12/29 Push/pull 

BB incline press 5x4@275

Wanted to switch up my flat benching so I decided to start with incline. To give an idea of how crappy my form is on flat bench when my max was 315....I could put up 315 on incline as well. This is no longer the case but I've always had a pretty good incline compared to my flat. Long story short, I suck at flat bench but it has been improving. Did some nice easy sets of 4. These were not paused. 

Assisted pull ups 10,8,6,4

Decrease assurance weight each set. Slow and controlled to really get a good stretch in the lats. Neutral grip. I prefer neutral grip cause I feel you get a bigger range of motion and can work more lats and less rear delts. 

Db bench 3x8-10@95

Nothing to special here. Slow tempo. 

Chest supported row 4x10 3 plates

Flys 3x12@150

As I said before I will be adding these in to really sculpt my man cleavage haha. Plus just want to get some different accessory work in and I haven't done these consistently in some time. 

Reverse flys 3x15@70

Reverse Curls. 

3x12@80

Lat pull ng 3x10@165

Hammer curls. 3x10@40

I just want to take some time to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year! I myself cannot wait or what 2013 has in store! Every year seems to bring more happiness and more pr's! There are big things coming from Legendary as well.

12/26 Press session, rep and volume focus.

OH Press Fat Grip 4x6@185. These went well. I will be doing these more often than regular barbell press since I recently hit my goal of a body weight strict press! I followed these will another strict press 3x8@135 with the fat grips.

Behind the head press
1x8, 1x10, 1x12 all at 95 lbs. Had quite the should pump after all the presses, it was almost painful...actually it was haha.

DB shrugs 3x10-12@100
DB front raises 3x10@35 slow tempo
DB lateral raises 3x15@25 slow tempo

Kneeling OH med ball throws
3x10@12

couple sets of triceps exercises.

Solid pressing day, as I said will be doing more work with the fat grips in the future.


12/27 Squats!!!! Speed day, explosive day, power day...whatever you want to call it

Seated box jumps 5x5...these are done sitting on a box that puts me below parallel to remove any momentum when jumping.

Box jumps 3x5...Gonna show those basketball guys in the gym what a man looks like when he dunks!

Speed Squats
6x3@225 with 15 seconds rest between sets.
3x3@250 with 30 seconds rest between sets.

Paused squats (3 seconds at the bottom) 3x3@275

Front squats
3x6@225...I miss my wrist flexibility haha. I used to have no trouble getting into position with the front squat, this will take some work to get back to that.

Snatch Grip Deads off of blocks
3x15@260....these raped me and absolutely fried my erectors.

KB Swings 3x10@50

12/24 Deaflifts. heavy focus objective

The plan was to work up to a heavy single. The plan did not go as well I as had hoped. All sets were done no belt, no straps and in oly lifting shoes as usual. My pulls felt pretty good and quick but didn't feel great. When I plan to go up to a heavy single I treat my attempts like a meet. I give my self 3 attempts then if I have anything left I'll do a fourth. I am a big proponent of not missing lifts, I don't think you learn a whole lot by missing other than you're not strong enough that day to handle the weight. I also feel missing(esp when you have to grind) taxes the body way more than successful attempts.

First attempt was at #511 pounds. I hit this easily and was ready to go up. Here is where I made a mistake, I jumped to #561 and that was just to big of a jump. I should have gone to 540ish  first then 560. It came off the ground fast and got to above my knees before my knees did a little rebend and I had to set it back down. Tried again and just didn't have it. At that point I decided to take my frustration out some block pulls.

Block pulls off of 100 lb plates.
5x5@ 420 no straps, no belt
3x3@470 straps, no belt. These were very difficult and form defiantly started to break down towards the end but oh well sometimes that happens on the road to stronger.

Safety Squat Bar.
4x6@225 slow tempo.

Machine Leg Curl 3x10@80 

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown 3x10@185
Seated Row 3x10@150

Was pretty pissed about my deadlifts but will take it as a learning experience. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, I got some new goodies that will make me stronger in 2013! Also don't forget April 27th is our NAS Platinum contest held in Maryland.

12/20 Mah Fukin Squats...heavier focus

Box Jumps 3x5
Seated Box Jumps 3x5
The height was around 40" for both. Not very difficult but still taking my time on the height since I haven't consistently done them until recently. I'm really glad I've added these back in to my program.

Back Squats up to some heavy singles. No belt, knee sleeves on. These felt really good. Anyone who has  seen me squat knows the only thing deeper than my squats are my thoughts! I bury all of my squats.
5x1@445
5x3@385

I like to get some type of pull on my squat day so today I decided on barbell RDL. And I threw the leg curl in there cause I like isolating them and getting some extra work for them when I'm fatigued. I am really trying to bring them up. Everyone knows how crucial hammys are to squatting and pulling and overall manliness.
RDL 4x10@225

Leg Curl 4x10@80


12/21 End of the world push/pull....or to me just another Friday. If the world ended, centuries later they would have found my body underneath a barbell benching.

CG bench 3 second pause at the bottom 3x3@275
CG bench touch n go 3x5@245

Low pull row with rope attachment. Love these for increased range of motion.
4x12@150

Swiss Bar Incline Press
3x10@185 slow tempo

Assisted Pull ups
4x8

Pec Fly Machine. Working on that man cleavage. First time doing these in years.
3x10@100

Reverse Fly Machine
3x15@70

Face pulls
3x20

EZ bar Reverse Curls
4x10@70 slow tempo

DB hammer curl
3x10@45

Solid lifting both days. Very happy with my squats.

12/17 Deadlifts -Reps focus

Had a crazy idea that for this week I would do straight sets of 10 for deads. All I can say is that this was the hardest 3 sets of deads I can ever remember doing. That being said I am glad I did them and it was obvious from the start that it was going to be very difficult. I know most people reading this are probably saying 10 reps on a deadlift is stupid and not going to build much strength because the weight is to light if you can do 10...all i will say is...you're wrong. Increasing reps has done great things for all of my other lifts in terms of strength and endurance. Keep in mind this is not every workout, as i've stated before I like to vary reps and sets. After living in my comfort zone of 1-6 reps for so long I knew I need to switch it up a bit and get some higher reps in, especially for strongman where most local competitions will have a set weight for reps in a 60 seconds...4 reps wont cut it.

I Didnt have a weight in mind for my sets but ended up at 375 for 3x10 with straps. It absolutely kicked my ass. It felt like I has just run several all out sprints. I was sore, winded and tired. I will be looking to get this number up to 400 in the next few weeks.

Sumo pulls from the floor
3x5@335

TRX inverted row
3x8-10

Leg Curl
4x8-10

Wide Stance Squats with a 3 second pause at the bottom
3x6@225

Lat Pulldown wide grip neutral
4x10 @ 180 


12/18 OH Press-Speed focus

I was still pretty fatigued from deads the day before but decided to press on ( haha get it?)

Push Press, my form is pretty bad as I have always preferred strict pressing so i have been working these in to get better.
5x5@155 This may seem like more of a strength based rep/set scheme but the weight was light and my erectors were crushed from deads so i went lighter than i had planned. 30 seconds rest between sets.

Standing DB Press Fat Gripz neutral grip
5x8@70

Behind the head strict press I love these and have the mobility to do them, you jelly bra?
3x10@110

Lateral Raises DB
3x15@25

TRX Scarecrow
3x10

Tricep Rope Pulldown
15,12,10,8@ increasing weight each set.

I'm very excited to announce our NAS Platinum strongman contest coming in April! We have partnered with the NPC which does bodybuilding, figure, bikini. This is going to be an all day festival and really awesome. Details to follow. Any questions on training, nutrition or contest information contact me greg@liftheavybehappy.com

Thursday 12/14-Squats/Reps and increased volume
As I mentioned last time I am sticking to my goal of incorporating more power into my training sessions. You can just call me Tim Taylor (if you grew up in the 90's you will know what im talking about) So as you can see I am doing box jumps and will be adding in different variations such as seated, weighted, depth jumps etc.. On this rep day/increased volume day I chose to do sets of 6. I never do the same set/rep scheme in back to back weeks or back to back sessions. For example last rep day was higher and included some 20 reps squats. Some days will be pyramid sets some will be straight sets some will be high rep and so on. I think the variation produces better and more consistent gains and will allow me to improve work capacity and overall strength and endurance.

box jumps 4x6 (not sure the height but they were pretty easy) will increase the height by adding some bumper plates to the box.
seated box jumps 5x5 I like these because you can't use momentum when jumping. Will need to add height to the box as well

Back Squat
Legs werent sore but felt good after jumps, nice warm up for squats.
No belt, no wraps
315 2x6
335 2x6
365 4x6

FS 3x6 @225 I was smoked after i finished my front squats but glad i threw them in.

DB RDL 4x12@70

Friday 12/14 Upper Push/Pull and some accessory stuff
I was still sluggish from squats the day before but had planned to get some light work in. I use this day as a push pull day to get additional pressing and upper back work in.

Speed bench 6x3@185 had some right bicep issues so didnt want to strain it more than it already is
CG bench 3x10@205, slow tempo. I didn't let the bar touch the chest and didn't lock out all the way. I purposly wanted to keep the tension on the muscles as long as I could for the sets. Time under tension.

Reverse fly machine 3x15@70 will be mixing in band pull aparts as well
Pull ups 5x6@body weight 3x8 with assistance.
Low pull row 5x10@ 150...light weight which is why I did 5 sets.
DB inclince 3x12@70
Face pull 3x12@80

I am working on getting videos and will be taping my training so everybody can see how good I look! But seriously I will be posting videos and probably linking them to a youtube channel. Stay tuned!

www.liftheavybehappy.com

12/11. Press day. Max effort work.

I have always had the goal of strict pressing my body weight. Don't know why but I always thought the strict press is one of the most badass and manly lifts of all time. Also one of the most underrated. I had gotten away from oh pressing for a little bit and hated that I had let my goal slip away. After prioritizing and really focusing on them I have finally done it! I was pretty damn happy.

Standing strict press 1x1@ 235
Working sets 3x3@ 215, 3x3@210

Seated neutral grip db press 4x8-10@70

Behind the head barbell press (I love these)
3x8@135

DB shrug 3x12@90

Lateral raises 3x8@35. Shoulders were fried by the time I did these.

Front raise 2x10@25

Med ball overhead throw from knees 3x10@12


Overall a good day of training. I think I have finally dialed in what works or me! I have been setting pr's in max strength and reps which is awesome. And most importantly staying injury free. The combination of adding power exercises, speed, and rotating assistance and accessory work has really made a difference.  I'm feeling more athletic at the heaviest I've been.

Monday- Deads. Speed is the focus

Warm-ups and all that fun stuff

-Working sets, didn't have a set number in mind so I just went until I felt my sets were slowing down to much. I think it ended up around 12

12x3@ 305 with 30 seconds rest between sets

-Sumo deads,  im positive my form is horrible but I have been slowly working these in for more hip and groin strength and to get some different work other than conventional deads.

4x8 @ 295 off of 4", these weren't that difficult but i am still very new to sumo pulls so i am not going to pile on weight with sub par form.

-stiff leg deads 3x6@ 325, again nothing to crazy here but these were slower in tempo to get a good stretch.

-leg curls 3x8@ 80 i know a machine, blasphemy! 

-KB swings 3x12@ 50 trying to get that power nah mean?

-Wide stance squats. I am an olympic high bar squatter naturally so when i say wide, its wide. Again just trying some different things to get some more hip and groin strength since im a narrow stance squatter. Will be working these in for a little bit. I will still be doing my normal squat stance on squat days.

3x8@ 205

-Lat pull neutral grip 3x12 at a light weight 

-seated row at a light weight 3x12

All of my deads are deadlifts, i do not bounce, i let the muscles do the work. I will be working on posting videos to here for all of my lifts and most of my training sessions cause as we all know...video or it didnt happen! 

 

Skwatssssssss!!!! The focus was speed and just like Ricky Bobby...I wanna go fast!

Box Jumps 4x5...not sure of the exact height but it was well over 30". I have always been pretty decent at box jumps and although I have done them in like a year and am the heaviest I have ever been I was happy with the height and know that will increases pretty quickly. Will be doing them at least once a week.

Speed squats- lost count of the sets but I think I ended up around 10 sets. 10x3 @ 200 with 30 seconds rest between sets. As usual no belt, no wraps or sleeves.

RDL- 3x10 @ 275 slow tempo on the eccentric to get a good stretch and fast on the concentric

weighted step ups 3x6 each leg...I dont like these but I know I need to do them.

KB swings 3x12 @ 70...these were pretty easy weight wise but its the heaviest the gym has. This is pretty much the only KB exercise you will ever see me do, what can i say im a barbell kind of guy. Plus until I can go outside and toss kegs these are nice to work in to keep the movement similar.

Hypers- 3x12 @ body weight

This was all I did, finished in under an hour and was a pretty good day. Since i love lifting heavy and hate when i have to go lighter i spend the time really working on form and shortening my rest periods which can make a huge difference mentally for me.

Friday 12/7 Bench/upper back

Decided to get some heavy(er) bench work in

Worked up to a 345 single normal grip. After that did 3 singles of close grip at 315 and they felt pretty easy. for some reason my cg bench always feels better than my normal bench....

DB bench 4x8@105...nothing to exciting here but wanted so get some additional chest work in after bench.

DB "kroc" row 3x8 @ 105 this is probably the 2nd or 3rd time ive ever done these but i like them! so i will be keeping them in the rotation for a little bit.

Assisted pull ups 5x8-10

inverted TRX rows 3x6 slow tempo.

Wanted to get some more work in like med ball throws but had to cut it short cause im headed to baltimore for my buddies birthday dinner, I've known him since since i was 3! Pretty crazy how time flies. Lift heavy, be happy.

Press day. Repetitions. My repetition days I typically focus on more volume at moderate intensity. Today I was definitely feeling a little slow from deads last night and was a little pressed for time since I had to train some kids at my friends sports complex. I used today as a little bit of a lighter day so i could make the most of it. Anyway enough of whining...

Standing overhead press 3x10 @ 135. 30-45 seconds rest between sets. 

Seated dumbell press 3x10 @ 55

DB Front raises 3x12 @ 25

DB lateral raises 3x12 @ 30

Both of the raises were slow tempo. 

Db skull crushers 3x8 @ 40

Tricep rope pull down 3x12 @100

TRX scarecrows 3x6....these were a lot harder than try should have been, I hadn't done these in a very long time. 

Finished up with some more shoulder health stuff then called it a day. Wasn't a great lift but I got done what needed to be done. Tomorrow will be the hardest day of any training cycle...rest day. Also, over heard a few guys talking about how they don't do heavy squats anymore because its not safe and they just go light to "activate the stabelizer muscles." What? Where I'm from we just call that being a pussy. And lastly had the privledge of seeing a mom pay for "sport specific training" which consisted of an hour of her son doing warm ups and physioball work. I will never understand why coaches treat so many athletes like fragile pieces of glass. Being strong will never hinder performance, yet nobody seems to want to make these kids learn a squat or a deadlift. 

Max Effort deadlift day. Had a pretty good and exhausting lift today. Overall happy with how things went. At  this point it should just be assumed that I foam roll and warm-up to my working sets so I will get right to the good stuff.

Conventional deads from the floor...no belt, no straps, done in olympic lifting shoes cause thats just how I roll.

535 for 4 singles

after the singles i wanted to get some solid working sets in. these were done with straps, no belt

425 3x5

deficit deads, not sure the deficit but they were done in oly shoes standing on a 100 pound plate. no straps or belt again.

6 singles at 375 with 30 seconds rest between sets.

after deads I did 3 sets of 10 at 225 squats with the safety squat bar followed by neutral grip lat pull down 3 sets of 10 and a light weight.

The reason I don't lift in a belt is pretty simple....I don't own one. I have always focused on building raw strength but will be adding a belt into my routine in 2013 slowly, probably on max effort days only and only on working sets, never during warm ups. As far as deadlifting in oly shoes....oly lifters do it and they are strong so why not? I always believe that strong is strong...if i cant pull something its certainly not because of my shoes......

Tomorrow will be a pressing session and will focus on repetitions and some endurance