8/29/2009 Island Strength

Pushes and Pulls

Standing Military Press
Bar
95x5
135x3
145x8
145x7
155x3

Face Pulls
120x10 3 Sets

DB Side Laterals
20x8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

T-Bone
Up to 225x1 Mil Press

DB Side Laterals
35x8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Thats all I remember right now.
We're Bench Only, Bitches!

8/28/2009 Island Strength

Tricep / Upper Back Day

Rev-Band JM Press
Bar
135x10
225x6
235x6
245x6
255x6

Rope Push-downs
120x10
130x10
140x10
150x8

CG Pull-downs w/Dbl Mini Band
120x10 8 Sets

T-Bone
Rev-Band JMs
Up to 315x5

8/27/2009 Island Strength

Bench Day

Bar
135x5
185x2
3-Boards
225x2
315x1
Put on 52" Katana A/S
405x0 Too Low
405x1* Easy!
425x1 35lb PR

Raw 1-Board: 275x3*

Tony
Bar
135x5
185x3
3-Board
225x3
315x2
365x1
Scoop neck Katana
455x1 NT
475x1
500x1 Hit safety bar, still locked out
550x1* Easy 50lb PR!

Raw 1-Board: 315x5

Big Fat PRs! Lotsa fun.

8/22/2009 Island Strength

Broke Down Day

Standing Military Press
Bar
95x5
135x3
155x1
175x1

DB Shrugs
70x25
90x25

Side Laterals
20Lbs x8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Tony
Strict Military Press
No Knee drive
No rebound
Up to 205 for reps

Beat up.

8/21/2009 Island Strength

Tricep / Lat Day

Rev-Band JMs
Bar 3x10
Add rev-green bands
135x5
225x6
235x6 2 sets
240x6

One-arm JMs
135x5 4 sets

CG Pull-downs w/Dbl Mini
120x10 2 sets
130x10 2 sets
140x10 4 sets

T-Bone
Hvy DB Rows

CG Pull-downs w/Dbl Mini

Nice inceases on my tricep work. Feeling
stronger.
1

8/20/2009 Island Strength

Bench Day

Bar 3x10
135x5 2 sets
185x1
225x2
245x1
265x3*
225x9
205x10
185x10
185x10

T-Bone
Bar
135
185
225
315
Put on Super Katana
2-Board Press
455x1
475x1
500x1*

High Boards


T-Bone slamming the big
weights today.

8/15/2009 Island Strength

Bednarski Day

High Pulls
Bar
135x5
135x5
185x5
225x5
225x5

Shrugs
225x10
315x10
225x20
225x20 (Snatch Grip)

Military Press
Bar
135x3
155x1
175x0 close miss
135x10

Dann

High Pulls
135x5
135x5
185x5
225x5

Military Press
Bar
115x5
135x3
155x0 close miss
135x6(?)

T-Bone
High Pulls
Up to 315x5

Shrugs
Up to 475x5

Military Press
Up to 205
Push Press
Up to 225

This pulls and pressing workout
is alot of fun. Should pay dividends
next meet.

8/14/2009 Island Strength

Tricep and Upper-Back Day

Close-Grip Pull-Downs
100 + Dbl Blue Band: 8x10

Face Pulls
110x10
120x10
130x10
140x10

JM Press
135x10 2 Sets
185x5
135x20

Single-arm Incline Ext
20x10
25x10
30x10

Dann
Raw 2-Board
135x3
185x3
205x3*
225x2.9*

Tricep Death
175Lbs
3-Board: 12
4-Board: 3
5-Board: 3

CG Pull-downs

Face Pulls

T-Bone
JMs up to 205

CG Pull-downs

Sorry for lack of details. Feel
free to log on and post. Everyone
looks strong and making progress.

8/13/2009 Island Strength

Bench Day
Bar 3 sets of 10
135x5
225x2
245x1
265 6 Singles
225 3 Sets of 5

T-Bone
Shirt Day w/ 3-Boards
Up to 500x1 Looked Easy

Raw 4-Boards


Not a bad day. No misses. Tony
made 500 look easy. Now to work
the weight down to the chest.

8/8/2009 Island Strength

Barski Day

Power Cleans
Bar
115x2x2
150 4 Sets of 2

Standing Military Press
Bar
115x5
125x3
135x3
115x15

Dann
Power Cleans
Bar
115 4 Sets of 2

Standing Military Press
Bar
115x3
125x3
135x3
115x12

Fun at the Cop Shop. Oh; We kicked
T-Bone's absent ass in the power clean and
the military press.

8/7/2009 Island Strength

Tricep/Back Day

Reverse-Band JMs
Two-Handed
135x5
225 4 sets of 6
One Handed
135 4 sets of 4

Rolling Extensions
40x12
25x12

CG Pull-downs w/Dbl Mini Band
140x10 4 sets

Rear Laterals
25x 12

Big T
Hold-ems: Not sure how heavy 335?
Rev-Band JMs
CG Pull-downs

Dann
Two-Handed
Rev-Band JMs
225 4 sets of 6
One-Hand
Rev-Band JMs - Not sure how hvy

CG Pull-downs
140 w/mini band
?

Sorry not remembering your weights guys.

8/6/2009 Island Strength

Bench Day

Bar x 30
135X5 2 SETS
185X2

Iron Chamber W/O
235x6
250x4
280x0
265x1 missed 2nd, 3rd reps
235x5 missed 6th rep

Not good. Lots of reasons. Screw it.

T-Bone
Completed the 370 column I believe

Dann
Completed the 200 column

Tbone Strength Revalation and Rambling

In evaluating my own performance and my training partner's performances as of late it has come to my attention that some of us are stalling and some of us are getting stronger. In looking at everything, I've taken into account everyone's age and relative strength levels, however this isn't as big an issue as one would assume. The bench press is much more of a technical exercise than one would assume and it needs to be trained specific to one's strength levels, utilizing percentages from a one rep max established by the individual in order to gain strength, muscle, and overall body power. A problem with training the bench press is that there is a variety of training methodologies and philosophies from so many top notch lifters that it is very seductive to look at what works for one's bench that increased say Shawn Frankl's bench and say "If it works for them it must work for me!".

The old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" definitely applies to benching. Big Steve's biggest problem is that as of late he (as are the rest of my training partners and myself) continuously is attempting a raw personal record yet is getting further and further away from what works for him. I've looked at his past training logs and what works for him (and works rather well) is a steady dose of board work and reverse band work with back and triceps assistance work as well as front deltoids work; and throwing in the occasional floor press also increased his gains because it continued to stimulate strength and muscle gains without him plateauing.

Sometimes in training, one must look back at what worked for them and just go back to what worked. It is essential for one to remember that, while a routine may look attractive, one must figure out how to incorporate it into their existing routine instead of doing a complete 180 and shunning what worked originally. I'm guilty of this myself, as I look at the routines of the Metal Militia, Westside Barbell Club, and other top gyms and say "this has to work for me" but all I did was plateau if I didn't go backwards in my training. Yes, technique is a critical element in performing the bench press or the other two power lifts correctly (squat and the deadlift) but you can be as technically sound as the best in the world but if you aren't working your Central Nervous System and muscles that are the primary movers in the bench correctly, than technique and setup are essentially useless.

I believe that it is time to go back to what worked and what worked well, as I previously mentioned a steady dose of boards (both raw and shirted) and reverse band workouts and floor presses are a key in increasing the bench press for my training partners. Over training and too much full range of motion workouts can inhibit progress a great deal as Louie Simmons put it one time. Training full range of motion too heavy and too often can greatly fatigue one's Central Nervous System and primary movers (lats, triceps, deltoids, and chest) to the point where a solid week of rest isn't enough to recover.

Another point worth making is the notion of how fast the bar is moving or in relative strength terminology: What is the rate of force development for said lifter? It is important to stress a great quote from the legendary Louie Simmons when he said "You never want to move a heavy weight slowly" which makes perfect sense. The equation f=m x a indicates that mass multiplied by speed equals force. The greater the force you generate the greater the speed of the weight on the bar. Lowering the bar too slow makes one press the bar too slow because the lats, triceps, and frontal deltoids are fatigued from trying to stabilize and control the slow descent. The faster the descent, the faster the press due to the stretch reflex being that much greater, allowing for the bar to explode off the lifters chest.

I rambled a little bit much here, but I believe this is necessary to be stated. Steve's greatest success has been with board work, reverse band work, and with floor presses and 2-3 accessory movements on a Max Effort Day. With my other training partners, anything they are doing is great at the moment because their bodies are adapting to training which is great. The greatest success sometimes for a lifter is knowing when you've hit a wall and when you need to go backwards and restart and I believe this time is now, not only for my training partners but for myself if we are to hit our long term goals.

8/2/2009 Island Strength Ramblings

I really prefer not to post my "thoughts" on training.

A log is used to document training, maybe a

little "how you felt", "what you ate". Not a bunch

of philosophy although funny shit like what Mark Bell

writes about is OK. But I'm thinking out loud here to

help figure out the training puzzle.



I've been going kinda backwards lately in my

quest for a bigger bench. Figuring out why can

be frustrating. I'm getting older but alot of (much)

stronger guys are older than me. I reject that reason.

I put in a strong training effort. I use supplements,

creatine, protein, and vitamins. I work alot of hours and

often have a very disrupted sleep cycle. Lots of people

do but again, not an excuse, just something to factor in.



In looking at my training log as well as my PR log. It

seems like gains in raw bench strength have come when

I'm including the military press. My boards and shirted

bench have gone up just fine. Raw numbers have not. I

compete in a single-ply fed but the idea of having a nice,

big fat raw bench is very appealing. So overhead pressing

is back in the mix, as is direct tricep work.

8/01/2009 Island Strength

Standing Military Press
Bar
115x5
135x2
155 4 Singles
125 3 Sets of 5

CG Pull-downs to abs
4 Sets of 20

Rope Push-downs
90x6
100x6
110x6
120x6

New 3-days in a row program starts Thursday.
Focus is on raw bench strength.