ALONE. Second, do you want a master of one of those trades or do you want some dude that knows a little about each one, but isn't really great at any? Idiots.
I've switched over my PWO shakes (egg protein) from milk to almond milk. I'm cutting dairy down as much as possible to see if anything in my blood work changes. My blood work is always pretty good but I'm constantly looking for improvements. My doctor recommended cutting back dairy for a while to see if it helps. So the only dairy I have now is some cottage cheese a few times a week. If it doesn't help, no biggie, I really like the Almond milk a lot.
This past weekend one of our fighters fought what I, and pretty much everyone in attendance thought was the best amateur fight they had ever seen. The match got a 5 minute standing ovation and the announcer said it was the single best fight he's ever MC'd in his life. The only thing I can liken it to was the Forrest Griffin/Stephan Bonnar fight where the two guys met in the middle of the ring and just slugged it out Rocky style for three rounds. It was really fucking epic. Our guy lost in a narrow decision. He was incredibly upset afterwards but I talked to him for a while about it. I told him in his previous 5 fights he had been hit a total of about 3 times. If he wanted to, he could see this loss as a positive. He knows now that he can stand and take some big time shots and not go down. That he can also stand and bang and go toe to toe with a good striker (he's primarily a 'rassler). But he also needs to get more serious about the little things, like his eating and lifting and leave nothing to chance. I hope to see him to do, and then take his fighting to a new level. I'm the worst person in the world about having a positive attitude for myself, but I always seem to be able to find the silver lining in the blackest of clouds for others. I guess that's just my nature.
I need to get a truck for the piece of shit winters we have here. The SRT8 is just a death trap once the snow and ice hits.
I realized I care less about the NFL now more than ever. I actually didn't even know the season started this past weekend. I feel good about that too, to be honest.
My training feels so complete right now. Working out that template has been awesome for me and I honestly feel like it will help me get to a new level. It is so flexible and takes so many factors into account that I have no idea why I never came up with it before. If you aren't using it you should be. My only caveat would be for beginners and guys that still need a lot of work on the basic movements. In that case you should really be reading my manuals and using the programs I used for years to build my foundation of strength/size. Spend the next 5 years doing that, then progress into the LRB template. All bases then covered.
Why do people get so god damn wrapped up in worrying about the future? I mean I get being prepared and planning some shit, but I know people who freak out over shit that you have no control over and worry about things that never come to fruition. I have a friend who got engaged because she said "it was time." She's 35 and feels like time is slipping away to get hitched. Women are so warped sometimes. I know two women that got engaged for every wrong reason you could ever get engaged or married for. I know that people marry for all sorts of reasons, but people get divorced for all sorts of reasons too. I've been with the same woman for 17 years so I know a little about making shit work, and what makes shit work. Marrying a guy because he has a good job and makes good money isn't a good god damned reason to get married. Neither is marrying a fucking deadbeat who doesn't work because you think he's hot and is "safe". This is dumbassery at a grand wizard level of enchantment. I don't not wish for these people to have lifelong relationship happiness because they are doing things for selfish reasons. I got married to my wife because she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, because she was my best friend and companion. There wasn't anyone else I would rather be with. When a chic tells me that she doesn't love her fiance "anymore than she could love someone else" then she isn't getting married to the right person. And I will give her a big god damn I told you so in a couple of years when she files for divorce.
I need to make shirts like this......LOL
Hot babe of the week.............Tara Babcock. I love a hot chic with a phallic reference in her name. Awesome.
Random Music Post as well.............
Not really an A7X fan but because I have played music so long, I generally have an appreciation for bands that work in songs like this.
Training with a cold is the most major suxor but I do it every time. I don't know why. I don't get cool points or a new car for being dumb enough to keep training through feeling bad. Whatever.
I hope everyone is having an awesome hump day. If you can't get laid, try "the stranger". It's not bad (not that I'd know!).
I also want to give a major league FUCK YOU to people who don't take personal accountability in their life, and constantly use scapegoats for every shitty decision they make. For instance, I know some "religious" people who blame the devil for their shit decisions. No asshole, the devil didn't make you do it you shithead. You did it. And you wanted to do it. Don't get all fucking super Jesus on me because you want to run away from personal accountability in your life. You weren't blinded by Satan, you were blinded by your own greed, lust, and selfishness. You told yourself whatever it was you needed to say to find justification for your actions. Stop blaming something or someone else and own your fuck ups and bullshit. If you make changes in your life to get out of a bad situation that's fine, and good for you. But there isn't anything worse than someone using the "I was in a bad place" or "the devil made me do it" fucking excuse. These same people are always victims as well. It's always someone else's fault. Never their own. Someone brainwashed them or "made" them do things they didn't want to do. Go fuck yourself. Let me add this is NOT a religious rant. I have tons of friends who are "religious" that are some of the best people I've ever known. What I'm talking about are those people who get busted doing shit they know better than, then suddenly find Jesus and claim the devil was responsible for all of those decisions. This also applies to non-religious people who always blame someone else, or say they were in a bad place at the time. What the fuck does that even mean? It means you were human, and made poor decisions because your current environment effected your actions. Nothing more, nothing less. Just make yourself accountable please, and don't blame others for your own thought out actions.
 |
| Not responsible for your shitty decision making |
I'm so on a movie downslide but I am going to get out this weekend to see Warrior. I've heard nothing but good stuff about it and obviously being an MMA whore I will wear my ass groove into a theater seat this weekend to view it.
I've been in Information Technology now for right around 15 years. The IT job market is actually doing really well because of all the new technology that has been developed and because data centers are exploding with business. However the openings remind me so much of the pre-Y2K shit. Basically some assclown of an employer wants someone with 10 years of Oracle experience, 10 years of AIX, 5 years of Java programming, 5 years of Linux, and 5 years of SAN administration and they want to pay him 80K. Go eat a bag of Lexington Steel dicks. Guys with 10+ years of experience in Oracle or AIX make 6 figures ALONE. Second, do you want a master of one of those trades or do you want some dude that knows a little about each one, but isn't really great at any? Idiots.
I've switched over my PWO shakes (egg protein) from milk to almond milk. I'm cutting dairy down as much as possible to see if anything in my blood work changes. My blood work is always pretty good but I'm constantly looking for improvements. My doctor recommended cutting back dairy for a while to see if it helps. So the only dairy I have now is some cottage cheese a few times a week. If it doesn't help, no biggie, I really like the Almond milk a lot.
This past weekend one of our fighters fought what I, and pretty much everyone in attendance thought was the best amateur fight they had ever seen. The match got a 5 minute standing ovation and the announcer said it was the single best fight he's ever MC'd in his life. The only thing I can liken it to was the Forrest Griffin/Stephan Bonnar fight where the two guys met in the middle of the ring and just slugged it out Rocky style for three rounds. It was really fucking epic. Our guy lost in a narrow decision. He was incredibly upset afterwards but I talked to him for a while about it. I told him in his previous 5 fights he had been hit a total of about 3 times. If he wanted to, he could see this loss as a positive. He knows now that he can stand and take some big time shots and not go down. That he can also stand and bang and go toe to toe with a good striker (he's primarily a 'rassler). But he also needs to get more serious about the little things, like his eating and lifting and leave nothing to chance. I hope to see him to do, and then take his fighting to a new level. I'm the worst person in the world about having a positive attitude for myself, but I always seem to be able to find the silver lining in the blackest of clouds for others. I guess that's just my nature.
I need to get a truck for the piece of shit winters we have here. The SRT8 is just a death trap once the snow and ice hits.
I realized I care less about the NFL now more than ever. I actually didn't even know the season started this past weekend. I feel good about that too, to be honest.
My training feels so complete right now. Working out that template has been awesome for me and I honestly feel like it will help me get to a new level. It is so flexible and takes so many factors into account that I have no idea why I never came up with it before. If you aren't using it you should be. My only caveat would be for beginners and guys that still need a lot of work on the basic movements. In that case you should really be reading my manuals and using the programs I used for years to build my foundation of strength/size. Spend the next 5 years doing that, then progress into the LRB template. All bases then covered.
Why do people get so god damn wrapped up in worrying about the future? I mean I get being prepared and planning some shit, but I know people who freak out over shit that you have no control over and worry about things that never come to fruition. I have a friend who got engaged because she said "it was time." She's 35 and feels like time is slipping away to get hitched. Women are so warped sometimes. I know two women that got engaged for every wrong reason you could ever get engaged or married for. I know that people marry for all sorts of reasons, but people get divorced for all sorts of reasons too. I've been with the same woman for 17 years so I know a little about making shit work, and what makes shit work. Marrying a guy because he has a good job and makes good money isn't a good god damned reason to get married. Neither is marrying a fucking deadbeat who doesn't work because you think he's hot and is "safe". This is dumbassery at a grand wizard level of enchantment. I don't not wish for these people to have lifelong relationship happiness because they are doing things for selfish reasons. I got married to my wife because she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, because she was my best friend and companion. There wasn't anyone else I would rather be with. When a chic tells me that she doesn't love her fiance "anymore than she could love someone else" then she isn't getting married to the right person. And I will give her a big god damn I told you so in a couple of years when she files for divorce.
I need to make shirts like this......LOL
Hot babe of the week.............Tara Babcock. I love a hot chic with a phallic reference in her name. Awesome.
Random Music Post as well.............
Not really an A7X fan but because I have played music so long, I generally have an appreciation for bands that work in songs like this.
Training with a cold is the most major suxor but I do it every time. I don't know why. I don't get cool points or a new car for being dumb enough to keep training through feeling bad. Whatever.
I hope everyone is having an awesome hump day. If you can't get laid, try "the stranger". It's not bad (not that I'd know!).
Training - Legs - Light
From last night -
Weight - 240
Front Squats - beltless
95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3
365 x 2
385 x 1
Leg Ext - 5 sets of 30
Leg Curl - 4 sets of 20
Standing Calf - 3 sets of 20
Adductor - 2 sets of 12
Sick as hell. Have some kind of chest/sinus bullshit going on. Haven't been sick in forever either so this really sucks. Could have taken the week off but I'm too stupid for that.
Weight - 240
Front Squats - beltless
95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3
365 x 2
385 x 1
Leg Ext - 5 sets of 30
Leg Curl - 4 sets of 20
Standing Calf - 3 sets of 20
Adductor - 2 sets of 12
Sick as hell. Have some kind of chest/sinus bullshit going on. Haven't been sick in forever either so this really sucks. Could have taken the week off but I'm too stupid for that.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Training - Press Light
Bodyweight - 242
Seated Db Press -
30's x 30
50's x 15,10
100's x 5
120's x 10
100's x 12
Incline Press -
135 x 10
225 x 8, 7
Upright Row/Standing Frenchies Superset - 65 pounds 6 sets of 20/15
Notes - Felt like hammered shit. I have a cold and it feels like it's trying to get inside my chest (Dave Chapelle Rick James voice). Anyway, I felt like shit but the actual training session was an 80%er.
Seated Db Press -
30's x 30
50's x 15,10
100's x 5
120's x 10
100's x 12
Incline Press -
135 x 10
225 x 8, 7
Upright Row/Standing Frenchies Superset - 65 pounds 6 sets of 20/15
Notes - Felt like hammered shit. I have a cold and it feels like it's trying to get inside my chest (Dave Chapelle Rick James voice). Anyway, I felt like shit but the actual training session was an 80%er.
Getting Jacked - Part 5 - The Lift-Run-Bang Template Week 2
So with week 1 out of the way it's just a natural course of action to talk about week 2.
Since you pressed and squatted heavy in week 1, what we're going to do is press "light" and do legs "light" with heavy ass back work in week 2.
Mind you, light again is relative. This means as heavy as you can go for a certain number of reps, namely in the 12-20 rep range for pressing stuff, so it should be as HEAVY as you can go for that particular rep range. For legs front squats and pause squats will be the staple of week 2 with lots of leg extensions and 1-legged work to follow.
On back day obviously you're going to pull heavy off the floor, do some heavy ass rows, and other such debauchery.
So let's take a look shall we?
Week 2 -
Day 1 - Pressing - Light
Pick One - Seated Db Press/Standing Db Press/Machine Press - 3 sets x 12-20 reps
Pick One - Incline Press/Decline Press/Machine Press - 2-3 sets of 12-20 reps
So obviously we are looking at hitting some db and or machine work as heavy as possible but for higher reps. Hence this being a "light" week. You want to pick a weight that you hit close to 20 reps on your first set and go from there. If you want a progression plan here, when you can hit that chosen weight for 20+ then bump it. Simple.
Shoulder - Side or Bent Laterals - 5-6 sets of 15-20
Tricep - Pullovers or Pushdowns - 5-6 sets of 15-20
Again, don't overthink this just pick one and go after it. No long pussy ass rest periods for side laterals and don't worry about weight here. Just keep the ROM strict and get the blood in there.
Day 2 - Legs Light
So as I noted, fronts and pause squats will be the staple here. But you can rotate in some BELOW parallel box squats from time to time if you feel like as well. Just don't kid yourself about what is below parallel. If you're in doubt about it, squat lower. And yes, you can alternate the fronts and pause squats week to week if you want to.
Front Squats/Pause Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1 or 5,4,3,3,3 to a "top" triple.
Leg Ext - 4-5 sets of 20-30
This will suck. Don't kid yourself. Especially if you have not been doing this kind of work.
Adductor/Abductor Machine - Pick one or both - 4-5 sets of 15-20
1-Legged Movement - Lunges / Speed Skater Squats / 1-Legged Squats - 4 sets of 20
Again, this will suck major ass if you have been a "singles" kinda guy and not doing any rep work. You will fucking die. Suck it up and live again.
Day 3 - Back HEAVY
Ok so really there is no such thing as a heavy back day without deadlifting. If I am not training for a meet I do like to vary some of my heavy pulling from the floor to on blocks to on a small elevation. This is very much how Brad Gillingham trains his deadlift and I have always had good success coming back to this when I have pulling from the floor too long and stuck in a rut. Just don't pull from above the knee for the love of God. That's more douchenozzle than curling in the squat rack as far as I'm concerned. You can thank Dante of DoggCrapp fame for video after video of 123 pound guys doing above the knee pulls for a range of motion of 0.007845 inches with 500 pounds. Junk.
Anything from the below the knee is fine.
Deadlifts/ From Floor/Blocks/Rack/Elevated/Stiff Legged/Banded - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
After heavy pulls, do some heavy ass rows or chins.
Pick One - T-Bars/Weighted Chins/Barbell Rows - 5x6-8 to a top set
After this we're going to hit some MODERATE good mornings, or if you're back is feeling too fatigued at this point, go to leg curls. You will need to be the judge of this.
Good Mornings - 3-4 sets of 5 moderate weight OR...
Leg Curls - 4 sets of 20-30
Lastly let's get some bicep work in. No need to go stupid heavy on biceps really, but if you are feeling your oats that day, fine. I personally do not like to go stupid heavy on curls. What's the point?
Curls of some sort - 4-5 sets of 10-20
Notes -
Well that's that. I have put a lot of thought into this template and I feel like it covers anything/everything a well rounded training program can cover. There is enough variation within the program that anyone should be able to institute the METHODOLOGIES with ease.
On the light days, use them for what they are for. Hypertrophy and strengthening the tendons. That means HIGH reps, forcing lots of blood through those area. At first I had the reps in the 15-20 rep range but after prodding from Vince Urbank (900 puller and pro-strongman) to up the reps even more, I thought it was a good idea. So don't be afraid to back way off on the weight on the light days and push the reps into the 30+ range. Remember you're still pushing barbell movements heavy with limited volume. You're not trying to kill yourself on the light days, you are trying to strengthen the supportive area. Forcing a shit load of blood through those joints, tendons, and musculature helps to do that. So look for reps in the 15-30 range for all the supportive work.
Also during the assistance work, don't rest that long between sets. This will humble you I promise. When you limit rest and force more and more blood into the area you will find that puny weight starts to become harder to move. Again, as you force blood into that area it also stretches the fascia, and this allows ROOM for growth. Similar to the extreme stretching that DoggCrapp implements.
Remember for the BIG movements, heavy weight/lower volume. For the assistance stuff, high volume/lighter weight/high reps. I don't have a problem with doing higher volume on the main lift, but if you do that, you need to really limited the supportive work. As I have gotten older, staying healthy has become my priority. A younger lifter tends to be more pliable and I would recommend more volume for the big lifts, and less volume for the assistance work. After 22 years, I don't need a lot of volume for the barbell lifts because there isn't as much technique to work out on my squats and bench anymore. Even with deads, I know very well that pulling too heavy for high volume has a propensity for diminishing returns. So any intermediate/advanced guy should be able to run this template very easily and should benefit mightily.
So to lay the overview of the program out here is what it looks like -
Week 1 -
Day 1 - Press - Heavy
Heavy Overhead Barbell Press
Bench Press
Shoulder Assistance
Tricep Asssistance
Day 2 - Legs - Heavy
Squats
Hacks/Machine Squats/Box/SSB
Leg Press (optional)
1-Legged Movement
Day 3 - Back - Light
Speed Deads/Cleans/Romanians/Shrugs
Supportive Rows/Pulldowns
Leg Curls/Glute Ham Raises
Curls
Week 2 -
Day 1- Pressing - Light
Db/Machine Press
Incline/Hammer Strength/Machine Press
Shoulder Work
Tricep Work
Day 2 - Legs - Light
Front Squats/Pause Squats
Leg Ext
Abduction/Adductor/Leg Curls
1-Legged Movement
Day 3 - Back - Heavy
Deadlift/Block Deads/Elevated Deads
T-bar/Barbell/Db Rows/Weighted Chins
Good Mornings/Leg Curls
Curls
Since you pressed and squatted heavy in week 1, what we're going to do is press "light" and do legs "light" with heavy ass back work in week 2.
Mind you, light again is relative. This means as heavy as you can go for a certain number of reps, namely in the 12-20 rep range for pressing stuff, so it should be as HEAVY as you can go for that particular rep range. For legs front squats and pause squats will be the staple of week 2 with lots of leg extensions and 1-legged work to follow.
On back day obviously you're going to pull heavy off the floor, do some heavy ass rows, and other such debauchery.
So let's take a look shall we?
Week 2 -
Day 1 - Pressing - Light
Pick One - Seated Db Press/Standing Db Press/Machine Press - 3 sets x 12-20 reps
Pick One - Incline Press/Decline Press/Machine Press - 2-3 sets of 12-20 reps
So obviously we are looking at hitting some db and or machine work as heavy as possible but for higher reps. Hence this being a "light" week. You want to pick a weight that you hit close to 20 reps on your first set and go from there. If you want a progression plan here, when you can hit that chosen weight for 20+ then bump it. Simple.
Shoulder - Side or Bent Laterals - 5-6 sets of 15-20
Tricep - Pullovers or Pushdowns - 5-6 sets of 15-20
Again, don't overthink this just pick one and go after it. No long pussy ass rest periods for side laterals and don't worry about weight here. Just keep the ROM strict and get the blood in there.
Day 2 - Legs Light
So as I noted, fronts and pause squats will be the staple here. But you can rotate in some BELOW parallel box squats from time to time if you feel like as well. Just don't kid yourself about what is below parallel. If you're in doubt about it, squat lower. And yes, you can alternate the fronts and pause squats week to week if you want to.
Front Squats/Pause Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1 or 5,4,3,3,3 to a "top" triple.
Leg Ext - 4-5 sets of 20-30
This will suck. Don't kid yourself. Especially if you have not been doing this kind of work.
Adductor/Abductor Machine - Pick one or both - 4-5 sets of 15-20
1-Legged Movement - Lunges / Speed Skater Squats / 1-Legged Squats - 4 sets of 20
Again, this will suck major ass if you have been a "singles" kinda guy and not doing any rep work. You will fucking die. Suck it up and live again.
Day 3 - Back HEAVY
Ok so really there is no such thing as a heavy back day without deadlifting. If I am not training for a meet I do like to vary some of my heavy pulling from the floor to on blocks to on a small elevation. This is very much how Brad Gillingham trains his deadlift and I have always had good success coming back to this when I have pulling from the floor too long and stuck in a rut. Just don't pull from above the knee for the love of God. That's more douchenozzle than curling in the squat rack as far as I'm concerned. You can thank Dante of DoggCrapp fame for video after video of 123 pound guys doing above the knee pulls for a range of motion of 0.007845 inches with 500 pounds. Junk.
Anything from the below the knee is fine.
Deadlifts/ From Floor/Blocks/Rack/Elevated/Stiff Legged/Banded - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
After heavy pulls, do some heavy ass rows or chins.
Pick One - T-Bars/Weighted Chins/Barbell Rows - 5x6-8 to a top set
After this we're going to hit some MODERATE good mornings, or if you're back is feeling too fatigued at this point, go to leg curls. You will need to be the judge of this.
Good Mornings - 3-4 sets of 5 moderate weight OR...
Leg Curls - 4 sets of 20-30
Lastly let's get some bicep work in. No need to go stupid heavy on biceps really, but if you are feeling your oats that day, fine. I personally do not like to go stupid heavy on curls. What's the point?
Curls of some sort - 4-5 sets of 10-20
Notes -
Well that's that. I have put a lot of thought into this template and I feel like it covers anything/everything a well rounded training program can cover. There is enough variation within the program that anyone should be able to institute the METHODOLOGIES with ease.
On the light days, use them for what they are for. Hypertrophy and strengthening the tendons. That means HIGH reps, forcing lots of blood through those area. At first I had the reps in the 15-20 rep range but after prodding from Vince Urbank (900 puller and pro-strongman) to up the reps even more, I thought it was a good idea. So don't be afraid to back way off on the weight on the light days and push the reps into the 30+ range. Remember you're still pushing barbell movements heavy with limited volume. You're not trying to kill yourself on the light days, you are trying to strengthen the supportive area. Forcing a shit load of blood through those joints, tendons, and musculature helps to do that. So look for reps in the 15-30 range for all the supportive work.
Also during the assistance work, don't rest that long between sets. This will humble you I promise. When you limit rest and force more and more blood into the area you will find that puny weight starts to become harder to move. Again, as you force blood into that area it also stretches the fascia, and this allows ROOM for growth. Similar to the extreme stretching that DoggCrapp implements.
Remember for the BIG movements, heavy weight/lower volume. For the assistance stuff, high volume/lighter weight/high reps. I don't have a problem with doing higher volume on the main lift, but if you do that, you need to really limited the supportive work. As I have gotten older, staying healthy has become my priority. A younger lifter tends to be more pliable and I would recommend more volume for the big lifts, and less volume for the assistance work. After 22 years, I don't need a lot of volume for the barbell lifts because there isn't as much technique to work out on my squats and bench anymore. Even with deads, I know very well that pulling too heavy for high volume has a propensity for diminishing returns. So any intermediate/advanced guy should be able to run this template very easily and should benefit mightily.
So to lay the overview of the program out here is what it looks like -
Week 1 -
Day 1 - Press - Heavy
Heavy Overhead Barbell Press
Bench Press
Shoulder Assistance
Tricep Asssistance
Day 2 - Legs - Heavy
Squats
Hacks/Machine Squats/Box/SSB
Leg Press (optional)
1-Legged Movement
Day 3 - Back - Light
Speed Deads/Cleans/Romanians/Shrugs
Supportive Rows/Pulldowns
Leg Curls/Glute Ham Raises
Curls
Week 2 -
Day 1- Pressing - Light
Db/Machine Press
Incline/Hammer Strength/Machine Press
Shoulder Work
Tricep Work
Day 2 - Legs - Light
Front Squats/Pause Squats
Leg Ext
Abduction/Adductor/Leg Curls
1-Legged Movement
Day 3 - Back - Heavy
Deadlift/Block Deads/Elevated Deads
T-bar/Barbell/Db Rows/Weighted Chins
Good Mornings/Leg Curls
Curls
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Training - Light Back and Biceps
Bodyweight - 242
A.M. Cardio - 35 minutes of steady state
Noon time
Speed Deads - 315 x 8 singles
Ok I never do speed deads but last weeks deadlift session was so awful I wanted to pull, but not heavy. I also have some technique issues I want to work on. So I may do some speed deads now and then.
Barbell Rows - 135 x 4 sets of 20
Superset - LatPulldowns/Leg Curls - 130/70 x 5 sets of 15/20
Preacher Ez Bar Curls - 65 x 4 sets of 12-15
Notes - Really nice session. The walk this morning seemed to help a lot because sometimes on Sat mornings I am still feeling sluggish. A really solid 80%er.
Of note, check out the weights. All REALLY light stuff. This is a LIGHT day. Remember that. The light days should be about "making the muscle work" NOT moving weight. This should be all about stretch and contract. Not worrying about how much weight is on the bar/stack.
A.M. Cardio - 35 minutes of steady state
Noon time
Speed Deads - 315 x 8 singles
Ok I never do speed deads but last weeks deadlift session was so awful I wanted to pull, but not heavy. I also have some technique issues I want to work on. So I may do some speed deads now and then.
Barbell Rows - 135 x 4 sets of 20
Superset - LatPulldowns/Leg Curls - 130/70 x 5 sets of 15/20
Preacher Ez Bar Curls - 65 x 4 sets of 12-15
Notes - Really nice session. The walk this morning seemed to help a lot because sometimes on Sat mornings I am still feeling sluggish. A really solid 80%er.
Of note, check out the weights. All REALLY light stuff. This is a LIGHT day. Remember that. The light days should be about "making the muscle work" NOT moving weight. This should be all about stretch and contract. Not worrying about how much weight is on the bar/stack.
Training - Conditioning
well I suck at updating conditioning posts but here was the last two days........
Thursday - 25 40-yard sprints
Yesterday -
A.M. - before breakfast - 30 minutes of steady state
P.M. - 45 minutes of steady state
Just doing as much steady state mixed in with intervals as I can. If I get up and do some in the morning, that's fine. If it's in the evening, that's fine too. Point is, just to get in as much as I want to/need/whatever. When I am trying to get into better condition I just walk or run whenever I get a chance and don't worry about the rest.
Thursday - 25 40-yard sprints
Yesterday -
A.M. - before breakfast - 30 minutes of steady state
P.M. - 45 minutes of steady state
Just doing as much steady state mixed in with intervals as I can. If I get up and do some in the morning, that's fine. If it's in the evening, that's fine too. Point is, just to get in as much as I want to/need/whatever. When I am trying to get into better condition I just walk or run whenever I get a chance and don't worry about the rest.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Getting Jacked - Frame work and Variations in the Week 1 LRB Template
Some things about training I am a stickler on (like squat depth) and some things, I am not.
Because we are not all the same, I know that templates have to be massaged sometimes for idividuals. I don't like cookie cutter programs any more than the next guy. But I do like guidelines.
So let's talk about variations within the template, with some do's and dont's.....
On the Heavy Pressing Day -
DO -
Pick movements that don't cause pain.
Stay with the first two movements for at least 6 weeks.
Barbell Pressing for the first two movements. This is really what makes this the "heavy pressing" day. After that just pick an isolation shoulder and tricep movement and like Less Grossman told Flaming Dragon, go to town man, go to town!
Seriously, that's the whole ball of wax.
Don't -
Pick three heavy pressing movements. Don't get carried away with the volume. If you find you need a little more, add some in to the first two movements. But make sure you are progressing each time the heavy pressing day comes around. If not, cut back a little. It's also ok to vary the reps a little bit from workout to workout. So if you want to do some triples instead of 5's, do em. Just make sure you have something to weigh progression against as you go. That should make sense.
Don't go super heavy on the isolation movements for shoulders and triceps. You should be moving fast between these two movements and breathing heavy.
Don't start off too heavy. I can never say this enough. Remember the big picture.
On the Heavy Leg Day -
Do
Squat. If you can't squat because of some kind of LEGIT injury, find a squat you can do. Like Hammer strength or hacks.
Follow up squats with another heavy movement. It can be one or two. If you are feeling your oats, do two. If you are feeling like shit try to get the squat and one other heavy compound movement in. Don't over think this shit. So if you go squats, hacks, lunges and that is working for you then skip the leg press and do that.
Do make sure and get in the 1-legged work. This is great for injury prevention and mobility.
Don't
Grind too many reps in the squat. Make your singles snappy and then get into the grinding rep work on the second big lift. Don't sit around and grind on the squat all damn day. If that is what you need, then this template may not be for you. If you are prepping for a meet, the strong-15 is perfect for that. Just include some pre-hab work there as well.
Don't pussy out either. Leg work is hard and sucks nuts when you are tired. Man the fuck up and get the hard shit in. I have lots of days when I am tired that I push through it. This is not a "I'm tougher than you thing" this is a "want it" thing. Want it more times than not.
Don't ignore the single leg work. This is good shit.
On the Light Pulling/Back/Biceps Day -
Do
Keep the reps higher. This is not an ego day. You worked hard the first two workouts of the week. Keep the weights medium and reps higher. This is just as much a recovery session as it is a growth session. Keep this day kind of fun but productive.
Follow the template as close as possible here. A big compound movement, a back/lat movement, a hamstring movement, and something for biceps. This workout covers the entire back of the body and of course the biceps.
Don't
Ignore the biceps. Sometimes I am tired at the end of this and want to say fuck biceps. I hate training biceps because it feels uselss and gayer than 5 guys getting fucked by 9 guys. But it's not uselss nor gay. unelss you are in the squat rack doing it. Then it's gay again.
Beat the living shit out of yourself. Get the work in and feel "good" when you leave the gym. You should feel pumped and refreshed, not like you just fought your way out of a turkish prison full of MMA guards.
More notes -
Remember to be a good Doc Brown. Be a good lifting scientist and play a little bit here and there. This is the most sound template I have developed in terms of hypertrophy, strength, and pre-hab/mobilty work. But you also may need to tinker with a few parts here and there to make it work perfectly for you. That means adjusting volume and exercise selection. I am not dogmatic in my training philosophy or application. Be smart.
Because we are not all the same, I know that templates have to be massaged sometimes for idividuals. I don't like cookie cutter programs any more than the next guy. But I do like guidelines.
So let's talk about variations within the template, with some do's and dont's.....
On the Heavy Pressing Day -
DO -
Pick movements that don't cause pain.
Stay with the first two movements for at least 6 weeks.
Barbell Pressing for the first two movements. This is really what makes this the "heavy pressing" day. After that just pick an isolation shoulder and tricep movement and like Less Grossman told Flaming Dragon, go to town man, go to town!
 |
| "Go to town man, go to town!" |
Seriously, that's the whole ball of wax.
Don't -
Pick three heavy pressing movements. Don't get carried away with the volume. If you find you need a little more, add some in to the first two movements. But make sure you are progressing each time the heavy pressing day comes around. If not, cut back a little. It's also ok to vary the reps a little bit from workout to workout. So if you want to do some triples instead of 5's, do em. Just make sure you have something to weigh progression against as you go. That should make sense.
Don't go super heavy on the isolation movements for shoulders and triceps. You should be moving fast between these two movements and breathing heavy.
Don't start off too heavy. I can never say this enough. Remember the big picture.
On the Heavy Leg Day -
Do
Squat. If you can't squat because of some kind of LEGIT injury, find a squat you can do. Like Hammer strength or hacks.
Follow up squats with another heavy movement. It can be one or two. If you are feeling your oats, do two. If you are feeling like shit try to get the squat and one other heavy compound movement in. Don't over think this shit. So if you go squats, hacks, lunges and that is working for you then skip the leg press and do that.
Do make sure and get in the 1-legged work. This is great for injury prevention and mobility.
Don't
Grind too many reps in the squat. Make your singles snappy and then get into the grinding rep work on the second big lift. Don't sit around and grind on the squat all damn day. If that is what you need, then this template may not be for you. If you are prepping for a meet, the strong-15 is perfect for that. Just include some pre-hab work there as well.
Don't pussy out either. Leg work is hard and sucks nuts when you are tired. Man the fuck up and get the hard shit in. I have lots of days when I am tired that I push through it. This is not a "I'm tougher than you thing" this is a "want it" thing. Want it more times than not.
| Despite the fact that he dressed like a god damned retarded banana, Ronnie Coleman was smart for keeping lunges in his routine |
On the Light Pulling/Back/Biceps Day -
Do
Keep the reps higher. This is not an ego day. You worked hard the first two workouts of the week. Keep the weights medium and reps higher. This is just as much a recovery session as it is a growth session. Keep this day kind of fun but productive.
Follow the template as close as possible here. A big compound movement, a back/lat movement, a hamstring movement, and something for biceps. This workout covers the entire back of the body and of course the biceps.
Don't
Ignore the biceps. Sometimes I am tired at the end of this and want to say fuck biceps. I hate training biceps because it feels uselss and gayer than 5 guys getting fucked by 9 guys. But it's not uselss nor gay. unelss you are in the squat rack doing it. Then it's gay again.
Beat the living shit out of yourself. Get the work in and feel "good" when you leave the gym. You should feel pumped and refreshed, not like you just fought your way out of a turkish prison full of MMA guards.
More notes -
Remember to be a good Doc Brown. Be a good lifting scientist and play a little bit here and there. This is the most sound template I have developed in terms of hypertrophy, strength, and pre-hab/mobilty work. But you also may need to tinker with a few parts here and there to make it work perfectly for you. That means adjusting volume and exercise selection. I am not dogmatic in my training philosophy or application. Be smart.
Training - Legs
Bodyweight - 244
Warm ups - hip and ass machinez, adductor, calf press
Squats - no belt no wraps
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 4
405 x 3
500 x 2
515 x 1
535 x 1
550 x 1
Quick note on squats, I woke up with my shoulder killing me today. I must have slept on something wrong but it felt like someone tore it the fuck off, then glued it back on......badly.
Hacks - 1 plate x 10, 3 plates x 10, 4 plates x 8, 5 plates x 6
1-legged leg press - 210 x 10,10
Lunges - a bunch
Notes - Again, tired as hell but I think I might need a couple of more nights sleep to catch up.
Overeem signs with UFC; set to have bout with Lesnar 12/30 for title shot
Just an extra post for those that gave me crap saying this probably wouldn't happen.
I see another Cain style beatdown on Brock.
I see another Cain style beatdown on Brock.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Training - Press
Bodyweight - 244
Seated Press Behind the Neck - bar x 30, 135 x 15, 155 x 8, 185 x 5, 225 x 5,5,5
Close Grip Bench - 135 x 5, 225 x 4, 275 x 3, 315 x 2, 365 x 1,1,1
Upright Rows / V-Bar Pushdowns (superset) - 5 sets of 10/15 up to 135/85
Notes - Felt like ASS tonight. I know why too. Big time sleep deprivation. I had a good friend in town and was out partying all weekend. A big time -10% session. Oh well, it was worth the awesome weekend. The weight says I'm 244 but I feel more like I'm 144 right now. I feel skinny as hell and weak.
Getting Jacked - Part 4 - Lift-Run-Bang Training - Week 1
This is probably the part everyone has been waiting for, and honestly, that I have been excited to write about.
Anyone that has gone through my articles here and/or read my e-books knows I don't deviate from my philosophical foundations of training. Namely......
- Form your training around some basic lifts. Squats, deads, overhead work, pressing, etc
- Have a progression plan
- Do some conditioning
- Believe in what you are doing
That's pretty much my bread and butter. Lifting is really very simple. If you load more weight on the bar, or do more reps with that same weight over time (progress), you are providing the stimulus to get bigger and stronger. Diet (covered in part 3) matters, and so does recovery (covering later) as well.
The LRB Recipe -
Over the past few years I have played and tinkered with some things in my training that have worked very well, but because I get tunnel vision sometimes I lose focus on those things, and drift away from them and later wonder why I did that. Kinda like nailing your ex. You forget how crazy and unbearable she was when you haven't been around her in a while. It doesn't take long to have an "oh yeah" moment when you're back in her presence. You should know what I'm getting at here.
Training is like that for me at times. I know all of the things that work, and work damn well for me and the majority of guys who use these principles. However sometimes I find myself back in bed with my crazy ex wondering how the fuck I got there again.
Some of the things I have used that have worked really well again and again are the following principles/ideas...
A heavy light system - Where I would press heavy one week on close grip bench, then press for high reps the next week on incline. This is what eventually moved my bench back in to the 420-440 range. It allowed me to avoid too much overuse in my elbows and pec minors, yet still push the bench enough to find progression.
Heavy Squats and Deads every other week - Similar to the above, I really like squatting heavy one week and pulling heavy the next. This has been something I have gone back to many times and reaped rewards for doing so.
Push / Pull / Legs - This has been my most productive split for years and when training isn't going well all I have to do is go back to it and things will start taking off again. So why get away from it? Because I'm stupid and do new and dumb shit sometimes.
Some of the things I have used that have worked really well again and again are the following principles/ideas...
A heavy light system - Where I would press heavy one week on close grip bench, then press for high reps the next week on incline. This is what eventually moved my bench back in to the 420-440 range. It allowed me to avoid too much overuse in my elbows and pec minors, yet still push the bench enough to find progression.
Heavy Squats and Deads every other week - Similar to the above, I really like squatting heavy one week and pulling heavy the next. This has been something I have gone back to many times and reaped rewards for doing so.
Push / Pull / Legs - This has been my most productive split for years and when training isn't going well all I have to do is go back to it and things will start taking off again. So why get away from it? Because I'm stupid and do new and dumb shit sometimes.
I wanted a way to incorporate everything I knew that worked damn well, but had never really sat down and figured that out. Why? Who knows. Mainly because I knew what pieces and parts I want to use, but what I should have done was been smart enough to put all of that together into a template I could use constantly without thinking "I need to rearrange my training to cover X, Y, and Z." However the last few weeks some lightbulbs really went off and I started to look at it all on paper. I believe I was finally able to get everything into a single template that encompasses my complete training philosophy.
Hypertrophy work? Check
Injury Prevention? Check
Maximal Strength Work? Check
Conditioning? Check
Progression Planning? Check
I'm excited about this template so let's get down to bidness.
LRB Template - Week 1
The entire layout of the template covers 2 weeks, and it uses my longtime favorite layout.....
Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Legs
Back/Biceps
For the progression scheme simple use a 3-week wave of the strong-15. Since you will be pressing, squatting, and deadlifting heavy every other week, a 3-week wave will last for 6 weeks. Just don't overestimate your max for the love of God!
For the progression scheme simple use a 3-week wave of the strong-15. Since you will be pressing, squatting, and deadlifting heavy every other week, a 3-week wave will last for 6 weeks. Just don't overestimate your max for the love of God!
Week 1 -
Day 1 of week 1 is pressing work. In the LRB template you will start with overhead work. I will tell you why. Because overhead work is largely ignored or thought of as an after thought by most guys, especially powerlifters. I have been trying to make overhead work a priority for a long time but no matter what would always stick it in behind my bench and incline pressing. The other reason I like overhead work first better is because it warms up the shoulders and adds some fatigue before you bench press. And if you have ever done a full meet you will know that after taking three heavy squats, the shoulders are in fact not minty fresh. Doing some heavy shoulder work first is a great way to simulate a bit of meet fatigue while putting the shoulders as a priority in your training plan. And no one ever benched less with stronger shoulders anyway.
You will pick a BARBELL pressing movement on heavy pressing day. You will not do a machine or a db movement (that happens in week 2). Week 1 is all about heavy barbell pressing and that's that. Pick an overhead lift you want to improve at over the next 6 weeks and stick with it. Warm up to a weight you can do 3 sets of 5 with pretty easily. Remember you need to progress over the next 6-8 weeks so don't get stupid the first week with the weight selection.
Day 1 - Pressing (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps) - Heavy
Overhead Work - Barbell Variation - Pick One
Standing Press / Seated Press / Press Behind Neck / Push Press - 3 sets of 5 @ same weight
After overhead work you will bench. I don't care if you use a close grip or medium grip or whatever. Just use that grip throughout the training cycle. As you can see, the strong-15 method is used. Working up to 3 progressively heavier singles. No back offs. Again, leave room for progression over the next 6-8 weeks. The first couple of weeks the last single should still have some pop to it.
Bench Press - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Assistance Work - Pick one for shoulders/traps
Upright Rows / Db Cleans / Hang Pulls - 5 sets of 8-10
Upright Rows / Db Cleans / Hang Pulls - 5 sets of 8-10
Assistance Work for Triceps - Pick one
Pushdowns / Overhead Extensions / Bench Dips - 5 sets of 15-20 / AMAP on bench dips
Pushdowns / Overhead Extensions / Bench Dips - 5 sets of 15-20 / AMAP on bench dips
Day 2 - Legs - Heavy
For heavy leg day there is only one exercise to use of course and that's heavy squats. Again, the strong-15 progression scheme is used. This workout should be a man maker so make sure you have a solid pre-workout meal an hour or so before hand.
Since this is a heavy leg session you are going to follow up squats with hacks or some kind of plate loaded squat machine for some extra work on the quads.
Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Hacks/Machine Squats (Hammer, Strive, something plate loaded, etc) - 4 x 6-10 to a top set
After this we'll finish things off with heavy leg presses. Work up to a single top set of 10+ on these.
Leg Press - 4 x 10+ to a top set
And to finalize, we'll finish with some 1-legged work because this shit is great for injury prevention and keeping things balanced. You can stay right there on the leg press or get up and hit some 1-legged squats or lunges of any kind. Don't add weight for the bodyweight stuff. Use this time to focus on ROM, mobility, stretching, and balance.
Single Leg Work - 1-legged leg press / 1-legged squats / lunges (any kind) - 4 x 10-20
Day 3 - Back - Hamstrings - Biceps - LIGHT
This will be a "light" day. The light days in LRB aren't really"light" per say, but the focus on movements where you can use less weight than the main variation of that movement. For example pause squats or front squats will be used on the light leg day. This doesn't mean you will go "light" but the fact is most guys can't use as much weight on those as they can their back squat. However on all of the movements that come after the main one, you will in fact lighten up usually, and hit higher reps.
Pick one - Romanian Stiff Legs / Cleans (hang or power) / Dynamic Romanian Shrugs / Elevated Stiffs - 3 sets of 5 same weight
Dynamic Romanian Shrugs are a movement I came up with where you do a Romanian deadlift, then explode upwards onto the toes into a shrug. Again, the key on these is to not go as heavy as fucking possible right out of the gate. Leave a little room to grow into.
After the initial movement we will go into some back/lat work. In the light week, it behooves you to pick a machine / Db / Cable based movement. The light week is also about not destroying recovery ability, and machines, cables, and db's tend to wreck you less than barbell movements. Second, you need to use the light days to think more like a bodybuilder than a powerlifter. The difference? Making the muscle work (bodybuilder) and moving the weight through space (powerlifting). Medium weight + higher reps + food = a lot of growth. A lot of growth = a bigger you = a bigger strength ceiling. So take that approach on light days.
Pick one - Lat Pulldowns / Cable Rows / Hammer Row or Machine Rows / Db Rows - 5 sets of 12-20 to a top set
After lats/back we're going to throw in a hamstring/glute/low back type of movement. Again stay with the theme from above.
Pick one - Hypers / Glute Ham Raises / Leg Curls (seated, 1 legged, lying, etc) - 4 sets of 15-20
To finish pick a db or machine curl.
Pick one - Machine or Db Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 to a top set
That's week 1 down. Week 2 I will write about next, but I want to get as many questions out of the way about week 1 as possible before we venture into week 2.
For heavy leg day there is only one exercise to use of course and that's heavy squats. Again, the strong-15 progression scheme is used. This workout should be a man maker so make sure you have a solid pre-workout meal an hour or so before hand.
Since this is a heavy leg session you are going to follow up squats with hacks or some kind of plate loaded squat machine for some extra work on the quads.
Squats - 5,4,3,2,1,1,1
Hacks/Machine Squats (Hammer, Strive, something plate loaded, etc) - 4 x 6-10 to a top set
After this we'll finish things off with heavy leg presses. Work up to a single top set of 10+ on these.
Leg Press - 4 x 10+ to a top set
And to finalize, we'll finish with some 1-legged work because this shit is great for injury prevention and keeping things balanced. You can stay right there on the leg press or get up and hit some 1-legged squats or lunges of any kind. Don't add weight for the bodyweight stuff. Use this time to focus on ROM, mobility, stretching, and balance.
Single Leg Work - 1-legged leg press / 1-legged squats / lunges (any kind) - 4 x 10-20
Day 3 - Back - Hamstrings - Biceps - LIGHT
This will be a "light" day. The light days in LRB aren't really"light" per say, but the focus on movements where you can use less weight than the main variation of that movement. For example pause squats or front squats will be used on the light leg day. This doesn't mean you will go "light" but the fact is most guys can't use as much weight on those as they can their back squat. However on all of the movements that come after the main one, you will in fact lighten up usually, and hit higher reps.
Pick one - Romanian Stiff Legs / Cleans (hang or power) / Dynamic Romanian Shrugs / Elevated Stiffs - 3 sets of 5 same weight
Dynamic Romanian Shrugs are a movement I came up with where you do a Romanian deadlift, then explode upwards onto the toes into a shrug. Again, the key on these is to not go as heavy as fucking possible right out of the gate. Leave a little room to grow into.
After the initial movement we will go into some back/lat work. In the light week, it behooves you to pick a machine / Db / Cable based movement. The light week is also about not destroying recovery ability, and machines, cables, and db's tend to wreck you less than barbell movements. Second, you need to use the light days to think more like a bodybuilder than a powerlifter. The difference? Making the muscle work (bodybuilder) and moving the weight through space (powerlifting). Medium weight + higher reps + food = a lot of growth. A lot of growth = a bigger you = a bigger strength ceiling. So take that approach on light days.
Pick one - Lat Pulldowns / Cable Rows / Hammer Row or Machine Rows / Db Rows - 5 sets of 12-20 to a top set
After lats/back we're going to throw in a hamstring/glute/low back type of movement. Again stay with the theme from above.
Pick one - Hypers / Glute Ham Raises / Leg Curls (seated, 1 legged, lying, etc) - 4 sets of 15-20
To finish pick a db or machine curl.
Pick one - Machine or Db Curls - 3 sets of 10-15 to a top set
That's week 1 down. Week 2 I will write about next, but I want to get as many questions out of the way about week 1 as possible before we venture into week 2.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Training - Back/Biceps
Weight - 237
Warm ups
Deadlift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 405 x 2, 500 x 1, 550 x 1
T-bar Rows - 3 plates x 1-, 4 plates x 10, 5 plates x 10, 6 plates x 10, 7 plates x 6
Good Mornings - 185 x 5,5 225 x 5,5,5
Glute-Ham Raise - 2 x 12
1-Arm Machine Curls - 3 stack plates x 10
Notes - Was out too late last night and had a few drinks and just felt dehydrated and shitty. I'm surprised I got all the work in. I actually felt better after the GM's but still an overall shitty session.
Warm ups
Deadlift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 405 x 2, 500 x 1, 550 x 1
T-bar Rows - 3 plates x 1-, 4 plates x 10, 5 plates x 10, 6 plates x 10, 7 plates x 6
Good Mornings - 185 x 5,5 225 x 5,5,5
Glute-Ham Raise - 2 x 12
1-Arm Machine Curls - 3 stack plates x 10
Notes - Was out too late last night and had a few drinks and just felt dehydrated and shitty. I'm surprised I got all the work in. I actually felt better after the GM's but still an overall shitty session.
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