12-28-07 Island Strength

Preparations for the USPF State Powerlifting Championship Have Begun At Last

Reverse-Band 1-Board BP (Large Bands)

Bar, 135x5, 225x4, Put on F6 and green bands 275x3, 315x3
365x3, 405x1

Switched to Blue Bands (Medium)
275x10 w/ loose shirt (No belt - just let it ride up)

JM Press
135x8, 145x6, 160x4*

DB Rows
100x21*, 100x11, 100x6

This was a very quick and productful workout. My upper-body
was kind of going "What was that all about"? Like the bad kid
who does his homework for the first time and it turns out to
be easier than trying to get out of work all the time. Or whatever.
Tomorrow I order THE KATANA.

T-Bone Strength 12-26-07

Squats:185x3, 275x3, 365x3, 455x3, 365x3, 275x3, 185x3 (Raw)
Pause Squats:275x5 (2 Sets)
Power Cleans:5x3x185
Zerker Lifts:5x3x225 (This was seriously taxing and different!)
Power Snatch:3 singles with 135

I was absolutely shocked at how difficult the Zerker Lifts were. It worked parts of my back and glutes that I didn't even know existed! Definitely are going to be staples of my routine, both the Zerker Squat and Lift, both good stuff. Didn't really have a lot of time to lift so I had to speed everything up. The squats were all USPF legal and all I wore were my wrist wraps and knee sleeves, both for protection purposes. Surprisingly, 455x3 that deep and raw wasn't all that tough. Getting stronger is cool.

Oh and we have to give Don Salvo the quote of the month last night:"You know what the toughest part of working out is? Working out!"

12-23-07 Island Strength

Two Board Press
Bar, 135x5 2 Sets, 225x3, Put on F6 275x3, 320x3*

Illegal Wides
215x5-4-3-2-1 *

KB Rows 3x20

Rolling Ext 30lbs 3 Sets of 15

PR's on 2-boards and illegal wides

Merry Christamas Eve Eve

PS: Let's do two-ply open back competition! Why not!

T-Bone Strength 12-21-07

Dynamic Day in the Banderific Bench!

Speed Bench with Doubled Mini's:275x9x3 (This was seriously a test for me)
DB Floor Band Press:3x8x100 with looped band
DB Rows:2x20x100lbdb
Shoulder Laterals:3x8x50lb
Cissell Laterals (Thats right I invented something...I think)2x6
Multi Grip Pushdowns:3 cycles

The speed bench with 275 was a test not necessarily because of the weight but for some reason I had trouble unracking the weight with wider grips. Guess I'll work on lockouts soon. I'm sure the bands have to do something with it because with a wide grip (Index finger on the ring) I can unrack 495 without much difficulty. The Cissell Laterals are a variant on cable laterals. Instead of using a handle and having your knuckles facing up they are facing down with the cable behind you. This focuses solely on rear delts and works your triceps a little bit and I was absolutely shocked on the little amount of weight I could do. With a normal grip its not difficult to do up to 70 but with a reverse grip I could barely do 40 for 8 reps. Definitely something to include here and there. I took a pulldown bar and used various hand positions for 10 reps at a time for 30 total reps with 3 different grips. Basically today ended up being a hypertrophy day with speed bench included. Still tough training and I'll work on organizing my dynamic bench day better.

T-Bone Strength 12-19-07

Shut up and Squat!

Squats:135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 405x3, 495x3 (put on suit straps down)495x3, 585x2, 640x1 (Slightly above parallel on the 640)
SLDL:225x5 (3 sets)
Pause Squats:2x5x225 for 10 seconds at the bottom (was really easy just wanted to see how it felt)
Hanging Leg Raises:3x12

I had intended to do power cleans and some calf work but I'll do my calf work tomorrow on an extra workout day which I always keep extra light. I'm really focusing on keeping my workouts under 70 minutes which is allowing me the perfect amount of time to recover in between heavy workouts and also allows me to increase GPP. 585 went up without a problem as I'm really starting to learn my TRX suit and 640 I could of gone lower especially given I had my knee wraps on, but I'm positive with briefs on I can nail it out of the hole with serious speed no problem. I have a reasonable goal of nailing a 675 squat within the next 3 months of training which I think I can do. The rebound out of the bottom is really helping. Gotta give thanks to some of the guys at the gym who I asked to tell me when I was below parallel on the 585 (surprisingly someone actually was up there and knew what I was talking about!). It went up pretty fast, although I'd like to hit it raw (i.e. just a belt and knee sleeves/wraps). I can now formulate my squat cycle for state and I'm eyeballing a 1700+ total. We'll see what happens! Stay tuned!

T-bone Strength 12-17-07

Big and I mean big Max effort day in the bench

Bench:135x12, 195x5, 225x5x 315x5, 365x1
3Boards:365x3, 385x3, 405x2, 425x1, 435x1
At this point I wanted to just feel 475 in my hands, when I picked it off the rack I thought I can do this and the result...:
475x1 off a 3board RAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pushdowns:7x8x130
Rolling Triceps:50x8, 60x8, 70x5
Pulldowns:3x8xstack
Chest Supported Rows:3x5x5 plates, used a double underhand grip, worked them lats!

I couldn't be more happy with my progress. I really wonder what I can do in a shirt. 475 was a grinder all the way but I got that sucker up. My triceps strength has improved greatly and I couldn't be happier with my progress. My 500 bench is looking more and more realistic by the moment! My lats still need work as do my shoulders and I will address this issue Friday on my dynamic day. Still, 475 off a 3 board!!!!!!!!!!!! Give it up to Mr.475!

12-17-07 Island Strength

Raw 3-Board Press

Full ROM Bar, 135x5 2 Sets, 225x3
3-Board 275x3, 315x1 miss 2nd rep, 315x0
It had to happen. No PR. I tried for a 15lb PR
though I felt terrible from changing shifts (tired).

Reverse-Band BP
285x5-4-3-2-1* 5Lb PR

JM Press
135x8, 145x6, 155x4

DB Rows Elbows Out
65x10 3 Sets*

Rope Push-downs
80x5, 90x5, 100x5, 110x5, 120x5, 130x5, 140x5

So, no PR on the 3-Board. All kind of reasons (excuses)
However, next time I'll be ready for a PR! Period. I should note
however that a 315 raw 3-board is a 15lb PR for 1RM. I was trying to
get 3 reps however.

T-Bone Strength 12-14-07

Conclusion of my deload week

Squats:8x2x315lb I mean super super easy felt like an empty bar
SLDL:2x5x135lb
Shrugs:2x25x100lb
Adductor Machine:2x25xDoes it really matter?
Cardio:10 min

I mean I feel great and fully healed. I never thought I could move 315 that fast or that easy. I'm positive I can get 700+ in the squat in 2008. Just look out for an elite total from me and who knows, I may do some bench only contests next year in not only the USPF but in the APA also so we'll see what happens. The big weights start getting moved Monday!

12-12-07 Island Strength

Shirted 3-Board Press
Raw Full ROM Bar, 135x5 2 Sets, 225x3,
Put on F6 w/3-board 295x3, 335x3* 10lb PR
Static Hold 405 x 10 Seconds

Crazy Bands (Dbl'd Minis and 1-board w/close-grip)
bar x5, 145x5-4-3-2-1* 10lb PR

DB Rows
100x20*, 100x10, 100x5

Rolling Extensions
25 x20 2 Sets

Hammer Curls
some

The 10lb PR with 335 would have been easy
if I hadn't hit the uprights (bar bracket) on
each and every rep. I still made it with room to spare.

Crazy Bands PR was pretty tough.

All in all a tight little workout. Held 405 in my arms
for the first time. Heavy.

T-Bone Strength 12-10-07

Deload Workout

Full Flat Bench:135x10 (2sets) 205x10, 225x20 (2 sets)
Oarps: (super light like I don't even remember what weight I did) 20 reps total
Pushdowns:60x20
Pec Dec: Super light like I think 50ish pounds for 20 reps
Cardio:10 Min

Just a nice recovery workout. Nothing really to brag about, I plan on doing really light squats on Wednesday/Thursday and call it a week. Extra sleep and extra food this week before I go pre-contest diet and training.

T-bone Strength 12-7-07

Dynamic Bench

Bench:135x8, 225x8 (Warmups)
Added my new spiffy bands (Thanks to big Steve!)
9x3x255 with doubled mini's. (Steve do you know the band tension on these by chance?)

Pushdowns with Straight Bar:5x8x150
Chest Supported Rows:3x8x6 plates
3-Way Shoulders:2 cycles (Side Raisex20, Front Raisex20, Bent Over Raisex20)

It really felt different to work with the bands again. I really enjoyed them! I plan on deloading this next week to allow some recovery time given I have some nagging aches and pains here and there I'll do active recovery next week and eat a lot and sleep a lot. I was curious after working with the bands and I loaded 315 on the bar and I swear I did it so fast it felt like I was using just the bar! I'm going to go on a 3 week band cycle on the bench after my deload week and I'll see where that take me. Only 15 weeks away until I become a 2-time State powerlifting champion! My elite total will happen!

Think like a Champion!
Eat like a Champion!
Train like a Champion!
Win like a Champion!!!!

12-7-07 Island Strength

Squats
Bar, 135x5, 225x5
1st Wave: 315x3, 325x2, 335x1
2nd Wave: 325x3, 335x2, 345x1

Bradfords
Barx5, 95x5, 115x5, 145x5 2 Sets*

Plate Raises
45x17 2 Sets*

BB Curls
85x16, 85x11

Neg Chins
Bwt x 6

Rear Delts
20x10, 30x10, 35x6

Rope Pushdowns
70x45

Didn't sleep very well last night, no energy today.
I didn't think I was going to complete the 115x5 Bradfords,
so I was surprised to get 145x5 (x2) for a PR.

Never Give Up.

T-bone Strength 12-5-07

Max Effort Squats

Olympic Squats:3x5x405 (no belt wraps nothing) 1x2x405
Power Cleans:5x3x205
Snatch Practice:Bunch of singles and reps
Abdominals

Shut up and Squat!!!

T-Bone Strength 12-3-07

Max Effort Bench

Raw 3-Board Press;315x3, 335x3, 365x3 (2 sets), 385x3, 405x2, 425x1*PR
Close Grip Bench:3x3x315
Lying Rolling Triceps Extension(I literally was on the ground):5x10x60
Dumbbell Rows:1x25x100 Each Arm

Solid Day in the bench cant complain. The numbers continue to go up in every lift I do. My left side felt like it wasn't there today or something and when I was doing warm-ups, 225 felt like the world, until I realized that my left side was hanging completely off the bench! I didn't have my shoulder blades together or a tight arch. It was a big difference when I got my proper set up, I felt like I could of done 225 for 40 if I needed to. The Casino Gym honestly needs to get bigger dumbbells, the 100 pounder is just way to easy for me for rowing. More weight!!!!!! Can't complain about the PR's though. I'll work 2-boards next week and we'll where that takes me.

27 Reasons To Be Big

Taken from T-Nation, the awesome Dave Tate wrote this bad boy (note:Parental Discretion is Strongly Advised!)

1. I like having to think, "Is this really worth getting up for?" before doing anything.

2. I like having to roll off the bench press instead of sitting up.

3. I like the feeling of having my head filling with pressure, turning bright red and not being able to breathe. And this is just from tying my shoes. I find it best to take a big breath of air, drop as fast as I can and speed tie. I can usually get the job done in four to five reps.

4. I like the feeling of my belly on my upper thighs when I take a dump. Sometimes I even try to sit back further, fill my belly with air and blast away like I would a big squat.

5. I like feeling hot and sweaty when sitting in an air conditioned room with my shirt off and a fan blowing on me. This is how I spend most days at work!

6. I like taking an extra few minutes in my car to catch my breath from walking across the parking lot.

7. I like having to put my belt through my belt loops before I put on my pants. I remember how mad my friend Jim was one time at the airport when he was asked to remove his belt before going through the metal detector. He knew he had two choices. He could either go the rest of the day without his belt, or head to the restroom to take his pants back off and re-loop the belt. He waited until the next time he had to take a dump as it would just be too much of a pain to remove his pants for no reason.

8. I like waking up in the middle of the night with my hands numb. Gives me a chance to eat more food.

9. I like being asked things like:

"Do you lift weights?"

No, I look this way for no other reason.

"Are you a wrestler?"

Yeah, like I have the mobility to jump off the top rope!

10. I like the time I have to spend in business meetings trying to overcome the meathead image all the fat, out-of-shape business executives have of me.

11. I like the feeling I have of needing to take a shit all day long.

12. I like the lower back workout I get from walking across the room.

13. Cell phones are also a treat when you're big. You're sure to cut all conversations very short because you know your arm will get tired within the first two minutes. This is where the headsets are great, but these Shrek-like fingers make it hard to get the damn plug in the phone.

14. On that same note, I like having to retype just about every third word because my damn fingers keep hitting the wrong keys.

15. I like buying a new recliner every year because they all break down.

16. I like the feeling of jeans either smashing my nuts or falling off my ass.

17. I like coming up with excuses to avoid places like the zoo, amusement parks, fairs or any other place that involves a shitload of walking in hot weather. Yeah, let's all go to Disney World!

18. I love speed squat workouts where the only thing that's moving fast is my heart rate.

19. I love leaving work and finding that when I get to my car I forgot something and realize it isn't worth the 20 yards to walk back and get it. The only exception to this rule is when I forget my car keys and then have to stand there pissed at myself for a half hour before I walk back in and get them. I usually try using my cell phone to call in and have someone bring them out to me.

20. I love swimming and finding myself in the deep end where I can’t touch.

21. I always like it when I'm the passenger in a compact car. First you have a hell of a time getting into the car as it feels like you're doing a one-leg squat down to a shoe box. Then when you reach your destination you find you're curbside parked. You go to open the door and you hear the oh-so-familiar scratch of the car door on the curb. This sound runs down your spine like fingernails on a chalkboard.

You then look out the door and see that you're required to do the deepest one-leg squat in history to get out. The only way you'll be able to do this is to arch your back and press your feet into the floor as hard as you can to begin to lift yourself up in the seat as you would on a hack squat machine. If done correctly, you can gain up to six inches before you take the side lunge from hell to get out.

Once you're in the proper position you should be able to take the leap of faith to get out. If this wasn't bad enough, you always know that it's not over after the first step. You know there's a very good chance you'll end up losing your balance as you get out and end up taking a few awkward backward steps once you clear the door. The worst thing of all is knowing once you get out you'll have to find a way to get back in.

22. I love feeling like I'm getting more jacked and ripped at the same time, yet every picture I see of myself shows a fat bloated pig. I guess it's true that a picture can add two rolls and twenty pounds of fat. Okay, thirty.

23. I like knowing that when I go to take a dump I have a very good chance of getting a lat cramp when I go to wipe. This will always lead to the "quick" wipe and a dirty ass.

Jim has always suggested the use of baby wipes to finish the job, but let’s face it, do you really want to risk the lat cramp again? I'd much rather hit the shower to finish the job. Hint: You'll need to get one of those detachable showerheads so you can get the direct line of fire.

If all else fails, you can ask your sweetheart to help finish the job. To do this you need to lie on your back and lift your legs up and back as far as you can. This will give her a perfect view to get the job done.

Okay, I know I crossed the line with that one, but I do know of at least three lifters who take care of hygiene this way. They call this "assuming the position."

24. I love having to have someone else button my top shirt button and put my tie on because I can't reach it.

25. I also like going out to eat and finding I'm in a restaurant that has two choices: 1) the booth you have to squeeze your ass into, knowing that your belly will be smashed the entire meal and 2) those tall tables with the extra high barstools. Not able to lean back and set your feet on the floor is counterproductive to one of the most important activities of getting big—eating. I suggest leaving and finding somewhere else to eat.

26. I like all the crazy sexual positions I can conform to.

27. Going to the airport provides several great reasons why you should all strive to get big. First up, you have to get all your crap out of the car and to the check-in. In my case I'm usually looking at a duffle bag of clothes for the weekend trip. You also need a bigger bag because all your crap is size XXX, plus you need a few extra shirts as you're bound to sweat through most of them and will need to change often.

I also have my briefcase with laptop, planner and all the other crap I need while away. In the case of a seminar, I also have a roller case with my LCD projector. Lastly, if I need to train while away I'll need my training bag with all the gear I'll need. (I don’t even want to get into the bags needed for a powerlifting meet.)

So I'm faced with how to get four bags to the check-in terminal. Yes, you can get a roller cart, but this will require walking to the terminal to get the thing, then walking back, loading up and walking to the terminal again. This is way too many trips for a big guy to take.

If you're lucky, you'll make it to the terminal with only four or five drops. If you're following me here you know what happens when one bag falls off your shoulder. You try to recover and the next thing you know all your bags are on the floor. It takes several attempts to get all the bags back up and on your way.

Let me tell you this before I go on: don't try and kick a few bags as you go. This may seem like good idea but a travel bag doesn't kick as smoothly as you think it would, and it'll take much more energy kicking the bags than it would hiking them back on your shoulders.

Okay, so you make it to the check-in terminal. You take your place in line and set your crap down. This is when the "bag kick" comes in handy. You don't want to have to pick up your bags every five minutes when the line moves up.

At this point you'll be starving from all the work you had to do to get here and you can see the fast food places around the corner. As each person moves up you get more and more hungry to the point that your hunger turns into "stupid people aggression." Most of you will know what I mean with this.

You're in line and what should take a max of five to ten seconds to do, takes some of these morons ten minutes. All you can think of doing is kicking the asshole in front of you in the back as he fumbles for his ID that he should've had out ten minutes ago. Hell, I've been holding mine in my mouth for the last half hour to the point that the ends are now all chewed up.

You finally make it to the metal detector. We already discussed the belt issue, but it's important to point out that you should never wear laced shoes as you'll have to take them off, and we all know how hard they are to get back on.

Since you're big and jacked you don't have to worry about taking anything out of your pockets because if you had something in there, there's no way you'd ever get it out anyhow. This is also why big guys will always tip all the change they receive into the tip jar, because let's face it, where are you going to put it? In your front pocket? Yeah right! And how will you get it out? The only way you'd ever see the change again is when you take your pants off later that day. At this point it'll fall on the floor and you'll have to call in your kids to have them pick it up for you.

So you kick your shoes off and think you'll fly past the metal detector archway. This is true as long as you don't bump the sides. Since you're huge, your shoulders are bound to hit, plus you have a shaved head and goatee and are automatically targeted as a threat. So you find yourself being directed to the two big footprints on the floor and told to stand here. Then they ask you to raise your arms and will always ask you if you work out. This is no time for small talk as your shoulders are messed up from your last squat session and it's killing you to hold your arms up.

Finally, you get a chance to drop a few hundred bucks on a handful of eats that should hold you over for the trip. Now is your time to take a seat and recover from the demanding trip so far. This is a great time to checkout all the normal folks to remind yourself how great it is to be huge.

You realize very fast that you're ten times bigger than you thought you were as it seems everyone in this country is fat and out of shape. On any given day you'll be lucky to see one or two people who look like they've set foot in a weight room. The goal here is to not get too close to anyone as you don't want to catch the Geek Virus.

Soon you'll be boarding the plane. It's best to wait until last to get on. Why rush to just go sit again and have to get up if someone else comes? If you've planned your trip well you know you should have an isle seat so it doesn't matter when you get on. So relax and enjoy watching everyone else rush to the plane.

Now, you know the seat will be a tight fit and you'll have your balls crushed for the next hour or so. Find your seat but keep on the lookout for any seats that may be open with an empty seat next to them. Since you should be the last one on the plane, dive into whatever looks like the best place to be. This is your right because you are huge.

you know the seat will be a tight fit and you'll have your balls crushed for the next hour or so. Find your seat but keep on the lookout for any seats that may be open with an empty seat next to them. Since you should be the last one on the plane, dive into whatever looks like the best place to be. This is your right because you are huge.

As you can see, being big is a great thing. If I can’t convince you in 3000 words then there's just no hope for you.

NOW LIFT THE DARN WEIGHT!!!

12-2-07 Island Strength

Raw Two-Board Press
Full ROM: Bar, 135x5, 225x3, 2-boards 285x3*
10lb PR

Incline Press
195x5-4-3-2-1*
I promised 205 but to be honest, this 10lb PR
was a kill-or-be-killed situation.

DB Rows (Elbows Out)
60x12* 3 Sets

Tates
55x20

Rope Push-Downs
70x5,80x5,90x5,100x5,110x5

I planned on starting DB Band Extensions tonight but
the setup was so weird I did some Tates and called it quits.
I'll do some research on the setup.

T-Bone Strength 12-1-07

Big Pr Day

Rack Pulls:Bar set below knee cap.
Grabbed the box they have up there at the gym and stood on it so the bar was approximately 6 inches below my knee
Worked up to 635 for a single. It went up pretty fast too, used straps and my belt, went for 675 but it just wasn't mean to be. I'm fairly confident that my first goal of getting a 585 dead is very realistic and will happen sooner than I think.

Dumbbell Rows:7x7x100
RDL:3x3x405

And the lord spoke to T-bone and said "Rip that weight off the rack!" And I did! I expect a big pr to come in the next month or two as I venture on my second Coan deadlift cycle. This time, its going to be all elevated and we'll see where that takes me.