New Year

I never really believed in new year's resolutions, but I figured maybe since I just started a new style of lifting, I might as well set some goals and coincidentally, it's almost the start of a new year! ballin!

If people want to make progress in something I don't see why they should wait till the start of the new year to set their goals, which eventually they will forget about. If you want to do something, set a plan and do it. Anyway, enough pessimism, I'm not sure how well I'll stick to these goals, or how achievable they are, but we'll see in time.

I'd like to clean 3 plates and snatch 2 plates by the latter half of 2012.. it doesn't seem too unreasonable. I'm at 2 plates clean and 1 plate snatch right now, actually just over.

Today -
Snatch balance - 52.5kg 2x3
Muscle snatch + snatch + hang snatch - 60kg 4 sets
Pulls ups - 3 sets of 5

More Lifts

Going to the gym more often means technically I should be blogging more, since that was the reason I started this thing.. but I'm falling behind. I realized one thing, Oly lifting generally requires more time training than powerlifting.. I'm at the gym more often, although the intensity isn't as high yet.

I'm spending more time now on the technical side of it rather than seeing how much weight I can lift, which is good, at this stage that's what I need. I'd rather not rush now and clean 3 plates with bad form only to walk out of there with no back. I've struggled with my clean the past couple of weeks being stuck at 2 plates.

Recovery - well overall I think I recover better than when I was strictly powerlifting, but the stress on my knees and upper back is new.

Yesterday -

Front squat - 95 5x3
Clean pull - 102.5 x 3, 105 x 2, 107.5 x 1
Rack jerk behind neck - worked up to 1 plate

Lifts

I forgot to write what I lifted a couple of days ago... ahmaigaaad.

Snatch - 65kg new PR
C&J - 100kg.. I'm stuck here
Front squat - 115kg new PR

Carry on.

The Real Deal-yo

I haven't blogged in three days, cos I'm cool like that. I trained in a new gym today.. let's just say this is the gym I need to be in. Real equipment, knowledgeable people, you know..the good stuff. The only down side is it's a little far from my house.. either that or I've been spoilt with my usual gym being too close.

I met a couple of cool people today, and one of them was at the same stage in Oly lifting as myself: the absolute beginning, so we exchanged some thoughts and he was nice enough to video a couple of my lifts.. I'll post my snatch today for the interwebz masses to enjoy, or not enjoy.

New PRs

I was supposed to try out new PRs today.. it didn't go exactly as expected, but given that I got new numbers last week I wasn't too surprised.

Snatch - 62.5kg.. shaddap, I'm still new at this.
Clean - 100kg - I was going for 102.5 but my phenomenal musculature just failed me, twice.. I couldn't even clean the bar, it just kept turning into a shrug.. my body was fried. So I called it a day.

Why I Don't Like The Idea of a Cheat Day

More often than not, when you come across someone who’s dieting they’ll tell you that they occasionally allow themselves to have a cheat day. This could be once a week, once a month or whatever, but the idea is that they’re allowed to have a cheat meal/day and not feel guilty about it.

Okay, I understand you’re dieting all week and working hard to do it, so the least you deserve is a day or a meal where you can pig out and the calories don’t count. I don’t necessarily disagree with the idea, but I don’t completely support it either; I’m somewhere in the middle. Also, the idea that calories ‘don’t count’ is ridiculous.

While I’m more of an ‘everything in moderation’ type person, I can see why a cheat day is preferred by some people. It gives you something to look forward to at the end of the week, or whenever it’s scheduled into your calendar and it feels rewarding. I feel though that if you start working with this mindset, maybe you’re dieting for the wrong reasons. It’s not right to diet because the reward is a nice juicy burger on the weekend. It seems then that the entire approach is wrong. Someone trying to lose weight should make it a point first to eat healthier by incorporating more whole foods into their diet, and then use those eating habits along with calorie restriction to drop the weight.

Whether your goal is to lose weight or to simply start eating healthier food, understanding that everything in moderation won’t harm you is a good way to start. I’ve had a sweet tooth my whole life, and as many times as I’ve tried to restrict myself from anything artificial and stick to fruits it just doesn’t seem to work in the long run. Once in a while I need to have a bite of chocolate, and it doesn’t help that my mom bakes some of the worlds best deserts on a daily basis (she runs her own baking business). If I decide to go cold turkey, I know in the back of my mind it’s just a matter of time before I cave.

If you make the time and effort to work out roughly how many calories you’re going to take in on a daily basis, you can simply factor in something you consider a treat and make sure it’s still within your caloric limit. On the other hand, sometimes we’re just presented with a situation where it’s almost impossible to know how many calories you’re consuming. Say there’s an office party with tons of food, or you’re out with friends for dinner, or anything like that, and you don’t want to be the person sitting doing mental math counting the calories in 12.4 grams of this food or that food. The point is don’t make it a big deal; enjoy whatever it is you’re eating and understand that a bit of flexibility in your diet is important. It keeps you sane, keeps your sweet tooth in check and doesn’t result in a pig out session on the weekend where likely the calories you’ve been cutting can be consumed in one sitting.

Consider the bigger picture and remember that everything in moderation is the key.

Today:
Snatch push press + overhead squat – 1+2 for 3 sets working up to a heavy set
Power clean + push press + push jerk – 60% for 3 sets

New PRs.

I've been a little off my game lately.. my apologies to anyone who cares, or reads this thing. I lifted new maxes today and it went pretty well. I'm getting more comfortable learning the lifts although I'm sure if someone experienced saw me they'd laugh hysterically. Anyway..

Snatch - 60kg
C&J - 100kg

I need to do more mobility work and make it a point to warm up properly.. so much to do so little time.

Tuesday

Ok, I'm getting lazy with this thing again, so let me write something before I take another 2 month break. I'm at a point right now where I need to figure out what the hell I'm doing in many areas in life. I need to compete in weightlifting one day, that's on my list of things to do.. so I have to figure that into the plan somehow.

I've never competed before but I know I have the potential to do well *cue 'I Believe I Can Fly'* from Space Jam. I've never been competitive by nature or need to be the top of the top, but it's more about sharing the experience with people with similar interests and experiencing the pressure and mindset of going into competition mode.

Anyway, enough preaching.

Yesterday - Snatch 45kg
Clean & jerk - 95kg, worked up to a single.
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps.

Foam rolling is proving more useful these days.. I need to start making it a habit.

Knee Pain. Yes!!!

I need to get used to this knee pain.. for some reason it seems I'm putting more strain on my knees than I used to. I definitely need to be working on technique at this point rather than focusing on numbers, which is hard to do given that I never have anyone to give me any feedback.

I found a new gym that's more catered to actually lifting weights than making a fashion statement or focusing on weight loss. Hopefully I'll run into some people that share similar interests as myself. I'm in the middle of redecorating my room (random fact of the day) - so I'm open to any suggestions.

I'll try to get a video next week of my really bad snatch and clean & jerk form.

Snatch - worked up to a single at 50kg
C&J - single at 95kg
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps

Foam rolling for 3 days straight beginning tonight.

Battle Scars

I could have lifted a little better today, but I was pressed for time.. so.. what to do right?

I lifted with a friend today who's also new to Oly lifting, so we exchanged thoughts while trying to keep our critic-ness to a minimum.

I had the pleasure of dropping a loaded bar from shoulder height and scraping my shins so I'm sporting some nice long bruises on each leg.. it's ok they're my battle scars.

Snatch - 47.5kg worked up to two singles
Clean & jerk - 90kg two singles
Front squat - 90kg 2x2

I need to get used to the pain in my knees and upper back. Front squatting uses the muscles in your upper back around your spine to keep you stable - it's a relatively new movement to me since you lead with your chest instead of your butt and you keep your back as vertical as possible instead of at an angle, and your hamstrings are not really involved in the movement - unlike a backsquat.

Hello Change!

I haven’t written anything in, well, quite a while, mainly because I had nothing to write about.. sometimes my posts are pure garbage cos on those days there’s nothing coherent going through my head.

The last 2-3 months I was complaining that I needed a change and I wasn’t making progress blah blah. I tried changing around a few things in my programming, changing my diet a bit, changing this changing that but nothing seemed to work.

I’ve been debating trying an Olympic lifting type program for a while now and I never really took it seriously until recently. I think this is the change I needed.. I’m a lot more motivated now to go to the gym, and it’s a great feeling to be looking forward to lifting as opposed to hating your life cos you have to squat 200 kilos 24 times at 6am.

I won’t go into too much detail about what I’m doing cos I mostly don’t know myself, but for now I’m having fun, I met a few people who Oly lift as well so it’s good to have people to exchange thoughts with especially when you’re lifting alone and have no one to give you feedback. Other than that I’m using basic resources like YouTube, reading articles and tips on the interwebzz. Olympic lifting is so technical that not having a coach is pretty dumb, at least when you’re starting off new, but where I am now I don’t have too many options. I’ll post up my numbers and lifts on a semi-consistent basis, or whenever I’m bothered, and if I’m feeling really brave I’ll post up a video from time to time of me attempting to lift.

Kind of a Big Deal

I didn't go to the gym on Wednesday, cos I'm cool like that. I thought it might affect my lifting today, but no! still awesome. I got some micro plates so as of next week I'll be scaling down the weekly progression and hoping for some better results. I think I've gotten everything out of a 5 lb/week progression that I can for now..

I tried pressing 2 plates today (225 pounds) and failed twice. No big deal, I would have been really happy to make it, but pressing 2 plates is kind of a big deal.. I'm aiming to make that lift within a month or so given that what I failed last in pressing is what I can lift now semi-easily, and that wasn't too long ago.

Squat - 450 - Worked up to a single
Press - 198 - Meant to do 220 but didn't
Clean - 204 - Ten singles

Monday

I'm not too sure what I was doing differently today, but I squatted pretty well. Actually on my 4th set I had to look to my side to make sure I didn't take any of the weights off cos it felt like half the weight for a second.

I knew this guy was serious about his work out when he walked into the gym with a ski shirt on while doing air curls with his hands.. are these the pre-warm up to the warm up? Whatever they were I was staying out of his way cos this guy meant business.

I made the mistake of going for a jog the day before yesterday because my legs are still sore and then I went and squatted today and now I can barely move.. nice.

Squat - 375 8x3
Press - 185 4x3 - Don't ask
Deadlift - 410 1x5

Monday....ON TUESDAY

I practically had the entire gym to myself today.. which was cool. I had more time to work out today so I threw in deadlifts and now I feel trashed. Actually I felt trashed by my 6th set of squatting.

Squat - 375 8x3 - Destroyed me.
Bench - 260 8x3 - Missed the last rep. Meh.
Deadlift - 400 1x5 - Ditched the straps today, don't think I really need them yet.

Tell me this guy isn't strong:

Straps

I got straps last week. I just figured I'd try them out and see how I like the feel of pulling with them.. I don't know, maybe they're not for me.. Either I wasn't using them right, or I just didn't feel much of a difference. Maybe I don't need them yet, who knows.

One other thing. It's not okay to wear a dress shirt to the gym, even if you forgot your gym shirt. Either miss your work out or go home and get a shirt. Especially if you're going to wear the dress shirt half buttoned down almost making it look intentional.

I did some cardio today. I'm glad to say my cardio hasn't suffered much even though I haven't done any in months.

Squat - 445 Worked up to a single
Press - 207.5 Two singles. These are getting easier; a few weeks ago I couldn't even lift this for 1 rep.
Deadlift - 395 1x5 - Not bad, but didn't benefit much from the straps.

I'm definitely enjoying the new set up.. Yeah waking up early one extra day in the week sucks, but if it gives me more time to do everything right then that's fine.

New Layout

I didn't feel like blogging last week after Monday.. just cos.

After thinking about how I'm planning to shuffle around my schedule, I decided I needed something that didn't leave me feeling like I was constantly in a rush in the gym. Mondays are usually very hectic and I always struggle to get my lifts in in under 2 hours. It happens, but I usually compromise on quality of lifts because I have to take shorter rest periods. My best lifts are done on days when I can take my time in between sets. I don't sit around doing nothing, but I take enough of a break that I'm not affecting form.

I looked around the int3rw3bzz for some advice and find a tried and tested layout for the Texas Method that spreads things out over 4 days and gives you more time to get in your lifts. It's something like this:

Monday - Squat and Bench or Press for volume
Tuesday - Power clean for volume
Wednesday - Squat and Bench or Press recovery
Friday - Squat, bench or press, and deadlift for intensity.

I've wanted to deadlift on Fridays for a while now since I usually have more time to workout on Fridays than Mondays.. so this will be good. Maybe I'll start getting better numbers.. we'll see.

Yesterday -

Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 180 8x3 (missed the last rep.. meh)

Today -

Clean - 198 7x2

New Protein

Today was one of those days where the weight practically felt twice as heavy on each lift. Not sure why.. I recovered pretty well I think. Meh. I picked up a new protein powder today, I was taking one before which I'm pretty certain was dried up and powdered sewage that they threw into a fancy looking tub and labeled it whey protein.

This is the one I bought:

My review:

Taste - 9/10

Mixability (miscibility?) - 10/10

Texture - 9/10

Overall - 9/10. Ballin! Then again, anything would taste better after the last brand of protein I bought, which I probably shouldn't flame over the interw3bzz.

I don't usually take protein on a consistent basis, but from time to time I'll use to just for convenience sake. I won't sacrifice eating decent food in place of a protein shake - the other nutrients you'll miss out on are just as important.

Squat - 370 8x3
Bench - 255 8x3 Missed the last rep. Sue me.
Deadlift - 390 1x5 Wasn't too bad, actually pretty good.

Getting Cut Off in the Gym

You know when you get cut off while driving and for a few minutes you're like wtf wtf.. that happened to me today in the gym, yeah, IN the gym. Not actually, but similar concept.

There I was minding my own business doing power cleans in a space probably 2x2 meters cos that's all the space this garbage gym has.. I did my first rep and this guy starts doing his cable chest exercise crap and pulls the cables out right in front of me and I had to stop and wait for him to finish before carrying on. His fellow biceps buddy realized what an idiot move that was and apologized and so did he. Lesson learnt, next time continue anyway and let him realize how stupid he was.

Overall it wasn't a bad lifting day, but I feel I'm starting to do a bit of my own thing in terms of reps and sets rather than follow 100% what's on the program. I changed power cleans to 7 doubles today instead of 5 triples cos at the weight I'm at now 5 triples is making me miss my last few reps. Don't stress the details, get something done that's half decent and you'll be doing better than most of the people I see on a daily basis in the gym.

I saw some guy today wearing some ab thing that did something like work his abs while he exercised, and by exercised I mean did every variation of biceps muscle activation possible, and apparently working abs and biceps at the same time makes you look like this:

Squat - 435 Three singles
Press - 207.5 One single - didn't feel too bad, I'm surprised I got the bar overhead so quickly
Clean - 204 Seven doubles. Not too bad, except for my first rep where I scratched my neck with the bar while racking it. Smooth.

Gym G.I. Joe

Lifting went pretty well today. I had the entire weight room to myself which was nice for a change. Last week while doing power cleans some guy walked right into the bar mid-lift thinking he was G.I. Joe or something, then walked it off like it was nothing. Oh and he didn't even apologize. That's typical gym-machoness for you.

I'm gonna try doing something this week called 'not missing my reps'... we'll see how that goes. Intensity days have been slowly getting worse. I've gone from 1 set of 5 reps to 3 singles to 2 singles. Not sure why, but I'll see how this Friday goes and adjust. Maybe the weight is too high, or maybe the gap between my Monday and Friday lifts is too big.

I'm happy I got my presses in this week. I stopped at the third set 2 weeks ago when I was pressing last, so that says something.

Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 175 8x3
Deadlift - 385 1x5

The Evolution of Knowledge

I started working out/weightlifting/moving around heavy things/whatever you wanna call it consistently about three and a half years ago, although I'd gone to the gym on and off before that, but without any clear goal in mind, just sort of whenever I felt like it. I started after a short trip to my cousin in Barrie who put me on a program he'd made up and I went to the gym with him for a couple of days and basically did as he told me. I was definitely lifting more than I should have at that point, but then again I didn't know any better, and I think my cousin just wanted to help me get big fast. Back then I knew nothing about weightlifting. I just thought do lots of reps of as much weight as you can lift everyday and you'll look like a cover model in a couple of months. It wasn't until year or so later that I finally listened to a friend who told me that taking days off is necessary.

At the time I was working on a split routine which I continued doing for the next year and a half or so with slight variations. Ever since, I've tried different things (which I'll talk about later), but always with a focus on split body part training. I thought this was the way to work out, partly because I was new to lifting weights and partly because I didn't know any better. My focus was on getting big and strong, with more focus on the big part. I would do a typical routine like - bis and back one day, tris and chest the other day, a 'legs' day, and then other things like 'core' work and 'abs' or whatever. Little did I know that if you can squat 400 pounds, or even 300, there's nothing you can't do that someone who does 4000 sit-ups can.

I started consuming copious amounts of protein and following generic routines you'd find in typical exercise magazines. Lots of protein is still required for anyone that lifts heavy weight to help with recovery, but at the time I didn't know about how many grams I needed, how fast different types of protein get absorbed in the body, or that protein powders were just fancy weightlifting 'necessities' that could simply be replaced by food. I fell for simple marketing scams that made you think tubs of protein with flashy colours and fancy labels were the best products. I still consume protein powder from time to time, but for nothing more than convenience sake, and not because I think it's any 'better' than a can of tuna or a chicken breast.

Over the next year and a half or so I stuck mostly to split routines, but tried a couple of body recomposition type programs. Actually I tried one specific program; twice. It was Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0. It sounds cheesy sure, but little research on the the guy will show you that he knows his stuff, and people who follow his programs to the t end up with the promised results. I tried it but couldn't go through with the whole 2 months. I followed it for 1 month and decided I like food too much. Kudos to my friend Robby Costa for putting up with my attitude that came along with a low-carb diet. I only realize now how grumpy I can be when I'm deprived of carbs. Imagine a hungry animal behind a zoo cage with a hundred kids staring from behind the bar while poking them with a long stick... something like that. I did some research on the program before starting it and after reading the book, which is basically a physiology book I decided to give it a go.

Anyway, it got me decent results, but just wasn't what I needed (or even could do) in the long run. Part of the reason I stopped was that I thought to myself ok great, I do this program for 2 months, get the results, then what? I know the answer is to maintain but I couldn't find anything that really showed me how to do that, and unless I could find a way to make sure the hard work wouldn't go to waste, it didn't seem worth it.

I realized what I needed was something that got me stronger, more useful and didn't put a limit on how much I could eat in a day. I made the move to powerlifting and haven't looked back since. There's tons of programs out there and hundreds of thousands of different routines to follow and everyone has an opinion on what's the better method of training. The majority of people I've seen in all the gyms I've lifted in will follow more or less similar routines and have similar goals. I've tried many programs, all for different purposes and all with promises that you'll achieve x, y and z faster. Despite my usual posts about gym absurdity, different programs have different goals and that's fine. They're good for what they are and if they serve their purpose then that's fine. I had to try different things to find what I liked, and what works for me might not work for the next person. I've had to go through different programs to realize what my body responds to the best. I'm someone who has the ability to lift heavy, but if I do I need the food to recover from it, which I can do if I couple that with the right amount of sleep.

I'm not saying other programs or methods of training are bad; I just needed something where the result left me feeling useful and stronger. Looking back, going in to the gym and doing triceps pushdowns, then hammer curls, then leg presses, lunges, triceps kickbacks and dumbbell flys didn't do much for me other than help me achieve a certain physique. I'm not saying I don't care anymore about how I look in the mirror, but after squatting over 400 pounds and pulling as much off the floor, you end up with a different feeling. Moving heavy objects around on a day-to-day basis becomes easy; and it's that feeling I'm going after, the feeling that what you're doing in the gym translates into everyday life and doesn't end the moment you walk out of the changing room.

I have lots of respect for people who do what they do if it requires extreme discipline and dedication; whether that's the guy pumping out 1000 curls a day or the person who is working through an intermittent fasting approach to weight loss. Both are tough and both will end in results. You come to know what's right for you not from the first month or two you walk into a gym, but after trying various methods of training. All of our bodies work differently, so how is it that personal trainers put people on the same routines with minor variations? I've seen it happen in front of me. People of completely different body types are doing the same exercises as each other for the same set and rep scheme. Why they don't bother to do some research, see what's out there, and apply it to themselves is beyond me. If you're new to exercise in general, then look up some programs, work through some of them and see what you respond to the best and learn how your body responds to different types of exercise and nutrition.

Before going into Ultimate Diet, I was really excited about it and determined to get results. I couldn't finish it because it just wasn't for me, plain and simple. Call it lack of willpower if you want, but I'd rather put my focus into something that my body can respond to. I didn't see it as taking the easy way out; powerlifting if anything requires just as much mental power and dedication, but my body responds better to it.

Take time to go through different methods of training until you find what works for you. I've read tons of articles on training, nutrition, studies, journals, trainers offering different opinions and it was something I needed to do to be able to figure out what's good for me. Don't take someone's opinion without questioning it first and seeing what perspective it's coming from. I've received powerlifting advice before from a bodybuilder. I knew right away to discredit it because him and I have different goals and training methods. Read and learn what's out there and don't buy into people's arguments too easily. For example, if you read a journal article, look at who funded the research. It should be pretty clear if the data is biased or was independently run. That's just one example, there's many others if you think a bit. Doing basic research on nutrition really opened my eyes to the basic marketing scams we fall for everyday. Whole grain this and whole grain that, and products coming in fancy organic coloured packaging that look healthier are not necessarily healthier. They might be, but not always. Look at the ingredients then judge. Read any article on shopping psychology and you'll get what I mean. There are some articles that literally list out the most common things we fall for in a supermarket and how to avoid them. I knew that I knew this, it just took some simple research from my end to actually see it first hand.

I've started talking about nutrition which is a whole different side of this. Same principle, but I feel the amount of information and number of opinions is much higher. How many times have you seen people go on diets and pick out low fat food, or people tell you so and so told them about the latest soup diet they read about that some lame celebrity is on so they have to try it, or someone telling you they absolutely have to lose 15 pounds in the next 4 minutes. I've learnt to listen only to my own opinion when it comes to food and no one else's; at least not before questioning it. I'm not saying my diet is perfect, but I won't sit there listening to someone telling me what to eat when all they eat is low fat cheese and avoid olive oil because it'll make them fat.

Food these days seems as a way to get to a desired physique. It's no longer considered for it's health benefits. People avoid burgers so as not to put on weight, but still eat low-fat yoghurt that's pumped with chemicals and artificial flavouring. Olive oil has many benefits for the heart; sure it might be high in calories, but cutting out certain other processed foods will keep your caloric intake balanced. I need to know first hand that someone's advice is actually valid before I'll buy into it.

So after all that, here's what I did yesterday:

Squat - 430 Two singles
Bench - 292.5 1 single
Clean - 199 5x3

I did some cardio today, which I'm starting to enjoy, along with some stretching afterwards. Ballin!

Lunch

Sometimes you hear something so blasphemous that you're momentarily lost for words, even though you know exactly what you want to say. Someone in the gym today told me they were told by someone else not to focus on training their legs so much anymore cos they are getting too big. I came to three conclusions:

1) The person who came up with this theory is an idiot.

2) The person who came up with this theory doesn't belong in a gym.

3) The person who came up with this theory has lost their right to an opinion on anything, gym related or not.

I made what seemed like the best sandwich on earth for lunch. Simple, but amazing for a post-workout meal. Bread, bacon, fried egg, mayo, mustard. Boom. Lunch.

Squat - 300 2x5
Press - 175 3x5

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Squats

Ok I didn't end up changing anything, but I did have a really good training session today. Lifts just felt easier for some reason, which is weird cos last week I had a pretty crappy lifting week so I didn't think I'd be able to handle the volume.

I think I'll just switch to something else when the time comes. Right now I still think I can get a bit more out of Texas; maybe until I'm squatting 4 plates for volume.

I made bacon wrapped chicken for dinner last night. It might have been the best thing I've ever made, and given that Drake's Best I Ever Had was playing while I made it, I can safely say it was no coincidence.

Squat - 370 8x3
Bench - 250 8x3
Deadlift - 380 1x5

It's Official

I'm changing things up on Monday.. I don't have a plan yet, but enough is enough, I need to go back to making some progress. I'm not talking drastic changes, I might even stay on the Texas Method, but just change the order around of the exercises, like put them on different days, or I might change the rep scheme around. I still haven't figured it out 100% but I have a couple of ideas mixing around.

I'm also starting up cardio again as of tomorrow.. I haven't done any consistent cardio in a while and I feel like I need it again. I'll do it once a week and on the weekend so as not to interfere too much with recovery. I'll keep it light-medium intensity. Definitely not for aesthetic reasons. I'll admit I'm on the bigger side, and I'm carrying around some extra weight, but I'm happy with myself and I know I earned the weight because lifting heavy comes with eating at a surplus for a while. I'm thinking of going for 40-50 minutes on the elliptical or spin bike, something like that.

Not too sure why, but I didn't squat too well today, in fact I squatted pretty horribly. I couldn't figure it out cos squatting on Monday and Wednesday went fine, I slept well this week and ate well, so who knows.

Squat - 425 Two singles - Not good
Press - 198 1 rep max. Easy Peasy.
Clean - 194 5x3 - Not too shabby.

How To Squat

Nothing crazy happening, so I'll write a short blurb about squatting cos I was explaining this to someone today. Squatting is primarily a hip motion; so you descend and ascend by moving the hips (butt) down and out, rather than making the mistake most people do which is to lower and raise the chest. Think of yourself sitting back in a chair as you're going down. Most important is to keep lumbar extension and not relax your lower back, this will significantly increase your risk of injury.

The video below is an excellent demonstration of how to squat properly.. the movement if done correctly looks a little, weird, to say the least, but to be strong like bull you'll need to make some sacrifices.



Squat - 300 2x5
Bench - 205 3x5

I'd like to get to the 5 plate mark one day, hopefully by this time next year that will happen.. maybe not on a Texas Method setup, we shall see.

Monday

I think I'm getting to the point where I need to change things up, and quick. The week off did me good, but I can see more missed reps coming soon. It might even be as simple as needing to train in a different gym, just for a change in scenery and also cos the equipment at my gym sucks. My dog was also chewing her bone really loudly last night, and that kept me up for a while, so I'm blaming it on sleep today.

What kind of gym plays two songs at the same time? Like two actual songs, playing at the same time through the same sound system. The gym I go to decided that would be a good idea to do today. It sounded like a really, REALLY bad mix, at some point it was Grenade by Bruno Mars playing over some Eurotrash dance beat and they were out of rhythm just enough to make it sound like a really bad attempt at mixing the two songs.

Squat - 365 5x5
Press - 170 Don't even want to talk about it
Deadlift - 375 1x5

Friday

Friday went pretty smoothly, glad to say I have no complaints outside of the people walking in with their belts on then proceeding to curl for 2 hours straight.

I rediscovered my love for bacon this weekend. I made some pretty good burgers with bacon and onion stuffed inside the patty. NOMS!

Squat - 435 Three singles
Bench - 295 1x3
Clean - 189 5x3

Monday

Taking that week off was definitely a good idea. It was still hard to get up at 5 and work up the umph to work out, but meh, I did it anyway. I dropped the weight a little and didn't have too much trouble lifting today.

The best part about the break was that the constant pain in my brachioradialis muscle region was completely gone. It wasn't constant, but it would come and go every time I'd work out and if you look carefully at around 10 seconds in on my last bench video you'll notice me slightly drop the weight as I'm lowering the bar to my chest.. that was because of the pain. In conclusion, I can only attribute this cure to my awesomeness.

Before I benched today I looked over at the bench to make sure it wasn't being used and I wasn't surprised to see someone 1) sitting on the bench, 2) wearing a belt, and 3) curling, as well as assisting himself with his other arm to curl the weight up. I don't know what to say.

I was a little worried about my deadlift form since I seem to get stuck around the same weight, but it looked decent today, so maybe it's getting better.

Squat - 365 5x5
Bench - 240 5x5 (missed the last rep of the 4th set, no biggie)
Deadlift - 370 1x5

Getting Swole!

I think taking this week off was definitely a good idea for the following reasons 1) I got to sleep in everyday, 2) My CNS needed the break.. squatting and deadlifting in the same day for months on end is very taxing, 3) My drive to lift is coming back, and it was not a good idea because I paid the gym a week for nothing.. sad times.

I need to start cleaning up my diet a bit. Ever since I started working eating out became too easy. I remember when I would have 6 eggs for breakfast with oatmeal, peanut butter and a banana. What the hell was I thinking. I could maybe still do it now, I just wouldn't eat for days afterwards. I need to change things up a bit, if anyone has any fantastical breakfast ideas let me know. I'm thinking of something along the lines of: M&M's, milk, caramel sauce and McChickens.

My goal as of late is to raise a standard sized car off its back (or front) wheels. I haven't tried it or given it too much thought, but after reading that article I posted recently about the guy who lifted a car off of someone, I'd like to think if need be I could do the same.

Next week I'll start by dropping the weight 10% or so and work up from there.

Time For a Break

I'm thinking of taking a week off from the gym, it might be good for me, I'm just getting really tired and coming back after that week off really helps get back into things. It's a good idea to do it every once in a while, just to recharge and give your body time to rest.

I've seem to come to the point where I need to do Friday's squats in singles, rather than a 3 or 5 rep set. 3 singles seems good enough for now.

Squat - 440 3x1 Not too bad.
Press - 205 1 single. Was meant to do two reps but there was no way that was happening
Clean - 199 5x3

Monday

I worked out yesterday at night for the first time in I donno, a year or so. It was like a gym-version of I Am Legend, when all the zombie-type things come out, except the zombie-type things are the muscleheads. I learned about 6 ways to work out my biceps yesterday that I didn't know existed, and all of them required you manipulating your limbs in ways that you would only see someone do in the circus.

I had some trouble pressing 175 today, especially on the last two sets, but what do you expect when you're almost pressing a tractor trailer. EL OH EL. Really though, the cargo area was empty, so it wasn't that heavy.

Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 175 8x3 - ish
Deadlift - 385 1x5

Saturday

I didn't go to the gym yesterday.. first time that's ever happened. I just couldn't bring myself to go for a few reasons and I'm glad I waited till today cos lifting today went pretty well.

I think my power cleans go in cycles - 1 or 2 weeks bad, 1 week good, 1 or 2 weeks bad, 1 week good.. no explanation. I was cleaning 90kg today relatively easily and I don't know why. Last week I was struggling with 87.5kg.

Doing curls in a squat rack should be made illegal. If I'm ever in a position to create laws I will see it gets done.

Squat - 435 3 singles
Bench - 292.5 1x2 Second rep wasn't that good
Clean - 198 5x3 Surprisingly well - not looking forward to the traps pain tomorrow.

Welcome To The Male Delivery Room

Otherwise known as the gym I go to. If you've ever wondered what it's like to hear men giving birth, I invite you to come spend an hour in my gym. When you're squatting 10 kilos, the last thing you're entitled to do is let out a Tarzan call after each rep and walk around like you own the gym. I end up losing my focus cos even with my iPod on, I still have to put up with the sounds of a live birth going on behind me.

Today was the definition of uncomfortable - sitting at a desk all day after squatting is no fun. I need to start stretching and maybe I'll carry my foam roller in my bag to work.. that won't look awkward will it?

Squat - 370 5x5 They felt somewhat good today.. Not as hard as I was expecting. Hello new muscles!
Bench - 250 8x3 Good, but almost missed the last rep. Glad the guy who just gave birth was around and had the energy to semi-spot me.
Deadlift - 380 1x5 Good.

This is a really good article to read. Enjoy

Friday

I think writing my posts within an hour or so of leaving the gym is probably a good idea - all my ideas are still fresh in my head still. I don't really know what the hell I was doing in the gym today. It started out fine then got progressively worse. Let me explain. I always start by squatting - it takes the most effort and all your energy should be reserved for a good squat session. They were okay, not the best, but not the worst either.

Then came pressing. I was going for a new PR of 207.5. Before lifting it I was looking at the weight and I thought good, okay, this is heavy, or rather this looks heavy, but hey maybe I'll get it, I haven't failed a press PR yet. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was insanely difficult. I could barely extend my elbows past 90 degrees, so basically I was just holding the bar. I wasn't too happy, so I tried again and missed. I dropped the weight by 2.5 kilos and made the rep.

Finally came power cleans. I won't talk about them much cos they were a big disaster. I don't know what happened today, but they were just plain and simple - bad. I dropped the weight, then raised it back up, then did some half-assed sets and called it a day.

Some gym atrocity:
1) Fellow gym bro telling his fellow gym bro how to spend an hour on biceps exercises.
2) You don't wear your bluetooth earpiece to the gym - in fact, you don't wear it at all.
3) If you've been training with a personal trainer for 6 months and look the same, something is seriously wrong with your approach to exercise.

Squat - 430 1x3
Press - 204 1RM
Cleans - don't want to talk about it.

Monday & Wednesday

I need to keep up with this blog thing; I've been slacking lately. I doubt there are any consistent readers out there, but on the off-chance that there are, I apologize. I also need new things to write about. I started this off as an exercise/nutrition/weightlifting type blog, and I'd like to keep it that way, but sometimes you just run out of things to say.

Since today's Thursday I'll post up Monday and Wednesday's workouts here. Some lifts are getting better. My bench has surprisingly felt easier this week; I usually feel like that's the one I struggle with the most. Now I can go around talking about how much I bench while flexing my pecs and looking all swole. Ballin! Why whenever you work out is the first question you're asked, how much do you bench? What's the correlation between pushing weight off your chest and generally how badass you are?

Olympic weightlifters throw hundreds of pounds up in the air (not literally), but you get the point.. and they don't bench because it limits shoulder mobility. Are they not considered 'strong' anymore? I beg to differ.

Monday:
Squat - 365 5x5
Press - 170 8x3
Deadlift - 375 1x5

Wednesday:
Squat - 300 2x5
Bench - 220 3x5

Back extensions and pull ups (to work the guycepsss)

New PRs

Friday was better, I got new PRs and was pretty happy about them. A couple of them are on video so I'll post them up fo all y'all. I've said it before, but I decided that I'm most definitely training in the wrong gym. You need to be somewhere that helps you reach your potential in whatever you do, and whether that means having the right equipment or training with the right people, it's important to feel like you're comfortable and in 'the zone'. Compare someone training with people with completely different interests and with half-assed, partially working equipment to someone training with people who share a similar passion in weightlifting and offering each other advice, as well as a coach giving constructive feedback and using bars, racks and plates that actually work and aren't about to break. Who's more likely to reach their potential?

Anyway, enough preaching, here are the videos.

3 rep max @ 425 pounds:



1 rep max at 290 pounds:

Not My Week

Okay so I decided that this isn't my week, it wasn't just Monday and possibly having an off day. I missed another rep today which I shouldn't have and subsequently decided that this whole week was garbage. Actually it all started last Friday. Hopefully this Friday will be better.

I tried pressing 170 for 3x5 and missed the last rep of the second set but then got the whole third set. Presses progress the slowest and continue to progress the slowest, and that includes shoulder and bench press. It's a good idea to microload at this point. These are basically weight plates you put on the bar that weigh less than the smallest plate you'll find in a gym; they're called fractional plates. For example they come in 0.25 pounds, 0.5 pounds, etc. That way you can still progress when you see that 5 pound jumps each week aren't working anymore.

Squat - 290 2x5
Press - 170 3x5 (Except for the last rep)

Monday

I got to the gym today and realized I forgot my iPod, no biggie, I hate the pop trash they play in the gym but I figured okay, it's bearable. Then it turns out I also forgot my schedule. At that point I considered going back home and getting them both but that would mean a 20 minute delay. I had to make sure I actually didn't forget my work clothes, otherwise I'd be showing up in lifting shoes and a sweaty shirt.

I remembered the numbers for my work sets but I had to guess all the warm up numbers. Luckily by now I have a good idea of what to lift for each warm up set, so I didn't make too big a deal out of it.

Squat - 365 5x5 (took it down a bit)
Bench - 240 8x3
Deadlift - 370 1x5

200kg!!

Today was the first day I missed a rep; no biggie. I decided to try it again a single and got it. I took it a little bad when I missed it, but then I realized people miss reps all the time, it's normal.

I'll attribute this to one of three things: 1) I recently dropped volume weight down quite a bit, 2) I didn't eat/sleep/recover enough during the week, 3) I just didn't have a good gym session today. Or it's a combination of the three in a ratio of 12:10:8. I used science to figure that one out.

Squats - 200kg! or 440 pounds - 1x2; was going for three then missed the last rep. I wasn't happy at this point, so for my sanity I did a single and I was fine.

Press - 190 1x3 (hard; quite hard actually, but felt good)

Clean - 184 5x3 (I think I'm happy with the way these are progressing; a few technical fixes over the last month or so has helped a hundred fold). I remember trying my max for cleans about 2 months ago and getting to about 75 for one rep. That was before I worked on my form. I'm at 84 kilos now for 5x3 and they aren't feeling too hard at all. BALLIN!

What am I doing this weekend? Enjoying my new 46 inch LED TV. Don't be a hata'

Wednesday

Nothing big happened today - except the usual awesomeness that is a-squatting. I'm not sure what that meant, if it meant anything at all.

Squat - 300 2x5
Bench - 215 3x5

The Bigger Picture

Yesterday was one of those days where multiple times I considered just dropping everything and leaving in the middle of working out. I really had no drive or motivation in the gym. It's not common, but you'll come across days like that which I think is fine. It's normal sometimes not to feel too pumped or maybe you have other things on your mind so really being focused on the workout becomes a challenge.

Don't worry about days like those, it's the bigger picture that counts. Nobody has a perfect track record in anything, there's always ups and downs if you zoom in (on a hypothetical graph of progress), and as long as you feel that on the whole you're improving in what you do then you should be fine.

I did end up finishing the day at the gym but had I had more energy/drive/whatever, it might have been easier or more enjoyable (as if Mondays are ever enjoyable). I don't like the feeling of leaving half way, and it completely messes up the week. Mondays prepare you for Friday on the Texas Method. The other option was just to take the week off, which I've done before when I felt mentally and physically drained. This is also okay.

Squat - 370 5x5
Press - 165 8x3 (hard)
Deadlift - 405 1x5 (I'm thinking of resetting these; I'm not happy with form)

Next Level Atrocity

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to go to another gym today. I hoped that this would be a new chance to see some new gym atrocities; and I was right. Oh. My. God.

1) When your legs look like my cutlery the last time I ate sushi, it's time to start working on them.

2) Those barbells with black plastic ends, shorter overall length, and that weigh half the standard weight have no place in a gym.

3) Weight plates that look like they were attacked by a bunch of hungry beavers leave you wondering how much they actually weigh. I'm sure I lifted a good amount less than I thought I did today because the plates all looked gnawed and chipped away.

4) Personal 'trainers' with less knowledge about exercise than my soda water bottle are more common than I thought.

5) Bandanas, ripped body-building shirts and pimping chains are not to be worn unless you're working out on Muscle Beach.

6) It's rude to stare. Plain and simple.

Squat - 435 1x3
Bench - 272.5 1x3
Clean - 174 5x3

Food - my famous chicken strips and tortellini. Hata'

Monday

Taking the volume down a bit on Monday definitely turned out to be a good idea. It was much more doable and I didn't feel like Mondays might be the death of me.

One other thing I learnt that might help anyone learning the deadlift is when you go to lift the weight, try not to jerk it off the floor. It makes it much more difficult thank if you think of it as a smooth, slow motion. Just lift it off the floor in a deliberate and controlled way, don't jerk it.

Squat - 370 5x5
Bench - 240 8x3
Deadlift - 400 1x5

Friday

I don't know what makes me more mad; a personal trainer who teaches someone how to do something wrong, or a personal trainer who after teaching someone to do something wrong starts texting on his phone while said person is helplessly lifting weight and getting closer to injury. I had the pleasure of witnessing this today, so I felt obliged to say something about it.

I don't think I was meant to be in the gym today, half of what I did looked like garbage, and the other half was on its way to looking like garbage.

Squat - 430 1x3 (I almost didn't make the last rep, but then I did. Next level shizznit!)
Press - 187.5 1x2 (Damn straight. Getting closer to pressing my bodyweight, which is an achievement in itself)
Clean - 174 5x3 (Picture throwing a bucket of water on someone the second they start lifting something heavy. That's what my first rep looked like, and from there I knew it wasn't going to be a good day)

I'll take this weekend to work on the new setup I'll use. I think I'll drop the weight for volume and go up once a month and keep intensity at a 5 pound increase/week.

Post-workout activities: IKEA

Wednesday

Pretty soon I'll be changing things up a bit; squatting 400 pounds for volume on Monday is starting to become borderline psycho. I can do it for now, but pretty soon I'll need to work on something different in terms of programming.

I've been told (from reputable sources) that dropping volume a bit and only increasing once a month while increasing intensity every week should be enough to drive adaptation and keep progress going. Not bad, I'll do it.

Since my gym is so garbage that they only have one squat rack, I had to share this morning. It was a nightmare. Especially since the guy was so much taller than me and kept racking the bar up high and I'd have to go on my toes to reach it. Moron. We're not all 8 feet tall.

Curls - 3x10
Wrist curls - 3x10
Tri-pulldowns - Kept going till new muscles appeared
Bench (incline, flat and decline) - 3x20
Treadmill - 2 hours
AbzZz - 800 situps in 4 minutes

What actually happened:
Squat - 300 2x5
Bench - 210 3x5 (felt easier for some reason. MUSCLES!)

Food - all that is in my way.

Hair Fluffing

The first though that goes through my mind on Monday mornings when I wake up is, Is this really worth it? Why the hell am I getting up so early to go put myself through so much. By the time I leave the house though I'm feeling much more energetic and ready to destroy that weight.

By the time I'm done my first set of squats, I'm usually think to myself, Is this really worth it? Why the hell am I even bothering to put myself through so much. It's by the time I'm done squatting that I think, that was good, I just proved I can lift 390 pounds 25 times. Good stuff brah!

I also reached the 4 plate mark on deadlifts which felt good.

I saw some guy fix his hair in that fluffing it sort of way before he started squatting on the Smith machine. At that moment I gave up on humanity.

Squat - 390 8x3
Press - 160 8x3
Deadlift - 395 1x5

Ballin!

Friday

Nothing special happened today, sadly. The gym was unusually empty for a Friday, so I took advantage and went into reckless mode.

Squat - 425 1x3
Bench - 275 1x3
Clean - 165 5x3 (these felt easier today, but that's probably cos my form looked like garbage)

FINALLY!

Finally, someone gets it. Today at work I was discussing weightlifting with someone, and after explaining to her what I do, she says something like, so you can move fridges and stuff if you need to right?

Well, maybe not a fridge, but she got the point! If need be, I can gladly make a huge contribution to moving - if not moving myself, the aforementioned objects (and the sort). Mr Biceps Boys and his fellow crew will find it that much more difficult, if not be able to at all.

Learning to use your muscles is completely different to building muscle. A bodybuilder or someone who trains along those lines hasn't learnt to use his muscles in the same way through neural efficiency as someone who trains for strength. How does a baseball player who has small shoulders than me know how to throw a ball faster than I can? I'm glad you asked. It's because he's learnt to use his muscles in a way that allow for this.

Squat - 305 2x5
Press - 155 3x5

Back extensions and pull ups.

Tell me this guy wouldn't be helpful in carrying your groceries.

Evil Glares From the Netherworld

I think some of my squats today looked partly like Good Mornings which is not good, at all. It was only 1 or 2 reps so I wasn't too bothered by it.

I made the mistake of asking someone for a spot on my last bench set. At the point he grabbed the bar and lifted it to help me unrack the bar I knew what this guy was doing. He was basically holding on to the bar the entire time and pulling it up for me. He was doing all the work and I was taking the credit for it. If I wanted that much assistance I would have used the Smith machine. You only help someone lift the bar if they absolutely cannot lift it anymore. I didn't ask him to come lift the bar while I extend my hands up and down looking like a moron.

Then when I was deadlifting, this woman had the nerve to give me the ultimate look of death when I drop the bar. Sorry, next time I'm lifting 385 pounds I'll be sure to take my time and lower it gently as not to hurt your precious eardrums. >:[

Needless to say I was so mad after that that I didn't consider trying the last bench set again on my own. I just walked out all 'in yo face'.

Squat - 380 8x3
Bench - 230 7x3 (and a half; if it wasn't for that idiot lifting the weight for me)
Deadlift - 385 1x5 with evil glares

My legs feel like they're going to give in any second, so I will be bringing a mobile ice-bath with me to work from now on with a wireless mouse and keyboard so I can still you know, work.

Friday

- Have you ever noticed how the girls that spend hours in the gym never seem to break a sweat? Why is that? It can't be cos they're aimlessly walking around the entire time modelling in the latest sports clothes rather than actually exercising.. no it can't.

- If you think you're so important that you need to bring both your BlackBerries to the gym and check them every 8 seconds, then you don't belong in a gym.

- If you're a personal 'trainer', then you should at least have the knowledge to teach people how to perform the exercises correctly, rather than show them how to prepare themselves for serious future injuries.

- If you're a personal 'trainer', then it doesn't mean that you're qualified to teach people how to improve their functional strength.

- If you're doing anything other than a pull, you don't need straps, otherwise you look like an idiot.

- Just because you can leg press 15 plates, it doesn't mean you can squat 15 plates, you can probably squat 1 plate.

- If you're paying a personal 'trainer' to do nothing more than give you a few hours of attention every week, then you're probably getting nowhere.

- If you approach me in the gym and try to teach me how to powerlift using examples related to bodybuilding, you are no longer entitled to an opinion on anything. Ever.

Squat - 420 1x3
Press - 187.5 1 rep max
Clean - 164 5x3 (not easy)

Wednesday - Posted on Thursday

Nothing too amusing happened today at the gym, so I have nothing to comment on.

Squat - 300 2x5
Bench - 205 3x5

Back extensions
Pull ups 3x12

Expect to see me powerlifting in the Philippines soon.

8x3.. WHAT WHAT!

Today was interesting; both in a good and bad way. I had to wake up at 5 to use the extra time in the gym for the new (old?) 8x3 setup. It's hard to get up and motivated at that time, but after eating everything in sight for breakfast I was ready to go.

8x3 is definitely doable, the only thing is it feels like it's never going to end. I think it took me 45 minutes or more to finish squatting. Overall it wasn't too bad, at least I didn't feel like I might not finish.

I was talking to someone the other about supplements and he was telling me how his roommate takes every supplement known to man. I had to pull over and face palm. Supplements have lost all meaning; you supplement with something when it's missing from your diet, you don't use it to replace your diet. Guys who live off of pills and powders don't know what they're doing. They're ruining their bodies and empyting their wallets. I go back to saying, the only supplements that I believe have stood the test of time are whey protein and creatine. Years of marketing and muscle magazines and hundreds of thousands of ads made people believe that supplements are necessary if you work out. That's absolute garbage.

Squat - 380 8x3
Press - 155 5x5
Deadlift - 385 1x5

Taking my time today made a huge difference. If it's worth it to you, try to find a way to make some more time in the gym if you see you're rushing through your workout, and you'll notice that taking slightly longer breaks in between sets can make all the difference.

Friday

I like being able to take my time on Fridays in the gym, it makes actually doing the lifts a little more possible since I can take my time with technique, and more importantly, rest between sets. I usually can't wait to leave by the time I'm on my last set which is power cleans (Cleans of Power!), and it usually is the case that my last rep looks like my first attempt ever at the movement. This is most likely a combination of wanting to get the hell out of there and getting my ass kicked from the 'workout'.. gotta work on ma fitnessss boiii.

It's nice to have people ask you for help on their form, and even nicer when they stop you in the gym to shake your hand because they were impressed by what you're doing. But then it's aggravating to see them not listen to a word you said.. sad times; for them. Hello muscle injuries!

After changing to a 8x3 rep scheme for Mondays I decided 5x5 wasn't that bad and was actually doable; but not anymore. It's destroying me slowly so I'll go back to 8x3 and sadly will need to wake up a little earlier since 8x3 takes a bit longer to finish.

Anyway, I got some pretty decent lifts today, except for my last power clean (Cleans of Power!) which looked more like I was trying to launch the barbell at someone while letting out a primal Tarzan/mating call.

Squats - 415 1x3
Bench - 277.5 1x2 (Was meant to do one rep, but since I'm so fly I got two). Hata'
Cleans of Power! - 159 5x3

Food - Everything in sight, even pianos.

Wednesday

Nothing special today, except someone who made it a point to see how far he can push himself before risking a major back injury. I've seen dumb things in the gym before but this one takes the cake. Why do some people insist on being so stupid?

When you see back curvature as bad as this, you can confirm the person has no idea what they're doing. Using Paintbrush, I've attempted to give a thorough and detailed visual description of what I saw. Behold..

This is what it should look like:

If the weight is too much and you feel like your form is breaking down, drop the weight and work on your form. Injuries are not fun and not worth the stupidity. A deadlift, as this fine young gentleman displayed above was attempting, is a pull using the back and needs a straight back with the natural curve at the lumbar region. Hips stay high, chest is raised up and the bar stays as close to your legs as possible the entire way up and down.

Squat - 300 2x5
Press - 155 3x5 Hard, but doable.

Back extensions and pull ups.

Monday

I think waking up at 5:30 to work out by 6:30 is getting harder to do, especially since Mondays are volume. By the time I was done squatting for some reason I thought about squatting next week and the feeling made me want to quit working out forever. I'm almost at 4 plates for 25 reps on Mondays; it's not easy my friend.

Mark Rippetoe and the crew posted up a new video recently about squat depth, if you're interested here's the link.

It's the second video on the main page

Squat - 380 5x5
Bench - 230 5x5
Deadlift - 380 1x5

Lunch - Everything
Dinner - Everything

What a Lifting Belt Is and Isn't

I'm a little confused about what people consider a weightlifting belt to be. I see people wearing them all the time in the gym for everything that they shouldn't be wearing them for. They're worn from the moment they walk in till they're done. WHAT? WHY?@?!11?1 >:[

I see people wearing a belt when they curl, shoulder press thing, tricep pulldowns, use dumbbells, everything else that's atrocious. This confirms my suspicion that they have no idea what a lifting belt is and what it's meant to do.

During heavy lifts there's a build up of internal pressure in your 'core' that's similar in effect to the val salva maneuver which is a natural response by your body to counter the pressure of the weight. This in a sense stabilizes or protects your spine and keeps your lower back in proper lumbar extension. I don't know why but I've seen some ridiculously stupid looking belts that are a certain width across the front then get much wider at the back. This is dumb and wrong and blasphemous. The belt acts against the abs area. Let me explain. When you're squatting heavy weight you're putting lots of pressure on your back. The point of the belt which mimics the val salva maneuver and exaggerates it is to counter this pressure and cause some stability of the spine and tightness of the back to help you lift better and safer.

If you know what you're doing you'll a) use a belt only for the right exercises, and b) only use it for heavy sets. You don't need a belt when you're curling 5lb dumbbells or walking around looking like an idiot which unfortunately I see way too often. I only use a belt for my heavy sets and even for those I technically shouldn't be. Use the belt too much and your core will under develop and not be able to counter the pressure on its own. At much higher weights though a belt is perfectly acceptable to use. I see people buy these big flashy belts walking around the gym looking like they just won UFC; I'm surprised they don't wear it on their shoulders looking like an even bigger idiot.

It's hard to explain how helpful it is, but the first time I used a belt I felt like I was still on my warm up sets when I was squatting full weight. The tightness it causes on your back is extremely helpful and can easily help you lift much more weight. A proper lifting belt and some good lifting shoes are the only real things any lifter needs. I'll talk about weightlifting shoes another time.

Squat - 405 1x3
Press - 165 1x4 (was meant to do 3, but since I'm such a baller I did 4)
Clean - 152.5 5x3

PEACE OUT

Hello Stupider Ways to Exercise!

uhhhWhattup dumbass exercises?! I feel the need to apologize to my fellow gym goers; I was wrong, there actually are dumber ways to work out that have been omitted in my previous posts. My apologies, I didn't mean to leave out your oh so inspiring ways of stimulating your guyceps while looking like a complete tool.

Did you know that now you can stand on gym machinery to lift weights instead of the conventional sitting method. When you see, say, a seated shoulder press machine, feel free to stand on it and perform shrugs while dirtying the seat and looking like an idiot.

What happened to standard barbell shrugs? Do they not look creative enough? Why does it seem that the more atrocious you look performing a particular exercise, the more effective people think it is? I'm sorry to say that is not true.

Squat - 370 5x5
Press - 148 5x5
Deadlift - 370 1x5

Commitment

I can tell you one thing for sure, being committed to weightlifting is not like being committed to say, working hard to get good grades. You can't go lift weights and walk out of the gym and forget about it till the next time, like you can study, close your books and not worry about it till the next time you study. The extent to which you'll make good progress starts from the moment you leave the gym.

Recovery, which is something I just wrote about, plays a huge part in how well you'll progress. And you don't recover while you're in the gym, you recover the entire time you're out of the gym. Results don't come from going to the gym once a week, a half assed diet and garbage sleeping habits. I never made progress like I've made lately without being fully committed to what I'm doing. I'm proud of the progress I made, but next to the talent out there I still have a long way to go.

Bottom line, if you want to get somewhere in anything you need to be committed to what you're doing. Some things like weightlifting take commitment from many areas in your life, but the results in the end are worth it.

Friday

Squat - 400 1x3
Bench - 250 1x4
Clean - 147.5 5x3

Squat - 295 2x5
Press - 145 3x5

Back extensions
Chin ups

Nothing interesting going on. Sad times.

Recovery

This is probably a topic that gets overlooked a lot in weightlifting or any form of exercise for that matter. I'd give it just as much credibility as the actual process of lifting weights in terms of its contribution to results. People often fall for the mistake in thinking that building muscle, strength or whatever is only a function of their time actually spent in the gym lifting weights. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Think of weightlifting as two parts; the breakdown of tissue (catabolism), and then the regeneration of muscle tissue (anabolism).

Time spent in the gym actually stimulating the muscles by lifting weights ends up in catabolism and lots of microtrauma in the muscle tissues. Loosely speaking, muscle tissues are torn and broken down to some degree. It's the time after that that contributes to the rebuilding of muscle mass. You build muscle when you recover, plain and simple. You can do a thousand squats and a million deadlifts, but unless you're contributing enough to your body's recovery you won't achieve crap.

The biggest factors in recovery are sleep and diet. Other things can also help and I'll discuss them later. I don't know or care which is more important; sleep or food, but without both you're not going to get anywhere. Sleep a lot, tons and tons of studies have shown that regeneration of muscle tissue happens while sleeping as well as the repair of many other cells and tissues in the body as a result of the interaction and work of thousands of hormones and cellular processes. I've had days where I slept a few hours only the night of a heavy workout and woke up trashed the next day. Then there were nights where I got 8 hours of sleep or more and I woke up feeling like new. Unless you experience it it's hard to tell the benefits of a good nights sleep.

Food is the other major factor. A solid diet high in protein for muscle tissue anabolism is very important. I supplement with Omega 3, if not for its millions of other health benefits then solely for its contribution to anti inflammation. Food is fuel for your body, if you stress your body with weightlifting and don't provide it food it won't grow and repair. I wrote a post way back about convenience; the reason it relates to this is that people often find it difficult to eat enough food because they're constantly on the go between work and school and what have you. Make food in large quantities at home and take with you for the week. It's not hard and doesn't take a lot of effort. Good snack foods to take with you when you're out are nuts, tuna, yogurt, trail mix, string cheese, fruits, veggies. All of these are whole foods with essential vitamins and minerals as well as good fats and protein which your body will need when recovering.

I said I'd mention a couple of other small things that could help; foam rolling is a good one, it helps take out the knots in your muscles by applying your body weight on a foam roller to sort of 'iron' them out. Also ice-packs are obviously a good one. I use Voltaren cream or any other muscle cream would do, just something to apply heat, one of those icey hot type creams would do.

Or Maybe Because

You know that feeling before you start writing something where you can just tell it's going to be some of your best work. You have tons of ideas and can't wait to get at the computer to write them, be it for an essay, blog post, maybe you're working on a song. Today's not of those days. Mondays are brutal, and I don't have anything funny or smart to say.

Volume days on the Texas Method were made to let you know what it's like when people say they saw a light in a near death experience. Volume days were made to separate the boys from the men. I wasn't particularly angry at anything today in the gym (the usual gym atrocity aside), but after finishing each set I couldn't sit or stand still, I felt like taking out my post-set rage on a punching bag, and if it happened to ask my why I was so mad I wouldn't know what to say; I would just apologize to it. Maybe it's because the sets are so hard and take so much out of you, or maybe it's because squatting 370 pounds for 25 reps is not what I want to be doing at 6:30 am. Or maybe it's because the barbells in my gym are garbage, or maybe because it's 3000 degrees outside and my gym decided that AC is a luxury and should be reserved for anything greater than 3000.

Either way, volume days are not getting easier, but they're made to set you up for Friday when you lift new weights and set new records.

Squat - 370 5x5
Bench - 225 5x5 Missed the last rep. Sad days ahead..
Deadlift - 370 1x5

4 Plates!

Today was a good day. I finally achieved the 4 plate mark and oddly enough it felt better than I thought. It's a good feeling when you know today you did something you were never able to do before.

Here's a short video of it, excuse the crappy video quality it was filmed on a phone.



Squats - 395 1x3
Press - 165 1x3
Clean - 142.5 5x3 (These are getting much better)

I'm sad to say I have no absurdity to report today. Maybe people that go to my gym read my blog and un-stupidified themselves, who knows.

Squat 290 2x5
Bench 198 3x5

Back extensions and chin ups

Did You Know?

Ok maybe I spoke too soon, training at 6 am isn't that bad. I had to change my schedule around but it was worth it, getting up at 5:30 will be my new Monday routine.

It was actually a little busier than I thought today, will I ever get away from the Biceps Boys?!

I never realized there were 18 variations of every exercise, today's gym session really opened my eyes to new methods of training. Did you know you can curl:

1)while standing
2)while sitting
3)while lying on the floor with legs raised in the air
4)while squatting
5)while squatting with one leg
6)while squatting with one leg on a Swiss ball
7)while squatting with one leg on a Swiss ball while hopping with the other leg through a flaming hoop
8)while standing on a bench (this MUST have something to do with the lesser amount of oxygen higher up in the atmosphere of the room causing your lungs to work harder and subsequently relaying that effort into your biceps)
9)while texting
10)while on the treadmill
11)while casually walking around the gym carelessly swinging your arms around. It's only dumbbells in your hand, if you happen to accidentally let go of one you'll only knock someone out, no biggie.

I've been unfortunate enough to witness most of these, with the exception of the flaming hoop, although I'm sure someone's working on that as I write this. I saw one guy today repeatedly ask his personal trainer if benching works his biceps. Needless to say that got me a little frustrated, partly at the absurdity of the question and partly at his obsession with wanting to work his biceps. It made me realize how superficial fitness and exercise has become to some people.

Last Friday while doing cleans this one guy walked in front of me twice and twice he got hit with the bar. I mean you'd think the first time he walked in front of someone throwing a weighted bar in the air and getting hit with it he'd learn a lesson, but apparently I was wrong. It took him getting hit again to realize that you don't walk infront of moving barbells. He had the nerve to give me a 'ouch man that hurt' look. At that point I wanted to launch him across the room but I figured I wouldn't have enough energy to complete my set afterwards.

Squat - 365 8x3 Hard, but manageable.
Press - 145 5x5
Deadlift - 365 1x5

I ended up with some lower back pain that will hopefully clear out by Wednesday after some foam rolling tonight.

Train Smart

Squats - 390 1x3 These felt good today, glad I'm approaching 400. Ballin!
Bench - 252.5 1x3 Was meant to do 2 reps but managed to get a third in.
Clean - 140 5x3 MUCH happier with these.

I reset the weight on cleans a couple of weeks ago to figure out a few technical things, and let me say that was the a very good decision. They felt much lighter today than 140 and racking the bar on my shoulders now comes much easier. I focused on raising my hips at the same rate as the bar rises off the floor, and instead of trying to pull the bar off the floor, it helps to think of the movement as trying to get under the bar as quickly as you can by throwing your elbows out. Those two pointers helped A LOT. Moral of the story, train smart, even if it means sucking up your ego and dropping the weight, it'll help in the long run rather than lifting heavy weight with bad form and risking injury.

Until I can do this, I have not succeeded as a weightlifter.

City & Colour

Every once in a while I'll hear a really good song or discover a new artist that really clicks with me. It's not easy to describe but the best I can do is like saying they write music that is exactly what you want to hear, all the time.

Since I discovered Dallas Green of City & Colour I've completely raised the bar for my standards of music. This guy probably has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard; mellow, soft, and full of emotion. In my opinion his first album 'Sometimes' was the best one so far. It took him ten years to write and after hearing the album you can tell why. He's grown a lot as an artist and his style has changed drastically over the years. 'Sometimes' was a purely acoustic album; the next one 'Bring Me Your Love' was slightly more upbeat. He brought in a drummer and bassist and recorded the album in a very pure way; just instruments and microphones, no major sound editing, just a really intimate feel to the music.

That was about 4 years ago, he's been busy with his band Alexisonfire in the meantime working on a couple of new albums. His third album which comes out this June is called 'Little Hell', and so far he's released one single called 'Fragile Bird'. If you hear any song from 'Sometimes' and compare it to this one, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. I almost wasn't sure if this was him when I first heard the song, and to be honest it'll have to grow on me, it didn't do much for me the first couple of times I heard it. But as all artists grow, they sometimes change their sound, for better or worse, you decide.

Here's a sample from each album:







Todays jim session to be posted later.

Misery - that should define today's training session. I decided to see what it's like to work out before work, at 6am, and it was a horrible, horrible experience. I tried squeezing in a 1.5 hour workout in an hour. Rest times were cut in half and a general look of death took over me.

Nothing major today, other than discomforting leg pain while sitting at work. Would it look weird if I brought my foam roller and rolled around on the floor during lunch? I say no. Maybe people will learn a thing or two about muscle recovery.

Squat - 355 5x5
Bench - 220 5x5 Missed my last two reps, but that probably has something to do with the half assed rest period I took.
Deadlift - 360 1x5 Felt a bit better

After two days of starting a new job I can already tell this will affect my lifting schedule. I'm used to lifting around mid-morning-noon, so my only options now are very very early morning, or late evening.

Given that I hate crowds, I'll probably end up going in the morning when it's nice a quiet and I can resume my barbell launching across the room to amuse myself during rest periods. It will also give me a break from the usual gym atrocity since it hits its peak around afternoon-ish when people are done work. My energy levels are also highest in the morning so that should help.

I haven't had much experience yet but I anticipate lots of sitting down in this job, so I'm pretty sure I can begin to expect a stiff back after some time. Luckily I'm not in a job that requires too much moving, otherwise I would have told them in the interview that DOMS would affect my ability to do a good job.

Hopefully a little walking around and stretching every so often will help. Be aware of whether or not you slouch, I'm sure we all have a tendency to do this. Stretch your legs out to avoid constantly having your quad muscles flexed and it should avoid some unwanted strain.

Either that or engage in some awkward looking stretches during lunch to keep yourself moving and the blood flowing through your muscles. I just might resort to this if sitting for hours on end becomes unbearable.

Foam Rolling Friday

I've been constantly bombarded lately with so much gym atrocity that I'm starting to question why I even go there, and maybe it's me who goes for the wrong reasons. Let me explain. I walk in, warm up, and get to work. I usually occupy a very small area around the squat rack since most of what I do can be done using only that.

What other people do:
-Walk in
-stroll around the entire gym in their clothes and sunglasses (incase anything like 'The Book of Eli' happens, they're ready)
-scan the area for people they know or will pretend like they know
-stand around said people catching up and being a general dumbass, causing trouble and getting in people's way
-go down stairs to the changing room while making eleven hundred pit stops on the way because the gym decided to place an entire shopping mall between the main entrance and the men's changing room
-model for the mirror while changing and catching up on the news on the strategically placed TV incase hair gel prices suddenly drop and they need to invest
-change into their gym clothes that are bought from shops along the lines of Gucci, D&G and Burberry
-walk back up to the weight room and spot someone they know at the other end of the room
-go ask them about their grandmother
-walk back to the weights and for some reason this kills me every time I see it, but they almost 'test' the free weights, like THE NUMBERS AREN'T RIGHT THERE, and they grab them to see which ones feel heavy today making their way along the entire rack. What is the thought process behind this?
-get right into their work sets without warming up because warming up is not how ballers do it
-flex around in the mirror after each set while putting on their 'don't even look at me wrong' face
-after a total of 55,000 sets of an accumulated 720,000 reps (which for the math-impaired equals 13.09 reps per set and I didn't need a calculator cos I read in some BS magazine that thinking about the gym works my brain biceps) they will go give their fellow gym-goers some useless advice they read in a magazine about drinking g0r|lla-jAck3DPoW3rZzZ-XtrRem33-4000 because it gives them super pumpzzz before the gym and of course the most important part is it's all backed by SCIENCCCCE so it must be right. Please, spare me.

Anyway, this was todays work out:

Squat - 385 1x3 Decided to go for triples for intensity since it will let me focus on depth and form.
Press - 165 1x2 Was meant to be a single but I was able to get one more. Ballin!
Clean - 137.5 5x3 Remember I dropped the weight a while ago? It has helped a million fold, my form has improved a lot and I'm finally learning to rack it on my shoulders properly.

I got a foam roller yesterday and I must say this thing is amazing. Apart from looking kinda awkward when using it, it is very useful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone involved in any kind of physical exercise. Here's a video I refer to when using it:

To answer my opening question in my previous post, yes, it is possible to become more awesome than you already are. This mystical transformation from regular awesome to more awesome happened to me today in my kitchen as I was making the best brownies to ever be made since the start of time.

This is what awesome is made of.

Nothing much to report today other than the usual gym atrocity. Someone decided to take up the stupidity a notch today and instead of being a spotter to spot his fellow gym buddy if he needed help, he decided that he would help him out on EVERY. SINGLE. rep. I don't know if it was a pushing exercise for the bench guy or a pulling exercise for the spotter.

I think khakis guy's fashion is starting to catch on because someone was working out in complete casual clothes; I'm talking jeans, a polo (with the collar up of course) and casual shoes. I mean I can completely understand that; he was so serious about working out today that he had no time to waste in the changing room changing into his gym clothes, so for the sake of fitness and strength gains, he would jump right into the workout no matter WHAT he was wearing.

Squat - 280 2x5
Bench - 192.5 3x5

Back extensions and chin ups

I made BBQ pizza for dinner. I knew it was good before it was done because one of my dogs was standing by the oven the entire time.

Is It Possible...

...to be more awesome than you already are? I will let my taste buds answer that question. (I realize I make lots of cocky statements/jokes, but they're all for fun).

I decided to change things up today and make pancakes rather than the usual eggs and oatmeal/bread for breakfast. Given that I've never made pancakes from scratch before, I'd say these turned out pretty AMAZING. That boxed crap is complete garbage. I added chocolate chips and some chopped up white chocolate just to add more flavour.

One of them was particularly good, it had all the right flavours and looked the best, so of course, I dubbed it 'The Chosen One'.

Be jealous. Go on, be.

Gym Atrocity/Food/Music

I never know how to begin these posts, so I'll just get right into it.

I'm working out in the wrong gym. Plain and simple. But I guess I shouldn't complain, at least it's a gym. I usually see the same people every Monday, and either they are getting more and more devoid of any sense of actual physical exercise, or I am becoming more awesome, you decide.

Maybe I didn't get the memo, but was today 'take off your shirt in the gym day?'. I had the misfortune of seeing at least three people lift up their shirts and flex in between sets. They weren't even working on their 'core' or abs, I don't know maybe it was to check if their barely visible two pack had spontaneously vanished. It's funny how it's always the guys with huge upper bodies and barely-there legs.

Some guy was working out in khakis. Enough said.

Apparently iPods are now too small to be carried around in the gym, and the new thing to do is bring your iPad. Either this guy was trying to make a statement, or simply trying to start a new fashion trend. Hell next time I'm bringing my entire laptop and speakers. Forget you, iPod. I'll just connect my headphones to it, wear a back pack and keep it in there. I bet I'll look pretty cool.

Enough making fun. What did I do today? I took the weight down a bit to work on my form. I was getting to a point where form started breaking down, so I did the smart thing and dropped the weight to train my spectacular muscles the right way so they can actually handle heavier weights without injury.

Squats - 350 8x3 - Not so bad, although by the 6th set I was trashed.
Press - 140 5x5 - Easier than I thought. I see a reset pretty soon.
Deadlift - 350 1x5 - Felt a bit heavy. I'll get it videoed next time to see what it looks like.

I decided I was in the mood for chicken today and took it upon myself to make oven fried chicken. I wanted to get a little creative so when I found out I didn't have enough breadcrumbs I found a bag of lime flavoured Tostitos lying around and with the help of my dog I did a combination of rolling and stepping on the bag to crush the chips and use them as a substitute. I also added garlic powder, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper and then dipped them in an egg/mayo mixture. Needless to say they turned out phenomenal and the best part is you can always use a different flavour of chips to see what you like the most.

This is how we do dinner, hata'.

This was my weapon of choice today. Enjoy, they are very good at what they do.

Music

Here are two songs that have constantly been on repeat lately. Without good music I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to get through a gym session properly. There's something about getting mentally prepared for a work out that plays a big part in how well you'll lift.





Ok three..

Gorillas and Lasagna

My favourite thing about going to the gym on Friday is that it's always empty in the morning. So I make the most of this and try to be as loud and reckless as possible, throwing weights across the room, javelin-launching the bars for fun and making gorilla noises while pushing through the last reps.

As explained in my last post, Friday is all about getting new PRs. With that said, these were today's:

Squat 385 1x5, will need to drop the weight a bit or the rep/set setup cos I wasn't happy with these.

Bench - 260, was meant to do a 1 rep max, but ended up doing 3. BOOYAH!

Clean - 135 5x3, dropped the weight a bit to work on technique and it helped, A LOT!

There was a nice HUGE lasagna waiting for me when I got home, at which point I was so hungry I didn't question what was in it. I just scooped up half and dumped it in my plate.

The Texas Method and Beef Stroganoff

Today felt...productive. It's a nice feeling to sit back and think you're squatting 275 pounds on a 'light' day. What do I mean by this? Well let me explain.

Like I said in a previous post, I'm working on a Texas Method template. The basic structure of the program is split up into three days: a volume day (Monday), a light/recovery day (Wednesday) and an intensity day (Friday).

Volume? What the hell is volume? Volume is the final number after you multiply the sets by the reps by the weight. For example, if I did 5 sets of 5 reps of 100 pounds, the volume would be 5 x 5 x 100 = 2500 pounds. A typical Monday of volume for me would be 22,000 pounds, but after you consider all the warm up sets and reps, it's not that hard to get to that number.

The point if volume is basically to overload the system and prepare for Friday. Recovery coming off of volume is very important. I'm usually in the most pain on Tuesdays, but with proper food and rest it's gone by Thursday morning.

Wednesday is just a light day, the point is to still keep the motor patterns working, but not to the point where they affect recovery and interfere with Friday's workout.

Friday is the day when new PRs are set. (PR = Personal Record). New weights are lifted and records are made. The volume is the least on this day, but the intensity is the highest, hence the name. So squats for example are done for 1 set of 5 reps, so low volume, but high weight.

Presses are alternated every other week. So one week would focus on shoulder presses on volume day, and on Friday, a 1, 2 or 3 rep max is done. On Wednesday of that week bench presses would be done, and vice-versa if bench presses had been done on Monday.

So that's the TM in brief.

Today:

Squat 275 2x5
Press 140 3x5
Back extensions 5x10
Pull ups 3 x Failure (I got to 16, 10, 7).

This recipe was made tonight, and ended up looking like this:

It tasted so good I needed a moment of silence to take it all in.