NaterMania

Freya's Day 07May2010

External rotators.

8x10lbs warm up,

8x15 lbs warm up,

7 right, 8 left 25 lbs.

8 right, 10 left 25 lbs.

8 right and left 25 lbs.

Lower trap raises on incline bench, face down with 10 lb dumbbells. These are still tough for me.

Surtr's Day 08May2010

8x20s advanced tuck planche, 60-70s rest. Good work. Getting easier.

I'll be back to a good schedule after my finals are over. So many damn tests, birthdays, weddings, etc this week and next... there are many times when I miss being single and isolated lol!

Slizzard, I probably missed a post somewhere (and I have no time to search for it now) but what brand of ZMA do you recommend?

Thanks a lot!

I'm liking nutrabio.com for two reasons.

One: It's 52 bucks for a 300 day supply of ZMA powder, which comes with a custom sized serving scoop. One flat scoop = 1 serving. Do NOT mix it with water, I believe juice would taste ok but I still don't recommend that because you want low insulin levels at night. Either a sugar-free juice or do what I do. I get a mouth full of water, dump the scoop into my mouth, and then I swallow without swishing or anything. I never taste the stuff, which is fairly bitter/sour.

Two: They use the patented formula. Many people sell a bootleg version and it's crap. You need true chelates, which are minerals molecularly bonded to chains of organic residues, in this case amino acids. Don't let yourself get cheated.

Okay, thanks a lot! I'm especially curious as to ZMA's effects on sleep quality.

You can also order capsules, which obviously takes care of the taste "issue." They are more expensive, but still a good deal.

Mani's Day 10May2010

Morning: BW 231.6 lbs

8 supersets: 20s flat tuck XR FL, 30s rest, 15s L-sit(alternating PB and XR), 45s rest, repeat.

Afternoon so far:

7 Sets front squat 5x155, 5x175, 4x185, 5x205, 4x 215, 5x225.

5 sets push press 3x155, 3x175, 2x185, 1x205, 1x215. 2x fail 225.

4 sets 5 reps XR bicep curls, feet on the ground and bottom of rings at upper thigh.

Later i will do external rotators, probably after my final. I'll update then.

Note: All squats I do are ass to ground unless I specify otherwise.

Evening edit:

Rotator and lower/mid trap work.

New PR on external rotators!

6x10lb

6x15lb

8x25lb

8x25lb

8x30lb!!!!! Kick ass! I'm starting to approach the strength balance I should have. I can't imagine where I will be at the end of the year, but I'm hoping to be doing these with at least 45 lbs. It's amazing how quickly my shoulders are feeling more stable!

I'm not even tired from the work yesterday, it's quite strange! I am going to have fun building my work capacity!

Slizzardman, what do think about this ZMA?

It has all the specific states you mentioned as being the preference, and its 17.99 for 180 caps which is 60 days worth and they have a free shipping promotion at the moment.

http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=1995

It should be fine. Just remember to keep your blood sugar low at the end of the night so that you can get the most out of it, elevated insulin inhibits hormone release. No food for two hours before taking it should be fine, and nothing but slow proteins and fats if you have anything after.

Cool Thanks, I will give it a chance and see what happens . . . I have been having trouble sleeping the past few days anyways.

Back Squat(BS) (4s down, slight pause, drive up, slight pause): adv frog PL (in seconds):

5x155 25

5x175 20

4x205 25

4x245 20

2x275 20

1 negative(neg)x275, 1 bottom position(bp)x225 20

3x265, 1 neg 20

3x 4" bottom lifts x265, 1 bp x225, 1x265, 1 neg x265, 1 bpx225 25

3-5 min rests, planche done during rest.

This is how my back squatting will be from now on, poliquin tempo with Bulgarian-style volume and work capacity. I will go until at least 2x bodyweight is achieved before even thinking about leveling off. I will be doing BS twice a week, FS(Front Squat) twice a week, and SLS work once a week as well once I get to where I am seeing increases with BS and FS. Because I am going ass to ground on all reps I do not expect to lose anything on SLS. If anything, I may end up being stronger there. My eventual goal will be SLS 2x a week as well.

I will be doing upper body similarly, with push presses and HeSPU as my dynamic resistance 2x a week each, and I will be doing my planche work every other day, so 3x one week and 4x the next, alternating. I am not worrying much about dips or PPP/bench press until my external rotator work gets up to 40 lbs for at least a month. Yea, it's a long time off. No, I'm not going to lose any strength. I'll probably be even stronger right from the get-go. Eventually I'll be ramping up to bench and PPP once a week each and dips twice, with once being weighted and once being hard BW variations. I expect to take a year to slowly ramp up to this. By the time next year's Seminar comes around I should be able to show massive improvements in all areas, including the amount of food I can eat per sitting lol!

Evening: 5x45s stomach to wall handstand holds with cast wall walk up and down.

Woden's Day 12May2010

Push press and slow chin up supersets, not sure on rests since I didn't time this one. It took me one episode of Fringe, I know that lol!

5x135, 5x155, 5x175, 4x205, 3x215, failure on 225x 3(these went to eye level only. I waited too long on this one, I got sucked into the show)

I did 2 slow chin ups after four of the sets. I'm ramping up very, very slowly on these. I don't want to screw up my shoulder after working so patiently to finish it. I'll be doing front lever & L-sit quite soon, as soon as I finish my last final.

Night time edit:

Flat tuck FL, legs and hips at 90 degrees:

set time (s), rest time (s)

20, 90

20, 90

20, 120

20, 140

20, 180

20, 210

20, 240

20,

XR L-sit

15, 90

15, 90

15, 90

15, 90

PB L-sit

15, 90

15, 90

15, 90

15, 90

Thor's Day, 13MAY2010

My finals went well, I believe I got all A's on them.

Front Squat

155x5

175x5

205x4

225x2, 1 fail +1 zercher, 1, 1 fail + zercher

225x3, 1 zercher

225x3, 1 zercher + a small hershey squirt

205x4

205x3

Zercher squats were used to re-rack bar without unloading on misses. A Zercher squat is where you hold your arms like you're at the top of a barbell bicep curl, with the bar resting in your inner elbow. Very upper-back intensive. Fortunately mine is quite strong lol!

PL - Adv Frog. First three sets were fingers to sides, next three were fingers back, and last two were fingers 20 degrees forward. These were done during rests for squats.

20

20

20

20

30

30

40

35

1 set of 4 XR bicep curls. Even though I was tired, these are getting easier.

Freya's Day - 14MAY2010

Morning: External rotators.

Cuban press, 27 lbs. 5050 tempo

3x6, 3 min rests.

7 minute rest

External rotators

4 reps, 20 lbs

3x9 30.2 lbs Getting stronger! These straight up felt good! I'll go up to 31.2 next time. Every time I can do 3x8 comfortably I'll be going up a pound or so. Fractional plates are the best birthday gift I have ever gotten. My set goes all the way down to 1/4 lb. 2x1/4, 2x1/2, 2x3/4, 2x1 lb. They cost around 40 bucks I think, you can get them at http://www.prowriststraps.com/fractional_plates_fraction_plate_weights_lifting

Is a hershey squirt what I think it is

Slizzy, would you mind telling me what are you studying? I'm curious about that

Razz said:

Is a hershey squirt what I think it is

If you think it means my abdominal pressure was momentarily more than my sphincter muscles could handle, then... yes. :oops:

Adriano said:

Slizzy, would you mind telling me what are you studying? I'm curious about that

Well, I study all kinds of things on a regular basis, but I'm officially enrolled for a bachelor's of science in Psychology. I'll be getting my doctorate in counseling, which will give me the flexibility I will need to pursue the rest of my studies!

I've had an unintentional de-loading period since I had a wedding to attend and then got recruited to help move a family out of a 4000 square foot house that was very well lived in, meaning they had tons of stuff everywhere and every room was furnished. Then yesterday was all errands with the girlfriend and working on her condo, and then today was cleaning up the house here...

On the bright side, I have a properly kick ass gym now. I'll be building an Olympic Lifting platform this summer once I get back from the GB seminars, so that should be one of the last things I need. I'll be making my own cable machine too, for some assistance work for my traps and strength work for my girlfriend. I'll just be making the row bench, I'm not interested in doing cable flyes or any of that! I'll be back on the horse, working out hard, tomorrow!

slizzardman said:

Well, I study all kinds of things on a regular basis, but I'm officially enrolled for a bachelor's of science in Psychology. I'll be getting my doctorate in counseling, which will give me the flexibility I will need to pursue the rest of my studies!

Nice. May I ask you what interests you besides psychology? And do you have any formal education in any of those fields?

They guys here have gotten me back into nutrition, since I've realized how much has happened in the last few years in that field. I used to have my certification as a Performance Nutrition Specialist from the ISSA, it was a good course at the time, don't know how it is now. I am a licensed electrician trainee (top in my class and in school history at the time, don't know about now, at the National Institute of Technology, now called Wyotech) in California, but I live in GA now and there's no such thing as part time work for a non-journeyman, and I don't have the time to build the hours. You have to work with a journeyman to do that... ugh.

I periodically study philosophy, and I have always been intensely focused on athletic performance. I have learned more about both bodyweight work here than I knew existed, quite honestly, which is very exciting for me. I work with a handyman part time and do everything from plumbing to drywall to masonry. I can do finish carpentry with the appropriate tools, though I don't have a complete knowledge of design, I am just very good at that stuff due to my attention to detail. I also love gardening, and have learned a lot about planting. I have a fairly good understanding of hydraulic systems, engines, and turbines, which I am improving now. There is always more to learn about everything, and I do that to the best of my ability.

Tyr's Day, 18 May 2010... 10 days from my flight to Arizona! Yay!

Afternoon workout:

Warm up:These were done with no rest except whatever was required to change exercises.

5x 45 lbs Behind the Neck Press (BtN Press), all the way to bar on traps. I always do full ROM.

5x 45 lbs Back Squat(BS)

5x 45 lbs Cuban Press

5x135 BS

2x135 BtN Press

4x135 PP(Push Press)

3x185 PP

3x225 BS

Work sets: All are 40X and full ROM unless otherwise noted. 2-4 minute rests between sets.

1x295 BS

2xFailx225 push press, top of head height

6x265 BS

4xHeSPU (these ended up being more like 30X as opposed to my 1-20X, makes a HUGE difference in difficulty)

1x295 BS

3xFailx225 push press, eye height

6x265 BS

4xHeSPU (30X)

1x300 BS

3xFailx225 Push Press, eye height

4x265 BS, failx265 BS, 1 zercher to rerack , 1x265 BS, failx265, 1 zercher to rerack. Yes, that's all one set. Ended up being 5 BS, 2 BS negatives, and 2 bottom position Zercher squats all at 265 lbs.

3xHeSPU(40X)

Tyr's Day Night:

8x 20-25s adv tuck planche, slightly bent elbows, 80s rest.

Behind the Neck Press(BtNP)

5x45

5x65

BtNP/Cuban Press C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

I start with the cuban press to overhead, 4 seconds down to touch bar to traps, up, 4-5 seconds down through the eccentric Cuban Press.

3x65

3x75

2x85 lbs! Not bad for my second time doing this.

1x4 Stall Bar HLL. That's right, I have made my stall bar rack! It's freaking amazing.

3x8 reps seated Poliquin-style external rotators, 31.2 lbs! Good improvement!

Is your poliquin external rotation the one with elbow resting on knee shown in this article? http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/achieving_structural_balance;jsessionid=9B03903D6CE3059189CBA8369FCE0BB5-he.hydra

YES! That is it! Man, it is awesome. You have to do them lying on your side, with your upper arn supported by a 4-5 inch ball or roll of some sort as well. The arm abducted (like in the seated one) position works the teres minor more, and the arm adducted(lying on side with elbow supported on a ball that is in turn on your ribs) position works the infraspinatus more. I might have that backwards, but for optimal development you need both. I have yet to implement the second one lol! I just got the ball though! YEEEEEEA buddy! I'm going up a pound per workout until I run into difficulties. Then I'll go 3/4 lb per workout, and so on. Fractional plates are great.

Yes I don't remember which one is which but I do remember I need both For now I'm doing cuban presses, poliquin style, and lying on side with elbow on hip. There is a good article here

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/cracking_the_rotator_cuff_conundrum

Hopefully this stuff will improve my planche because I'm desperate for a 10s rings straddle planche

Woden's Day

EDIT: The Warm Up was the first three rows. 4 sets of each exercise was the plan. No rest except to change stations or weight on the bar. Everything else was working sets, with all maxes having 2 minutes rest afterwards and all 6RM having 3 min rest afterwards. I was slightly disorganized, once I get used to my workouts I will be faster. This took about an hour.

I am going to be cycling through workout styles every few weeks, always with the focus on relative strength. I'll be switching between 1/6, the 5% solution, and heavy singles. I'll also be switching between thick bar work and regular bar work every workout or two, but there will be more thick bar than regular bar.

Meanwhile, in Gotham City:

I downloaded Open Office, GREAT free program. I'm making spreadsheets to make workout logging easier.

Great workout, I'll do FL tonight before bed. Not ideal, but I was lazy as hell today. Turns out I got all A's and 1 B, so not terrible. Nothing I could do about the B, my teacher is a bit unreasonable. I lost 2 grade letters off of my average automatically, because I got to the test after the first person had left which made me not only get a 0 on the test but also a 0 on the homework due that day. So technically I should have a C there, but I got a B. Probably because he realizes full well that A) I am his best student and B) his policies, while technically fair in the sense that everyone is treated equally, are unreasonable and he knows it. Plus, I got perfect scores on both the departmental and his personal final assessment.