The Training Week That Was - 1/13 - 1/19

1/13
A shit ton of rehab/prehab, neck, ab and low back work. No idea on sets/reps; hell I barely remember the exercises. This was the epitome of easy like Sunday morning. I went in, drank some coffee, did whatever the hell I felt like doing, BS'd with gym peeps.

One thing I do remember and I want to recommend is posture work with a band, with set-up demonstrated by Jim Smith of Diesel. Desk monkeys (like me) typically have atrocious posture (guilty) and this transfers to everything else that you do. Falling forward in the squat and losing cleans/snatches/jerks in front can be caused or exacerbated by being unable to maintain an upright torso OR not having the strength to resist forces pushing you forward. Either way, throw that move from Smitty into your warm-up or just as a morning workout. I like wall-slides when I'm in the office just to open up and pray to the sun god a bit.
Full Disclosure: I have ducked into a bathroom stall to do wall slides.

1/14 - Squat sitting and an Epsom Salt bath

1/15
SSB Squat barx5x2 70x5x2 100x3 110x3 122x5 125x5 127x5 130x5 135x5
-finally might be figuring out the SSB a bit
GH Raise 10kgx6 15kgx5x2 10kgx8x5
Standing Abs 5x12
Neck/Halo/GH Situp 100 reps each
Traction

1/16 - Buncha nuthin

1/17
Carb Nite Wk Three - Measurements

Neck: 17"

Chest: (at the nipple line): 40 1/4"

Waist: (around the belly button): 35"

Hips: (at the widest part): 42 3/4"

Thigh: (at the largest part): 25 3/4"

Bicep: (unflexed, at the widest part): 15"
Weight: 209.8

Training:
Some clean and snatch bar work to warm up (getting better)
Standing Absx30 Posture x40
Front Squat up to 122x5x5 (no gas and caught a bleeder on my first set. Wah wah waaaahh)
Two Pause Snatch Pull 3x3 w/ 10 count negative on the last rep of each set
Two Pause Clean Pull 3x3 w/ 10 count negative on the last rep of each set
Standing Abs + GH Raise 5x10
Cal Back + Hanging Leg Raise
Traction

I'm pulling pain free....so there's that.

1/19
SSB Squat (in lbs) barx5x2 155x5x2 205x3 245x3 295x2 335x1 365x1 385x1 400x0
-Never tried a max with the SSB, so I'll take 385 (approx 175kg). A better way to run up to max single would've been a few weeks of singles/doubles/triples, but I wanted to get this and my front squat maxed out before I go to Iceland. Starting back squatting soon, so (hopefully) this will be my last SSB squatting for a little while. No idea on a goal for 2013, just taking the squatting a few kilos at a time.
Standing Abs 4x10
Traction

The Training Week That Was - 1/6 - 1/12

I put up a separate post with my eating for this week. This was about as close to an ideal Carb Nite week as it gets, so I wanted to get it down for posterity and for anyone who has questions. The squatting set-up is a variation on the "Texas Method" with a few tweaks that I picked up from Glenn Pendlay. The old tricks are still some of the best tricks.

1/6
Training
Bunch of sled dragging using a dip belt
Abs x300 (incl low back)
Four Way Neck Machine
Traction

1/7
Squat Sitting

1/8
Longish Warmup
SSB Squat barx5x2 70x5 90x4 110x3 120x5 125x5x2 130x5x3
GH Raise - 50 reps bw
Standing Abs/Hypers/Cal Extensions - a ton of each
Traction

I also got my hand examined and more x-rays. Apparently I have a bone chip wedged in my hand someplace. Pretty sure that's not good.

1/9
Epsom salt bath and a lot of sitting in a squat

1/10
Front Squat barx5x2 60x4x2 90x3x2 110x3 122x5x5 125x5
(Need longer warmup; squats didn't start feeling good until 3rd/4th sets at 122)
Cal Back Ext and Standing Abs - 3x12 of each
Rev Hypers and Hanging Leg Raise - 2x12 each
Traction

Carb Nite Wk Two - Measurements

Neck: 16 3/4"

Chest: (at the nipple line): 40.5"

Waist: (around the belly button): 34 3/4"

Hips: (at the widest part): 42.5"

Thigh: (at the largest part): 25.5"

Bicep: (unflexed, at the widest part): 15"
Weight: 208.8

1/11
Some foam rolling and squat sitting, nothing special.

1/12
Longish Warmup
SSB - bar x5x2 70x5x2 100x4 120x3 130x5 145x5 155x4 140x5x3
-first non-PR in awhile. Since I didn't make a PR I had to get my five sets done. Dieting might be kicking in, but I also took a bad jump from 145-155. I should have done a set of 1-2 at 150 just to feel it a bit. Hindsight 20/20; get it next time.
GH Raise - bwx6x2 10kgx6x2 15kgx4x2
Standing Abs - 5x10
Hypers and Traction

I'm still waiting for the MRI results, but right now I know I have a bone chip wedged in my hand. It's been six weeks since I hurt it and it is getting better, very slowly but surely. Most of me really wants to just get it removed so I can get on with training. The surgeon that I saw seems to think surgery won't be necessary and just said it'll be sore for another few months. I'm wondering if maybe it isn't so displaced that it needs to be taken out? I have a laundry list of questions to ask when I talk to him on Monday. Either way, I'm resisting the urge to start testing it out until I get back from Iceland. That'll be approx nine weeks post-injury and a good 6-7 weeks of actual rest.

The Training Week That Was - 12/30 - 1/5

The Caveman Cafeteria is a Denver food truck serving very delicious and high quality foods. They're doing a Kickstarter campaign right now to open a food cart on 16th Street. A small disclaimer: it's not your usual $8 hot dog or $9 grilled cheese. The January menu consists of wagyu beef sliders, bistro steaks and deep-fried brussel sprouts. LEGIT.

12/30-12/31 - Off. Did some epsom salts and some time sitting in a squat, but nothing special.

1/1
Abs x 100
SSB Squat barx5x2 70x5 90x4 110x5x2 120x5x3 125x5 130x5
GH Raise 5x10 + Neck Machine 5x12+12+12
Abs x150 and some kettlebell swings

Since I only have one good arm to use, it seems like an excellent time to get back into KB work. Glenn Pendlay from MuscleDriver actually reminded me of this when he posted some vids of himself doing the RKC test (100 snatches in five minutes w/ 24kg 'bell). They're boring vids (sorry man, but it's five minutes of a guy snatching a kettlebell), but what does it say about me that I watched them? Anyways, I'll start throwing these in at the end of workouts to get some variety going on as well as keep the hips snappy. Five minutes of work a couple days a week isn't gonna break me.

1/2
Foam roller work

1/3 - Carb Nite
Measurements

Neck: 16.5"

Chest: (at the nipple line): 40 1/2"

Waist: (around the belly button): 35 1/4"

Hips: (at the widest part): 42"

Thigh: (at the largest part): 26"

Bicep: (unflexed, at the widest part): 15"
Weight: 211.6

Longer Warmup
Front Squat - barx5x2 60x5x2 80x5 100x4 110x4 120x5x6
GH Raise - BW x6 10kgx6x2 15kgx6x2
Reverse Hypers - 3x6 heavy
Traction
- I forgot about my KB work, so I did five minutes of snatches with a 20kg kettlebell. No idea on the reps; I think around 7-10 sets of 8? Boy do they suck when you can't change hands.

Contents of my Carb Nite: Two scoops of Muscle Feast Anabolic Recover (my favorite post-workout shake), some brownies, a quarter of a cherry cheesecake, half a gallon of raw milk, slice of berry pie, bit of chicken breast along with a couple shakes with leucine. Much heavier on fat and sweets than I prefer but I got a late start at the gym and had a short window to get my feed on, so I went with what I had in my freezer.

1/4 - Epsom Salt

1/5
Front Squat with Straps - barx5x2 60x5x2 (could NOT get loose) 90x4 110x3 130x3 142x3 147x3 152x2 (I think the last three are all PRs)
GH Raise bwx5x2 10kgx5x2 15kgx5x2 20kgx5 20kgx4 15kgx7
Heavy Rev Hypers/Standing Abs/GH Situps - bunch of each
Traction

My partners have been working with Josh Bryant and they tested their squats and deadlifts. Reggie squatted 525 and pulled 605, Beau squatted 525 and skipped the DL, Justin squatted 455, pulled 585 and lost 605 just above his knees. Your brother from another mother did the filming and took some pics. Reggie's max squats and pulls are on his YouTube channel here. Justin's are also listed here. Great work by those guys and super happy for them.  

The Training Week That Was - 12/16 - 12/22

12/16
Kneeling Jumps up to bar x3
Front Squat 60x3x2 80x2x2 100x2 120x2 130x1 140x1 150x0 150x1 130x1 135x1 140x3
-150x1 and 140x3 were recent PRs (I've done better, but in gear and about fifteen extra pounds) and also managed to spring a leak in my nose on the third rep @ 140. Might be finally starting to figure out this whole "front squatting with straps" thing, hopefully just in time to start back with normal front squatting.
GH Raise 5x5 w/ 10kg plate behind head
Cal Back Extension - 3x15
Chinese Arches - 3x w/ 35kg
Hypers and Traction

I was supposed to do some Zerchers and some other things, but since the front squat went so well I dialed back and just did my usual accessory work.

12/17
Foam rolled out IT bands/inner thigh/quads
Five minutes accumulated in bottom squat position (shoes on)
Five minutes accumulated in bottom squat position (no shoes)
Epsom Salt bath

12/18
Single Leg Box Jump 5x2
Back Squat 60x5 90x3 110x3 130x5 140x5x5
GH Raise (unweighted) 3x15
GH Sit-Up (unweighted) 3x20
Reverse Hypers 2x10
Foam Roller and some squat time
(The SSB squats and the squat accumulation time is really helping everything. Highly recommend the SSB work and 5-10 mins of squat time on your off days. I think the SSB has been very helpful with helping my posture become more upright in the hole and I highly recommend it)

12/19
Box Jumps 3x2 then Kneeling Double Jumps 3x3
-(a kneeling double jump is a kneeling jump + immediately jumping for max height like a vert test. It seems to help me with clean recovery.)
SSB Squat bar x5 70x5 90x4 110x4 120x5x3
Tried some behind the neck presses; hand still too swollen
DB Iso OH Press up to 60x8x3 (R hand) and 40x8x3 (L hand)
Iso Pulldown 4x10+10
T-Bar Row 4x12
Cal Back Extension 4x15
Weighted Plank 4x
Traction
Rolled out IT bands and Inner Thighs + a couple mins in the squat

12/20
Kneeling Jumps 2x3
Front Squat up to 115x3x3 (No carbs since Saturday, running out of gas)
GH Raise BWx8 10kgx6 15kgx5x3
Chinese Arches 25kgx1 40kgx1 50kgx3
Traction
(Blessed, blessed carbs for the first time since Saturday)

12/21 - Off

12/22 (Woke up late, legs DO NOT move quickly or bouncy first thing in the AM)
Tried some jumps but the body wasn't having it. Hand wasn't digging back squatting so I went to the safety squat bar.
SSB: barx5 70kgx5 90x5 110x3 130x3 140x2 145x2 150x1x2
Did some very light snatch pulling from deficit @ 60kg. Hand feels MUCH better than last time I pulled.
Got my hand worked on again at the chiro. It still hurts like hell to get this thing adjusted, but it's getting closer.

-Just got a new pair of knee sleeves from Rehband and Jackal's Gym. This is the first time I've ever worn them and I'm not used to wearing them. I THINK they fit correctly, but it's a new feeling. They feel a little large, but I also haven't tried to clean or snatch in them yet. I have to think the fit for the Olympic lifts are a bit different than just squatting. Any thoughts on the sleeves out there, let me know.