My ADD Training Log

[calvus]

12/20

PM Workout - BJJ

1 hour class + 30 minutes sparring.

Interesting class. Worked with a guy who is around 300 lbs. I paired up with him because I'm the 2nd biggest guy in the class. Was really good for me to work with someone larger than me, doesn't happen often since I'm 6-2 ~212lbs. Spent the entire 1 hour working specific techniques and drills with this guy & then in the sparring session, he was my 1st 6 minute round. Made sure I pulled guard, worked from bottom, swept then submitted.

Of course in my 3rd sparring session I rolled with the instructor (Black Belt), and he OWNED me for 6 minutes. I outweigh him by 25-30 pounds - he tapped me 4 times in 6 mins Was a good experience, though - keep your elbows in, Stupid.

I'm exhausted.

 

[calvus]

12/22

Week 2 5/3/1 - Deadlift Day

DL
5x135
5x175
3x210
3x255
3x285
6x320
1x320
1x320
1x320
1x320

Low Bar Squats
2x135
6x135
5x135
10x135
10x155
10x185

Decided to really try low-bar squats today. Have tried before & didn't like the pain in my wrists & shoulders, but I want to really try to focus on this & see if I can do it. So I did several light sets of squats, focusing on slightly different grip widths, filmed each set so I could analyze them. The biggest breakthrough on this for me was keep the upper back TIGHT. Really Tight!

There was still pain in my wrists and shoulders, but I'm going to keep working on this and try to ignore the pain. Anxious to see how it works with heavier weight on Saturday.

Also filmed Deadlift, the reason for all the singles at 320 was to see if I could tweak the form. I noticed that I am getting my shoulders in front of the bar at the first part of the lift. Not sure how to fix it yet...

 

[calvus]

12/22 PM

1.5 Hours No Gi Jiu-jitsu

Nice class tonight, but rolled my ankle doing takedown drills :-( stupid. Still finished the class & 30 minutes of sparring after.

Don't think it's too bad, hopefully it won't affect Saturday's squatting.

 

[calvus]

Video from today's deadlifts:

320x6


320x1 (setup with shins farther away from bar):

 

[calvus]

Video from today's squats:

 

[calvus]

BTW...Yeah, I know there's a TON of shit in my garage. Last time I was out of town, my sister-in-law moved. And somehow, all of the shit that didn't fit in her new apartment ended up in my garage.

This pile of junk will be gone soon....

 

[calvus]

12/23

Very disappointing day on Bench today. Could only do 3 reps @ 235. Ever since I started trying to "improve" my bench technique, the lift has suffered.

Bench
95x5
135x5
155x3
180x3
210x3
235x3

Dips (Bodyweight)
15 reps x 5 sets

Dumbell Rows
60 lbs x 12 x 5 sets

 

[calvus]

12/25

Merry Christmas!

Snuck in a quick workout after the kids opened presents & before family arrives. Still working on low-bar form - really tough on my elbows today - wrist wraps helped with the wrist pain. Leading with my hips out of the hole seemed to really work well today.

SQUATS
5x120
5x150
3x180
3x210
3x240
5x270

 

[JauntyAngle]

Ever since I started trying to "improve" my bench technique, the lift has suffered.

That happened to me! I watched the Dave Tate 'So You Think You Can Bench' series, and started trying to really get my shoulder blades together, do a longer warmup, spread the bar, get the weight on my traps, all that stuff. Almost immediately started feeling considerably weaker, and 5 weeks later I am still not quite back to where I was.

Could be that I am not applying the technique right. But I think more likely it is just a different enough movement to require some changes in the body. I am sticking with it, though, as the bar does seem better supported now.

 

[calvus]

Monday 12/27/10

Week 3, Day 1, 5/3/1

SOHP
6x45
5x60
5x75
3x90
5x115
3x130
6x145

Push Press (with leg drive)
0x185 *sets purse down & tries again*
1x185
1x190 <--PR
1x195 <--PR Again
5x175 <-- PR for >1 Rep

Chins (underhand grip)
5xBW+35
5xBW+35
5xBW+45
4xBW+45
3xBW+45

Got some work to do on my chins...

 

[calvus]

12/28

Did the 50 Burpee Challenge. It was hard - lungs burning like hell...no way I can do 100...so that was very motivating.

50 burpees, 4:33

Now I have a stake in the ground, and a time to beat.

 

[calvus]

12/29

Week 3, Day 2, 5/3/1

Deadlifts
5x140
5x175
3x210
5x265
3x300
1x355 <- PR, but felt pretty easy, so...
1x405 <- PR - STOKED!!

Pullups, palms facing
3x10xBW

Abs
20 Crunches,
20 elbow to opposite knee crunches (both sides)
30 second plank
repeat

Grip
2 Hand Plate Pinch: 3sets x 20seconds x 50lb
Finger Curls, Overhand Grip: 3x20x55lb
2 Hand Wrist Curl: 3x20x45lb
2 Hand Reverse Wrist Curl: 3x15x25lb

Really pleased with the 405 deadlift today. I need to go get some more plates...and maybe some clothes that match and a haircut (see video below)...

First day of grip training with a new grip program. Planning on doing this 3 days a week. It's gonna be good - forearms are burning right now...

 

[calvus]

405 lb Deadlift:

 

[calvus]

Thursday, 12/30/2010

Week 3, Day 3, 5/3/1

Bench
8x45
5x95
5x105
5x135
5x155
5x195
3x220
3x245

No assistance work today, felt like shit. But Bench is coming along a bit. I went searching on youtube for videos on Bench Press by Rippetoe, and found several that were helpful. I think my biggest problem was that my elbows were flaring out a bit, which was causing me to lose power.

Looking forward to improving my Bench in January.

 

[JauntyAngle]

405 lb Deadlift:

Looks like you're going to need to buy some more weight!

Great, though. Didn't know that someone can get a PR, then go and beat it by 50lbs.

Could be something to do with the awesome shorts, of course. Do you think would count as geared lifting, just because of the awesomeness?

 

[calvus]

Looks like you're going to need to buy some more weight!

Great, though. Didn't know that someone can get a PR, then go and beat it by 50lbs.

Could be something to do with the awesome shorts, of course. Do you think would count as geared lifting, just because of the awesomeness?

I like those boardshorts - they remind me of Greg Noll's shorts:


Yeah, I didn't want to push deadlift too hard until I felt good about my technique. I'm still pretty new to all this...Same thing with squats - hopefully I'll be able to add 50lbs to squat soon

 

[calvus]

12/31

Got up at 4:20 this am & met some guys at a local LA Fitness this morning to shoot some hoops. I haven't played basketball in a few years & it showed. But it was a really nice workout - 2 hours of full court, I'm gonna be sore. Didn't try to dunk, but I'm pretty sure I still can...felt good.

Planning on doing some grip work later today.

 

[calvus]

12/31/2010

Thought it would be good to put in a year-end summary. I started lifting in May this year, 1st time ~20 years. And its been a great year. Still working on Squat technique, but the other lifts are coming along nicely.

Here's my improvement in 2010:

Bench: 205x5 -> 255x2 (+50lbs)
Squat: 225x5 -> 275x5 (+50lbs)
Deadlift: 255x5 -> 405x1 (+150lbs)
Overhead Press: 125x5 -> 155x2 (+30lbs)
Push Press: 165 -> 195 (+30lbs)

Goals for 1st Half 2011:
-------------------------
Bench: 275
Squat: 300 (with proper depth & technique)
Deadlift: 450
Overhead Press: 185
Push Press: 225
Weighted Chins: BW+100lbs

 

[calvus]

Here's my lifting plan for 1st Quarter 2011.

Sticking with a 5/3/1 Basic format, but switching the assistance to the periodization model outlined in the book. Wendler recommends 5 sets of the assistance exercises, but you're now doing 3 different assistance exercises, which is a lot. We'll see how that works out, I may try to alternate sets of push-pull when I can. I'm a little concerned about the amount of time this may take. Will be hard for me to do 2 hour workouts...

Here's what I'm thinking:

Monday:
SOHP: 5/3/1 standard progression
Push Press: 3-4 sets of heavy singles/doubles
Weighted Chins: Rhodes 3/5/1 progression w/ heavy singles
Dips: 5x15
Skull Crushers: 5x15
Grip Work

Tuesday: Conditioning, 1-2 sets of 10 BW pullups, active recovery

Wednesday:
Deadlift: 5/3/1
Leg Curls / GHRs: 5x10
Lunges: 5x10
Abs
Grip Work

Thursday:
Bench: 5/3/1
Chins: 5x10 BW
DB Bench: 5x10
Dumbell Rows: 5x10

Friday:
Conditioning
Pullups: 1-2 sets BW
Grip Work

Saturday:
Squats: 5/3/1
Good Mornings: 5x10
Lunges: 5x10
Abs

I'm also adding grip work 3 days a week, been reading the FAQ's & posts on gripboard, so based on their recommendations, I'm starting with a simple workout that focuses a lot on forearms. I'll do this workout M, W, F, either with the regular workout or at a separate time.

Grip Work:
2 Hand Plate Pinch, 15-20 sec
Finger Curls, Barbell, OH Grip, 3 sets 15-20 reps
2 Hand Wrist Curls, 3 sets 15-20 reps
2 Hand Reverse Wrist Curls, 3 sets 15-20 reps

And of course, the idea is to lift in the AM or lunch time, and go to Jiu-jitsu in the evenings, 2-4 times per week. I'm currently a Blue Belt, I plan on getting to Purple in 2012.

Goals for 1st Quarter:
- Get bodyweight up to 225
- Set multi-rep PR's in my 4 major lifts.
- Hit at least 2 of my 6 month goals:

Goals for 1st Half 2011:
-------------------------
Bench: 275
Squat: 300 (with proper depth & technique)
Deadlift: 450
Overhead Press: 185
Push Press: 225
Weighted Chins: BW+100lbs

 

[calvus]

12/31

Grip Work:
2 Hand Plate Pinch, 15-20 sec
Finger Curls, Barbell, OH Grip, 3 sets 15-20 reps
2 Hand Wrist Curls, 3 sets 15-20 reps
2 Hand Reverse Wrist Curls, 3 sets 15-20 reps

See ya next year...