ME Lower

Recovery day. My glutes, hips, and lower back were still a little sore from the meet. So I used today (Monday) as a restoration day.

45* Reverse hyper w/ foot bar: 3x15/ 190, 280, 370
Supersetted with Standing V-bar pulldowns: 3x15/ 100, 120, 140
Glute ham raises (#3 foot position/ 2 holes shown): 3x10
Supersetted with Pulldowns w/ prison bar (big, ugly, long, fat bar): 3x15/ 150, 160, 170x13
Lazy and couldn't think of what else to do for abs so did RE's ab work Bridges 2x40 seconds and Quad. navel draws 3x8 w/ 5 second holds

Glad to be back at it,
Ed T.

Basketball Training I

RE, a client who plays D1 college ball is home for the summer. So she will be training with me until she goes back to school. She got back in early June and has trained infrequently throughout month. Basically she is in the middle of her general off -season and has been training with her team until she came home. Mainly, we will be getting RE stronger. We will also address some weaknesses she feels she has (weak ankles for one). So from time to time, I will update everyone on her progress. RE is a stud ball player. She is a pleasure to work with as she possesses a ruthless work ethic; she ain't scared of anything! Perhaps more importantly, she is a great person too. Which makes my job that much easier (and fun).

Warm-ups: foam rolling, tennis ball rolling, ankle mobility, leg swings, split squats, lateral squats, TKEs, X-band walk, kneeling RF/ TFL stretch and seated leg cross. (Warm-ups will change a bit as we tailor them to RE).

Box jumps: 3@28.5" 3@30.5" 3@32.5" 3@34.5" 1@35.5" missed at 36"
Reverse DB Lunge, front leg elevated: 3x10/ 15, 20, 25
45* Reverse hyper: 3x12/ 55, 75, 95
Pillar bridges: 2x40 seconds
Quad. navel draws: 3x8 w/ 5 second hold
Prowler 6x40yds w/ 70# alternating horns and low handles each trip

Never give up,
Ed T.

Meet Report

From the SLP Benchpress/ Deadlift Championship at Hamilton, Ohio.





There were approximately 70+ lifters. It was held at Samson's Gym. A quaint little place that was cool ("except for the Spinning bikes" according to Shawn, who was there helping me.) And it got incredibly hot and humid. The a/c was fair but overworked. So they opened the doors and that made it worse. By the time we got to the deadlifts it was pretty miserable. I snacked and drank (alot) all day but like I said to Shawn near the end, "All I gotta do is get this lift." (And then the next one and the next one...)





I weighed in at 242 on the nose and was in the Master class (40-44 yoa). Warm-ups went well (as the warm-up area was in the basement and it was cooler down there). I took 420 for my opener and it passed easy. Next was 440 for a PR and that went up easy too. Shawn didn't tell me what my third was. He only said it was more than the other guy in my class and I had to "beat him". I took 455 for another PR and according to him and 4Board, it was my best lift of the day. (Later Shawn said, "I think you had 462-and-a half in you today and that was it!")





Warming up for the deadlift went ok. I took 405x1 with belt-on, suit on/ straps down for my last warm-up. I felt "tipsy" for lack of a better word on the lockout. Shawn said it looked fine and I attributed it to the sloping basement floor. I opened with 500 and it went up easy but again at the top I felt like I was going to fall over backwards. Shawn told me to pull the bar in closer at the start for the next attempt. This I did and 520 (a PR) came up easy with just a little bit of tipsiness on top. He called 530 for my last attempt and that was heavy but good for another PR. Six-for-six, not a bad day. I didn't feel tipsy on the last one.





The meet kind of turned into an endurance thing by the time the deadlifts came around due to the heat and humidity. There was no place to go in the gym to get any relief. I just kept housing water, etcetera, to stay hydrated. And I think that's why I was feeling loopy during the deads; I was getting dehydrated badly. What I learned from it was to have a better meal plan for the meet(s).



Afterwards we made the traditional stop at the Mexican restaurant in Middletown for dinner. Great food, nice scenery. Shawn commented on the tasty cheese littering his half-a-dozen tacos. So on the way out I stopped the nice looking waitress and asked her what kind of cheese was on the tacos. "Well, it's shredded cheese", she replied. Yeah but what kind said I. "White cheese", she said again. So I took it to the next level (recovering from dehydration at this point). "What kind of white cheese?" "Shredded, white cheese", she said. Obviously this was going nowhere and Shawn was standing behind the waitress giggling, so we got my dollar's worth of entertainment from it and on we went. El Rancho Grande is highly recommended nonetheless.





Training partners: I wouldn't have made the progress I did without great training partners. So a tip of the cap to Shawn and 4Board. When I was chalking up for my final benchpress, a guy Shawn trains with sometimes came up behind us and told him not to chalk my back as it would cause me to slide on the bench (probably due to the velour-like covering on the bench). I heard the conversation and instead of getting amped up about it, I kept getting ready, never turning around to address it. Because I knew he would take care of it! That's the kind of faith I have in my training partners and that's a small picture of the invaluable contribution they made to my success! Thanks Smitty (I think that's his name) and thanks to Mike Wolfe for his help in the warm-up room. Little things but together they add up to why weightlifting/ powerlifting is one of the greatest sports on earth! Guys that could kick my ass under the bar but are the first to help out! I had a great day!



Thank you,

Ed T.

DE Upper...sort of

I went in today mainly to help 4Board with his shirt. I felt ok after the meet yesterday, but after dinner and by the time I got home I felt kind of crappy. I attribute this to the brutally hot/ humid conditions at the meet. It just drained me. When I got up today, I felt better, just tired (like after a long trip). So I decided to take it easy training.



Pseudosuperficial warm-up (i.e. not much of anything)

DB floor press: 3x20/ 50, 70, 90

Skull crushers: 3x15/ 70, 90, 110

Side raises: 3x10/ 25, 35, 40

Face pulls: 3x15-20/ 70, 90, 110

Pulldowns: 3x8/ 150, 170, 190

Preacher curls w/ barbell: 3x12-15/ 55, 65, 75

Overhead crunches (on cybex): 3x20/ #10



This session went very quick and I felt better physically and mentally after. Driving into the gym this morning feeling tired, etcetera I said to myself, "Self, why do you do this?" Once I got there, after training a client, myself and helping 4 out, I realized I knew the answer all along. It's because this is where my passion lies. It, the training, is what I love to do. I love the end effect; strength and all its byproducts. The journey of being strong. Now, even more, I enjoy helping others as I have been helped. To be able to adapt one's training towards tangible results; whether upon the athletic field or court or in daily life, what awesome experience (and responsibility). It has been the single constant thing in my life that I have always been able to fall back upon. And I am greatful that I have found such a pursuit in my life from which I derive so much pleasure.

Enough of the sentimental stuff.



Like Metallica sez,

"Back to the front!"
Ed T.

CDub Part Deux

Since I have nothing of note to post in regards to physical activity (walk, walk, walk, etcetera), I thought I would give you some more of CDub's training.

Wednesday
Warm-up
Sled pulls: Lower body 70# 4 trips (2 forwards/ 2 backwards)
Upper body 35# 4 trips
DB step-ups superset w/ Glute ham raises 3x10 each

Push ups superset w/ Low cable rows 3x10

Ab rollouts 3x10

10 minutes of low intensity cardio

Stay strong,
Ed T.

Prilepin's Table

No, it's not a restaurant. After writing the Dynamic Effort blog, I realized one might wonder what parameters one uses for it. I outlined the percentages and reps to use to be effective, but where did those numbers come from. (Hint, someone smarter than me.) A little more background will help one understand what's going on.



A.S. Prilepin came up with the rep/ set recommendations after studying the training of Olympic lifters in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It was developed for the building of maximum strength. Louis Simmons adjusted the sets/ reps over 90% based on the fact that powerlifting exercises use heavier poundages than the Olympic lifts the data came from. (The reason for controlling the number of lifts over 90% is to prevent overtaxing the central nervous system.)



Prilepin's Table

Percent___________Reps per set_____Optimal______Range

55-65____________ 3-6___________ 24__________ 18-30

70-75____________ 3-6___________ 18__________ 12-24

80-89____________ 2-4___________ 15__________ 10-20

90+ _____________ 1-2___________ 7___________ 4-10



According to the table, if one is training with, say, 75% of your one-rep max, then you should perform sets of 3-6 reps each. The total number of reps should be no less than 12 and no more than 24 with 18 being the optimal number to get the most from your training. When training with 90% and above, a set with 90% could be your last warm-up. Then you could take a set at 95% and/ or go to 100% (plus 5-pounds for a new PR). Assuming you get the PR, the next jump is up to you. At 90%+ you are usually dealing with double or single reps.



This way one can control the volume of training and help prevent overtraining.



I'm gonna go eat,

Ed T.

Speed Training

Dynamic Effort(DE) training: an overview



Dynamic effort training is described as sub-maximal weight as fast as possible. It, along with the Max Effort and Repetition methods are the three keys to developing maximal strength. Two days a week are DE days; one for the benchpress and one for the squat/ deadlift. They are seperated by approximately 72 hours from the corresponding Max Effort day. It can easily be demonstrated in the following example, if one can benchpress 400-pounds, one should be able to exert 400-pounds of force to a bar loaded with 50% of that weight (or 200-pounds). Of course, the bar is under control and good technique is used but it is lowered as fast as possible and pressed as fast as possible. This is compensatory acceleration. Loads of 50-70% of a one-rep max(1RM) in a lift are used depending on the skill level of the lifter. (The advanced lifter would use a lighter percentage as they can easily recruit more motor units when training as opposed to the novice lifter who would use a higher percentage to get the most out of the movement). Because one is using a lesser percentage of one's max lift it is also beneficial to developing good technique and form.



In determining the correct percentage to use the critical element is bar speed. Does the weight use allow the lifter to perform the movement explosively and quickly? (It helps to have someone experienced watch the lifter or film the exercise for review.) For example, using the example of the 400-pound benchpress above, if a load of 280-pounds (70%) is used and the bar moves slowly. It is too heavy. Try 60 or 50% and monitor bar speed again. Once you establish the percentage right for you, stick with it. Once your 1RM changes you can re-evaluate it.



Now for training athletes and regular people this part of the program can be tweaked a bit. And the beauty of this whole style of training, the "Westside-template" (named for Louis Simmons' Westside Barbell gym where it originated), is that it is readily adaptable to the trainee and their weaknesses/ goals. I give credit to Joe DeFranco for opening my eyes to this through his articles.
He trains athletes of all levels in his New Jersey based gym and found that a traditional DE day was not that beneficial for the younger athlete who lacked sufficent muscular development. Thus he began substituting a Repetition day in lieu of the DE day. This developed muscular hypertrophy in the athletes, laying the foundation for more advanced (traditional DE) training in the future.



I began experimenting with this in my own training. I found it of particuliar benefit when substituted for my DE upper body days. After a long upper body training cycle using a lot of bands and chains, I would feel "beat up" and "achey". I cycled in a few weeks of Repetition work and felt 100% better. For example, I would substitute 3 sets of 15 reps with 50-60% of my 1RM benchpress instead of the traditional 8 sets of 3. Then I would return to the DE work, minus bands/ chains initially and within two weeks my bar speed would return to where it was previously. And I felt better. I began using it with my clients as well and have been very happy with the results. (More importantly, the clients are very happy with the results!)

Dynamic effort training is essential to be able to lift maximal weights. It is also a very effective way to develop explosiveness when used with the box squat, floor press or board press. Because one creates kinetic energy by using the box or boards and overcoming the resistance after a pause in which the load is held in place (static) and overcome by dynamic effort (box squat) or relaxed and overcome by dynamic work (board press and floor press). Chains and/ or bands can be attached to the bar to further accomodate resistance.

(From my own experience, I can say that I have always been strong-but-slow. Without specifically training for foot speed, since my "sport" did not require it, I can tell you that when I an assistant coach for a high school basketball team and would help perform drills with the team, some of whom went on to Division I college careers, I surprised myself and some players as well, because I had a quick first step. Of course after several steps I was behind. The point is that without training to be a quicker basketball player, I became one. At 40 years old I did not suddenly find my speed gene. The muscles the body uses to run, jump, etc. became stronger and I was more explosive due to dynamic training!)

If Dynamic Effort training can help a 40 year old hog keep up with Division I caliber athletes, imagine what it can do for them. Imagine what it can do for you!

Out of breath now,
Ed T.

Conjugate training for everyone!

Conjugate training is the best way to train for maximal strength. It simultaneously combines the three types of training needed to be strong; the max effort method, the dynamic effort method and the repetition method. It evolved from Russian/ Bulgarian Olympic weightlifting programs and was popularized in the United States by Westside Barbell (where it is used for powerlifting programs).





Most weight training programs in the US are based on the western style of periodization where specific blocks of time are dedicated to hypertrophy, strength and power. This is currently the most popular way to train athletes (and the population in general) in the US. There are problems with this method of training. A trainee is only working a singular aspect of the equation at a time (while ignoring the dynamic effort altogether and the max effort method until the final few weeks).





Thus say you trained for hypertrophy (mass) for, say, a 4 week cycle, then trained for strength for a 4 week cycle followed by 4 weeks of power training. After approximately two weeks of not training a specific skill it will diminish. So at the end of the strength cycle you would have lost some of your hypertrophy gains and at the end of the power cycle it would have diminished further (and you'd have lost strength as well!).





This is a benefit of conjugate training. It combines all types of training to get the most bang for the buck! Furthermore, the exercises used as in max effort training may resemble the classical lifts (squat, benchpress, deadlift) but are deviations of them. The central nervous system will adapt to a specific exercise after approximately 3 weeks of using it and performance will suffer. So by using variations of the classical lifts, one is training the same muscles but in a different way and one forces the CNS to constantly adapt. When one gets stronger at these deviations one's main lifts should go up as well!





That is why this is a superior way to train athletes. The strong-but-slow athlete can be taught how to demonstrate his strength as power. The fast-but-weak athlete can be made faster still by getting stronger. One must look at the skills needed and movements predominate in the sport in question and arrange the training to enhance it. This works just as well for the average meathead or mother of three!





One's skills, whether it be strength, speed, flexibility, mobility, endurance, etcetera can deteriorate after two weeks of non-training/ use. So if one is strong and fast but lacks, say, flexibility, (and if flexibility is necessary to the sport/ level of performance desired) one must add specific training to the program to bring it up to the level necessary. Then, one only need do enough to maintain the level of performance required for the sport/ task at hand. This is another benefit of conjugate training. There is no off-season. There are certain times of the year to emphasize certain types of training over another but everything is trained year round.

Stay strong,
Ed T.

The Return of CDub

One of my first clients came in today to train. She had some physical problems the last few months that kept her out of action. Now she's back. She is always a treat to work with, has a good work ethic, likes being strong and looks great doing it. So periodically I'll update her progress to demonstrate what damage a mother of three can do!

CDub
Warm-up consisting of foam rolling, ankle mobility, leg swings, split squats/ lateral squats, and wall slides.
Sled pulls: 4x50 yds w/ 90-pounds (2 forwards/ 2 backwards) and 4 trips with 45-pounds doing different upper body movements each trip
Superset: Low incline DB presses with Lat pulldowns 3x10 each
Superset: Lunges with Reverse hyper 4x10 each
Paloff press Iso hold 3x30 seconds each side
Followed by ten minutes easy jog on the treadmill

I just.....walked.

Feeling bloated today,
Ed T.

Recovery work

Happy Father's Day to DaddyBags (my gym's resident bodybuilder)!

Trained a client this am, then pulled the sled myself. Concentrated on upper body work. Loaded the sled with 90 pounds and made 6 trips x 60 yds (rows, front raises, static hold front/ rear, triceps and rows/ curls). Felt good. Did this in lieu of the usual speed work to facilitate recovery from the shirt work yesterday. Leiseurely walk in the afternoon.

It's all good,
Ed T.

Shirt work

Met 4Board and Shawn to do a little bench shirt work. With the meet a week away, now seemed an appropriate time to break in the new shirt. No sense waiting until the last minute.



Warm-ups

Benchpress: work up to singles 275x1, 315x1

Shirt on

3-board bench: 365x2

2-board bench: 405 x1

1-board bench: 405 x1

410x1 touch

435x1 (new PR)



Overall this went well. It is easier for me to set-up with the new shirt which makes me more comfortable with the weight. Shawn wanted me to stop at the 410. But I really wanted the PR. After doing a 455 pound negative triceps extension approx. 2 weeks ago (my last shirt workout) I was a little shook up about getting under big weights. That and feeling a wee bit beat up after 16 weeks of contest training (with all the aches and pains that I accumulated along the way), I needed it for a confidence builder.



In touch with my feminine side now...look out,

Ed T.

DE Lower-Deload

For Friday June 19, 2009



Warm-ups

Box squat w/ safety squat bar- box and 4 mats: worked up to 255x2x2 sets, 285x2x2 sets, misloaded bar to 355 x2, figured it out back to 315x2. Moved to wide stance from close and did 315x2x2 sets for 8 total sets.

45* Reverse hyper w/ foot bar: 3x30/ 250

Weighted decline sit ups: 3x8/ 30, 40, 50 pound dumbbells

Overhead crunches (on Cybex): 4x10/ #'s 10, 11, 12, 13

De load was easy today lol
Ed T.

ME Upper

Part of conjugate training is using the repetition method. Basically this means lifting a sub-maximal weight to near failure or failure. Periodically I use this method in place of a "traditional" max effort upper body day. Like today; I decided to do dumbbell flat benchpress and try to set a new rep record. After warming up I'll choose a weight that I can get 10-20 reps with. Do three sets waiting 3-5 minutes between sets then add up the number of reps for the weight used and there's the record. (Example: 75-pound DB's for 3 sets of 15, 15, 18 reps equals 48 reps).



It didn't quite go that way today. Let me get all the excuses out of the way. I couldn't fall asleep last night and was up at 4:30 AM to take relatives to the airport. Came home, decided I was awake enough and would go train. Half way there thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I was t-i-r-e-d. Said screw it and continued on. Warmed up and started feeling better. My all time best on the benchpress with DB's is 110x45 reps (3 sets) and a few weeks ago I had knocked out 105x45. So I thought this shouldn't be a problem to come close to exceeding that nonsense.



As I rolled back onto the bench, pressed the 110's up, took a deep breath and held it, and started knocking out reps,I felt something around my ear and then on my shoulder. I figured it was a bug of some sorts and pressed on (not unusual if you saw where I trained). Grunted out 10 reps and dropped the DB's disgustedly. I expected more out of myself but today it wasn't going to happen. Then I thought, "where's that damn bug? I'll squash it and feel better!?" I reached up on my shoulder and found a nice gob of ear wax. Bbbllllllattttt. If my max effort causes me to strain enough to blow wax out of my ears then I guess it's truly a max effort, despite the circumstances. Muddled through the rest, though the rest of the training felt better (because my ears were clean?).



Warm-up

DB Flat Benchpress: work up to 110x32 (3 sets of 10, 10, 12)

Lat pulldowns w/ H-handled bar: 7x10-?/ 150, 170, 190, 210, 180, 145, 115 (last two sets I did for time; as many reps as I could in 30 seconds. The rest were in the 10-15 range)

Supersetted w/ Rolling DB Extensions: 4x12/ 20, 30, 40, 50

Face pulls: 3 x15-20/ Cybex #8, 9, 10

Hammer curls: 2x15/ 50, 35



PS One of the 110 DB's were bent...

The single factor prevalent through all my excuses is me. I didn't go to bed early enough. I didn't get enough sleep. I knew all this and trained anyway. I was an idiot and lucky I didn't get hurt. There's a time and a place for such stupidity and today wasn't it. Lesson learned (again). Listen to your body.



If you aren't blowing wax out of your ears you're not training hard enough (or using Q-tips),

Ed T. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Recovery Lower Body

Just a quick training for recovery from yesterday (approx. 20 minutes)

Glute ham raises 4x10
45* Back extensions w/ mini band 3x10
DB shrugs 3x15/ 110, 120, 130
Prone bridges 2x30 seconds

In the evening I walked. Because it's summertime, the weather was beautiful, I didn't want to waste the end of the day inside and because exercise is my habit and I can't get enough. I need help lol.....

Giving recovery a new meaning,
Ed T.

ME Lower

For Monday June 15 w/ 4Board

Max Effort lower body

Warm-ups: foam roller, ankle mobility, leg swings, TKE's, DB hip swings, reverse planks, x-band walk

Overhead band pulls: green bands 145-pounds=0 sumo style pull worked up to 415x1, 465x1, 505x1, 580x1 (pr) (wearing groove briefs)

Sled pulls: 4x60 yds w/180-pounds

45* Reverse hyper w/ foot bar 3x20/ 380

Chest supported rows: 90x15, 135x6, 180x6, 205x6, 225x6

Standing pulldowns w/ v-bar: 3x15/ 100, 110, 130

Hanging leg raises w/ DB: 5x8-15/ 5, 8, 10, bodywt.x15x2 sets



Walked in the evening.



The overhead band pulls (or reverse deadlift or lightened deadlift for lack of a better description) are performed by looping or choking Jump Stretch bands approximately 5'6", hanging a bar in the bands and adding weight until the bar just touches the floor. In this case, green bands were used and 145=0 on the floor. I had to choke the bands over the safety bars because they aren't removable from the rack at my gym. Also used spin-lock collars on the inside of the weight plates so the plates cleared the bottom of the power rack. So on the floor the 580 was approx. 435. The weight gets heavier as you stand up; again, encouraging you to lift faster.



The PR was nice because the old "record" I did pulling conventional style. I decided to pull sumo on a whim. 4Board pulled an ugly 580 sumo; a PR for him too. And this was his first time trying sumo-style deads! Then to rub it in, he switched to conventional style and hit another PR with 605. So not wanting to look like a vag, I thought I'd give it a go. Back to conventional for me, I got it about an inch off the floor and I was done. The 580 had sucked the life out of me I am sorry to say.



Still have my man card (for now),

Ed T.

Dynamic effort benchpress aka Speed Bench

Trained w/ 4Board

Warm-ups

Benchpress-fat bar-3 grips (3 close/3 medium & 2 wide) all w/ pinkies inside the rings-work up to 8 sets of 3 reps w/175 (3), 185(3) and 195 (2)

Rack lockouts (moving the bar 2-3 inches)-wide grip-460x3, 475x3, 495x3

DB floor press 3x10/ 85, 95, 105

Low cable rows-medium grip-pronated-3x15/ 200

Rear delts (on pec deck machine) 2x20/ 100, 110

45*Rev. hyper w/ foot bar 3x15/ 540 (70% of Friday)

Ball crunches 5x12 holding plate behind head



Workout #2 (approximately 5 hours later)

Lat pulldowns 4x15+

Prone trap raises 3x12/ 10

Pushups 3x30

Band pushdowns 100 reps w/ monster mini

Abs



Workout #3 walked (approx. 2 hours later)



Today was a busy day. Supposed to squeeze a client in after the am training but they cancelled last minute.I like the money but I appreciated the break.

The weight felt very light during speed work. I felt very comfortable in my set-up on the bench and that made it that much easier. This is the last week of my circa-max bench cycle, and unlike past weeks I didn't add any chains or bands to the bar, so I was curious how straight bar weight would feel. My bar speed has improved and I am better at my set-up allowing me to use more of my hips in pressing. I also wanted to work on utilizing my triceps more to start the press. I feel some things I tried to change how I benched have worked. The test will be how I do in my push/ pull meet in 13 days!

Speed kills,

Ed T.

Warm-ups

I preface my training logs with "warm-up" but fail to explain it further. It is a very important part of training. Your warm-up can determine the success or failure of a training session. Basically, your warm-up can address weaknesses or other inefficiencies (i.e. focusing on a lack of flexibility), but in the end should leave you "ready to train".

In some of my warm-ups for lower body training sessions, for example, I like to foam roll, followed by ankle mobility work, followed by wall-slides and t-spine mobility work. I'll do X-band walks to help get the glutes going, hip swings w/ a dumbbell and reverse planks (on a stability ball) for hip flexibility. It often varies from session to session as my perceived needs change or I uncover new weaknesses or try to heal body parts or simply want to try something new. They will vary depending upon if I am doing max effort-type training or dynamic effort work. My warm-ups will vary in length from 10 to 20 minutes on average depending on how I feel. And occasionally I have had a 30 minute warm-up.

I "continue" the warm-up under the bar. Take box squats, for example. Today my warm-up sets looked like this:
bar x 5
bar w/1 set of chains x 5
bar w/2 sets of chains x3
bar w/3 sets of chains x3
bar + 50 + collars + chains =145x2 (our safety squat bar weighs 85 pounds/ collars 10)
165 + chains x 2
185 + chains x2
205 + chains x 2
started work sets

Sometimes I get going quicker. I do the general warm-up then, listening to my body, I determine the rest. But I never just go in and start slapping plates on the bar. That's a good way to get hurt!

Today's training was in two parts due to a work issue.

Part I
Warm-up (see above!)
Box squat-safety squat bar-box and 4 mats-medium stance-worked up to 245 bar weight plus 3 sets of 5/8" chain for 6 x 2. Then did 335 x1 and 375 x1 wide stance. (Wore groove briefs)
Deadlifts on Jump Stretch platform w/ mini bands doubled over the bar (theoretically adding 100-pounds/ 220-pounds at the bottom/ top of the lift respectively) worked up to 325x1x4 sets. Then 345 x1 and 365x1. (Had a little trouble with grip of my left hand. Tore off a large hunk of callus from my palm last week and it was hard to hold on to the bar.)

Came back approx. 2 hours later and finished in about 30 minutes.
45*Reverse hyper w/ foot bar 200x10, 400x8, 600x6, 690x6, 780x6 x 3 sets
Lat pulldowns with prison bar (fat bar) 4x15/ 160, 170,180, 190(x 13)
Hanging leg raises (touching feet to the bar) 5x 8-10

Friday evening: walked

Thirty minutes; enough time to warm up, or order a pizza!
Ed T.

Wednesday's Training: Max Effort Upper

I'm sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday.

Trained with 4Board and Shawn
Warm-ups
Overhead band benchpress-green band-close grip-work up to 385x1, 435x1, 460x1 (PR), 410x5 (PR) *Note: Bar loaded to 205-pounds, hanging in the bands, weighs zero @ chest.
Decline benchpress-close grip-210 2x20
Upright rows-6x10-15/ 45, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105
Supersetted with Elbows-out tricep extensions (or Tate Presses) 4x15/ 30, 40, 45, 50
Hammer curls 3x15/ 20, 30, 40
45*Reverse hyper w/ footbar 275 3x25-35
Ball twists 4x10 w/ med. ball

Overhead band benchpresses are performed by taking blue or green Jump Stretch bands and choking them from the top of a 7' tall power rack. The bands hold the weight so, as noted above, with the green bands 205-pounds will feel like zero on the chest. It is similiar to using a bench shirt. It teaches the lifter to be fast with the weight or else you won't be able to complete the lift. The bar gets heavier as you press it to full extension. In my case, the 460 was like 255-pounds on my chest and the full 460 on top!

Overall it was a very good training. The weights felt light and moved fast (speed kills!). 4Board got a PR as well (455x1). He missed it the first time because he got out of the groove on the way up. Shawn called it (bow) and told him to take it again. It looked easy the second time.

Thursday: walked

Giving credit where due,
Ed T.

Extra workouts

Back again. Did an "extra workout"
to aid recovery from yesterday's training. And it went like this.

Seated band leg curls, 3 ways, w/ blue band 3x15
Band good mornings w/ blue band 3x15
45*Reverse hyperextension w/ foot bar 3x20/ 370
Very very light Zottman curls 7 sets of 15-30+ reps (supersetted these between everything)
Standing Overhead band crunches 4x15 w/ blue band

Extra workouts serve two purposes. They can be used to aid in recovery by using loads approximately 30% of what is normally used. Higher reps are also used. They can also be used to help bring up a weak body part (i.e. if you are lacking lockout strength you would do some triceps work specific to that. Remember, train the movement, not the muscle). Extra workouts are no longer than 30 minutes and can be as short as 10. You go as fast and as hard as you can in the time frame allowed. They can also be flexibility work or mobility work or some conditioning or something specific to your sport (working on free throws for example).

In my case, I was using the training to aid recovery from yesterday's training. One may note that I mentioned my bicep being "tender" Monday and question why I did curls today. I believe that by directly exercising the wounded muscle with a very very very very light weight and pumping it full of blood (bringing oxygen and nutrients to the muscle) can help heal it. Just don't overdo it with the weight. It has worked for others and it works for me.

Good luck!
Ed T.

Putting strength to the test!

Hi,
I want to share my training with whoever is out there. That's how I learned and perhaps you can too. I am a personal trainer who specializes in helping athletes perform better. I am located near Dayton, Ohio. Through this forum I want to share my training and some of the training I put my clients through. My clients have predominately been female. I didn't plan it that way. In my experience, I have found that females are easier to train because they usually don't know much. Therefore there are no bad habits to unlearn. I don't train them any differently than male athletes, however.

In the past I have worked with athletes from football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, soccer and even golf. Some even went on to play at a high collegiate level but all played better. I also work with the "average" mom or dad or weekend warrior simply trying to get better at whatever. My training philosophy is based on the premise that if you're stronger, everything is easier. Of course that is relative to the task (sport) at hand. A female golfer needn't be as strong as an offensive lineman but making her stronger can improve her game. Each client I train, athlete or otherwise, is evaluated to determine if weaknesses exist and/or how the training can be augmented to better their performance. I believe that one's training must be programmed i.e. weekly, monthly and even yearly training must be thought out. A lot of trainers (even some who should know better) simply throw something together prior to a client's arrival. This usually falls under the category "make them tired" or "run them until they puke". I can do that too. Better yet, I can train you to be better. And you needn't crawl out of the gym on your hands and knees to do so!

So that gives you a little idea of how I think. I'll take questions if anybody has one (because I am trying to drum up a little business too) and welcome comments and suggestions.

Here's today's training.

June 8, 2009 (Monday) trained with Matt 4Board and Big Auto

Warm-ups
Good mornings with safety squat bar and four 5/8" chains per side, medium stance: work up to 235x3, 275x3, 325x3 (bar weight only not incl. weight of chains)
Sled pulls: 5 trips approximately 60 yards each pulling a weighted sled(180-pounds)
Glute-ham raises (raised back of bench two inches): 3x8
Dumbbell shrugs: 6 sets of 10 reps/ 100, 110, 120, 130, 14, 150(x15)
Ball crunches: 4x15 holding wt. behind head
Standing crunches (on Cybex) 2x10*
*I strained my right bicep last week deadlifting and the standing crunches aggravated it so I stopped at two sets.

Monday PM walked

See ya!
Ed T.