Ab Training

One reason I've hurt my back several times, other than stupidity, is that my abs were extremely weak. I would train them for a good month or so after I hurt myself until I felt better but then I'd stop and sooner or later my ego would kick in and I'd start the cycle all over again. Well after this last time I found some more good articles by Mike Boyle and a couple others at T-Nation and EliteFTS that really helped out.

Complete Core Training

Core Training for Smart Folks

Ab Mania

Primal Circut

Scapular Stabilization, Ankle/Hip Mobliity

After I injured my back about a month ago I realized that I needed to do some serious work on some areas of my body. In particular were what I named in the title along with abdominal strength, but that's another post altogether. I'll share some links I've found really helpful in balancing out my body so to speak.

Essential 8 Mobility Drills

Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training

Now don't get any ideas that I am over at T-Nation all the time. For the most part I'm not a fan of the site, and definitely not their forum, but they have some damn good authors that write articles over there.

Enjoy the links, I'll post more later.

School Suuuucks

I'll be so damn glad when this semester is over. I'm getting things set up with the football team to do my internship with them and I'm really looking forward to it. I do have to say I've lost faith in the college education system though. The degree program I'm in is supposedly a generalized degree in which you can pick your field after you done and specialize. Myself and one or two others are very interested in going into the strength and conditioning field we're supposed to have a background in after our core classes for the major are completed. WRONG. The only exercise they talk about is "fitness." You know the crap I'm talking about too. I'll just say that when Planet Fitness opened it was like a wet dream come true for all the instructors in my department. One of my instructors, who is about 5'11'' and 150 dripping wet after he shit his pants, loves to preach on and on about how supplements are like cyanide and high protein diets will kill us all and you should never ever under any circumstances use full range of motion on any exercise. If I could go back and do it again I would never go to my current school for this major. There are at least 3 other schools in the state that are the same size as mine (D II) who's exercise science departments are ten times better then mine. Do your homework before signing up for school kids.

3/26/09

BW: 219

Training: None

Cardio: 30 min fasted

15 on treadmill- HR @ 100-115
15 on eliptical- HR @ 120-135

Stretching

That's it for today. BW bumped back up a little but I think that my be fluid retention in the muscle due to my postworkout shake yesterday. I'm gonna try some different things to spike insulin postworkout without carbs.

3/25/09

BW: 218.4

Training: Mliitary Press/Upper Accessory Work

Military Press-
125 x 3
135 x 3
145 x 3

Last 2 on my 145 set almost didn't get up. Had to use some leg drive too.

Pin Presses-
135 x 6
155 x 6
175 x 5
135 x 10

Fat Bar Close Grip Chins

BW x 6
BW x 6
BW x 6

Done. No postworkout cardio due to lack of time. AM cardio tomorrow though.

3/24/09

BW: 219
Training: None
Cardio: 15 min a.m. fasted low intensity. Might take the dog for a walk later too.

Well this weekend has kinda been a kick in the balls. I found out that the coach I did my intership with last summer and who I was going to do it again this summer took a job at Winona State so he won't be here. That pretty much screws me because my instructor was barely going to count this summer for credit anyway and with a new guy I can't be sure of what I'm gonna get so I gotta find some place new. It wouldn't be such a big deal but in May I'll have finished all of my classes and all that's left is the internship so I need to get it done ASAP. PLUS, I can't really leave town to do it since I have no garauntee that I'd have a job when I got back. If I was still working construction or something I'd do it but this job is to good to risk losing. Hopefully I can get some set up w/ the gym I train at to do something there.

3 x 5 Squats

3/23/09

BW: 221

Lots of water, glycogen, and food in my digestive tract.

Training: Squats

Back Squat-

185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

Leg Press-

3p x 20
4p x 10
5p x 15

Got some videos of the squats and leg press. Squats weren't anything impressive but this was the first time I've actually felt comfortable doing squats. Most of the time I just feel them in my low back and quads but today my low back was fine and my hams/glutes/quads were all involved.

Cardio: None

3/20/09

BW- 217.4

Training: Bench/Shoulders/Lats

Incline Smith-
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

BB Upright Rows-
85 x 12
85 x 12
65 x 50

DB Power Lateral-
35 x 10 each arm

Pullups-
BW x 6 x 5

The more weight I lose the better I feel in the weight room. Pullups were easier then they have been in awhile and I was gonna go for more reps but I had jack for endurance and just went with more sets instead.

Bench was good too. 225 for 5 after not really pressing anything for 2 weeks or so is fine w/ me. I probably could have gotten another rep or two but cut it off there.

Cardio: None

Diet: Refeed

My body has been acting funny the past two weeks. I'll drop 1-2 pounds post refeed then a half pound or so per day until Friday morning. On Friday morning I'll be down close to 2 pounds from Thursday. I've been planning on going 7-8 days before I refeed again but I don't need to drop 5-6 pounds per week lol.

Last week I waited until Saturday to refeed but I jumped on it postworkout today. I figured since my back is one of the areas I really want to bring up I'd use the anabolic effect of the refeed to build muscle and burn fat.

Progress Pictures

Black sweats are from the about 1 week prior to my diet starting. The gray is current as of today (3/19/09)

3/18;09

3/18/09

BW: 219

Training:

Rack Deads- 225 x 5, 245 x 5, 255 x 5

These were done in the squat track, standing on a box. I think pastorpump has a video of him doing rack deads that way. The bar was just below my knee cap which really brought my hams/glutes in to the movement. I was gonna go higher but after I threw my back out this last time I'm really timid about throwing a bunch of weight on the bar right now so I'm keeping it light and working up slowly. I think my ham/glute strength is a really weak link in my posterior chain because I very rarely get them to fire like that during regular deads or squats so these are here to stay for awhile at least. When I go back to pulling from the floor I'm gonna try pulling sumo instead of conventional.

GHR- BW x 3 x 5

Hams were smoked after the rack deads. I'm also trying to be much more strict w/ the movement. Looking back at the video I took doing them I need to tighten up my form and really make sure I'm not bouncing and helping out my hamstrings.

Decline Sit Up- BW x 3 x 10

Gotta get that hip flexor work in too ya know.

10 min postworkout cardio on eliptical. HR at about 125 for most of it.

I also decided to start posting some pictures I find motivating or cool.

3/17/09

BW: 219.8 dry

Training: Abs/Mobility/Stabilization

Leg Swings- 10 per leg
Wall Slides- 3 x 5
Ankle Mobliity- 3 x 5 per leg
Landmines- 2 x 10 per side
Stretch

Cardio: 20 minutes fasted low intensity

10 min on stairmaster
10 min on eliptical

Was gonna get some pictures this morning pre-cardio but the camera batteries were dead and I'm waiting for them to charge.

My upper back is smoked after the DB power cleans yesterday too. I'm definitely gonna keep those around.

The 5/3/1 Conundrum

3/16/09

BW: 220
Training: First day of 5/3/1

Military Press-
95 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5

Dips-
BW x 5 sets x 10 reps

Defranco Seated DB Power Cleans-
25 x 5
25 x 5
30 x 5
30 x 5
35 x 5

Cardio: 10 min LIC postworkout on eliptical

Diet is going pretty good. I'd down roughly 8 pounds over the past 2 weeks. I'm still working on getting a really effective refeed schedule/plan down. The past two have worked but by mid day I felt like shit (gas, stomach discomfort) and I think I need to plan my food intake better. I also need to be more diligent about getting my protein in each meal. My refeed meals are much better when I get my protein in first followed by carbs then the other way around.

My military pressing sucks to say the least. I don't do standing OH presses but once in awhile and mainly because I suck at them lol. I'll really be busting my butt on these to get them up.

The dips and DB cleans were kick ass though. Being my first real workout I felt great getting back in there.

I also got a product this weekend that is an ephedrine hcl/caffeine/synephrine/guggulsterone combo that I'm going to stack w/ my yohimbine to hopefully make an effective ECY stack.

3/13/09

BW: 220
Training: None
Cardio: 20 minute walk w/ dog

That's about it for the day. I was looking at my schedule and since I work tomorrow night I'm gonna do my refeed then instead of Sunday.

3/12/09

BW: 222

Training: Legs
Cardio: 10 min postworkout on bike

Just kinda messed around with some stuff today. I did a little front squatting and leg pressing. That was pretty much it. For some reason I was completely wiped after the workout even though I didn't really do much.

Fasted cardio in the morning along with some abs. C/S/T/Back Saturday and then the big refeed on Sunday.

3/11/09

BW: 222

Diet: 0 carb until Saturday night.
Training:

I'm back to doing some more compound movements which is definitely nice. I've found a couple ab exercises I really like too. They're full body movements that also allow for progression as well.

Supplement Reviews:

Just started some yohimbine the other day. So far between the ketosis and yohimbine I haven't had any problems w/ out of control food cravings. I may also try making my own weight loss stack of yohimbine/caffine/asprin and see how that works for me. I gotta do some checking on the dosages though. Chocamine may be a nice replacement for the caffine too but I'll need to do some checking to see if they have any weird reactions together.

Core Training/Diet

3/4/09

BW: 224
Diet: CKD- Currently on my 3rd day of 0 carbs. Refeed on Sunday.
Training- C/S/T/B
Cardio: 15 min walk w/ the dog lol

Used a little more volume than usual today. Felt really good. Might get more specific w/ my training next week or so. I did some 1 arm DB snatches to work my abs today and I love em. I'll definitely keep these around. Clean and presses for shoulders as well. Worked 10x better when I cleaned each rep instead of just the first one.