Past Training Log
WABDL Southern Regional Bench Press and Deadlift Championships - Dallas, Texas - August 9
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August 9 - WABDL Southern Regional Championships - Dallas, Texas This post is very late since I went on vacation in Maine for a week immediately after the meet. Weigh-in: 309.6 The smallest SHW in WABDL Fun but frustrating. Didn't get good sleep in the days leading up to the meet and it showed. One of my UHD boys, Gabe, won the Junior bench at 220 with a 413.2, missing a 435.2 on 3rd. Very proud of his performance. He's still getting the hang of the shirt, so watch for some big lifts in the future. I warmed up in the new 54 F6, the one that I couldn't use for an opener check because the University shut down for the tropical storm that was barely a moderate Illinois thunderstorm. I brought 500 down to a 1-board for my last warm-up and lowered my opener to 534.5. 1st Attempt: 534.5 MISS Quite possibly the WORST 3-man handoff I've ever had. Also, the shirt didn't give me much at all. The weight popped up off the chest and just stopped. I'm sure I didn't have good bar position due to the handoff; I should have spend more time to steady the bar before I brought it down. On the other hand, this will be a good shirt for low USAPL openers. 2nd Attempt: 579.6 GOOD, TX SR I did this one in the 54 Katana and Ken Anderson torqued the sleeves for me. An easy lift. Tiny Meeker took over on handoffs from this attempt on, and all were perfect. 3rd Attempt: 688.7 MISS This was the closest one can get to locking out without locking out. I was wearing the Super Plus for this. Weight came up smooth and my left arm locked out fine. Problem was I couldn't get the right arm that last inch to lockout. Held it at the top for a good five seconds trying to lock, but the spotters had to take it. 4th Attempt: 688.7 MISS Same thing, but a hair less close to lockout. Frustrating. I lifted well enough to win the Open Division and the Master 40-46 Division and to set a Texas State Record, but I missed my goal of a new bench PR. Very close, though, so I'm almost there. I'm thinking that maybe I should have just opened in the Super Plus instead of wasting energy on lighter attempts. Lessons from this meet: 1. Make sleep a priority the week of a meet. 2. Make more time for my own training (very tough to do, however). 3. Hammer lockouts and triceps. 4. Figure out how to get more leg drive (Roger Ryan didn't think I had much). Fun meet, though. I do too much judging and not enough competing these days, so it was fun to be on the platform having fun instead of sitting in the pressure cooker of the judge's chair. Got to talk to alot of old friends and make some new ones, and worked on recruiting some future UHD lifters. |
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Monday, August 4 - Bench Opener Check Today was a bust. The university closed at 5:00 p.m. due to the approach of Tropic Storm Edouard, which is supposed to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall at Galveston Island in the morning. It's projected path takes it right over the west side of Houston . . . which is where I live. The winds aren't supposed to be that high--maybe 50 miles per hour this far away from the coast (70 or 80 at the coast)--but Houston is very low--swamp land in many areas--and floods easily, especially the freeways and main roads. Edouard is expected to dump around 10 inches of rain tomorrow, so most places will be closed. The university closed early so that students, staff, and faculty living closer to the coast would have time to prepare their homes. I tried to set
something up at an LA Fitness, but couldn't round up any spotters. |
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Thursday, July 31 - Bench Press Day BWT - 308.5 This was my last heavy day before Dallas, with only an opener check remaining on Monday. This day also saw the largest turnout of lifters for a bench workout, and we were a bit pressed for time with only two benches to share. I didn't get my shirt on until two hours after we started as I was doing alot of coaching and spotting. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Titan Super Plus on . . . 3-boards - 405x3 500x3 585x1 Full Range - 685x0 Shirt was too tight, probably from washing, and the bar touched about 3 inches too low. Very little speed coming off the belly and the bar stalled 3/4s of the way up. Another 15 pounds and I would have had a higher touch and likely more speed off the chest to carry through the lockout. Disappointing, but that's been my history with pre-meet big attempts. I was 1 for 4 with 675 before I got my first 677 a couple of years ago. I decided to save my
energy for next week after talking with the guys. I was already
tired and feeling a bit beaten up, so I didn't want to risk a silly
injury. 500x17 Tri's were fried. Close-Grip Bench Press - |
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Thursday, July 24 - Bench Press Day BWT - Okay, Okay: I weigh 305 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 500x3 585x1 1-Board - 685x0 Had to abort because a side spotter couldn't lift his end of the bar out of the rack. 685x1 All-time PR! Got a decent pop off the chest, but lockout was slow and had to muscle it a bit. After I got the press command, I let the bar sink in to be sure I had a good, low 1-board. 3-Boards - 500x19 All-time PR! 1 rep shy of a 10,000 lb. set. Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x5 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Roger Ryan looked in on my log and kindly warned me I was cutting it close to the Dallas meet and only at a 2-Board. He was absolutely right. I've had some delays in this cycle, including a blown out seam on the Super Plus that was repaired some weeks back. Fortunately, the 1-Board was successful today, so I'll go full-range with 685 next week, then an opener check the beginning of the following week. |
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Wednesday, July 16 - Bench Press Day BWT - Same as last week. :-) I worked out a day early this week because I leave for Lansing, Michigan to judge the WABDL Great Lakes Regional tomorrow. I also took another week off from rack squats to let my elbows heal up more. They sort of felt better, but not really great. Today I was working in the 54 Katana to see if I can use it for openers. Unlike the F6, the Katana tightens up exponentially when the bar is just off the chest. Here's how it went: Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Katana 54 on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 2-Boards - 500x2 Full Range - 565x1 This was an easy touch on a 1-Board weeks ago, but a tough touch full range. The bar touched way low on my belly and it took alot of power to get the bar moving. Once it was moving I locked it out just fine. 585x1 Still a low, low touch, but easier to press. It stalled at transition, probably because of the low start. The spotters insisted it didn't double dip. Lock out was a muscle job. 600x1 A little higher on the touch, but still not where it should be. Came up fast, but muscled the lockout again. Verdict - The jury is still out, as I think I need more Katana experience. For Dallas I think I'll borrow back my 54 F6 from the Michigan guys and use that. I'm good for an easy touch, easy press 550s or 560s in that. Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x5 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . |
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Thursday, July 10 - Bench Press Day BWT - A little heavier than last week. I took a week off from rack squats to let my elbows and wrists heal up. I iced them down every day for the past week. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 500x3 595x2 2-Boards - 695x0 One of the side spotters couldn't lift his end of the bar out of the rack, so this attempt was aborted. 695x0 I told the handoff man to say "Press" when I touched the board since I figured I wouldn't be able to feel contact easily. I got the weight down to the board but didn't know it. He forgot to say "Press." The bar sat there for a good three seconds. Instead of saying "Press" he told the spotters to take it. Aborted attempt number two. 695x1 Got it for an all-time 2-Board PR! The bar popped up pretty fast to a few inches short of lockout. I had to muscle the lockout but, hey, I felt happy that I could muscle a 695 lockout. 3-Board - 500x18 All-time PR! 9000 lb. set! Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x4 Triceps were fried. Shoulder P/Rehab . . . |
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Thursday, July 3 - Bench Press Day (since the gym will be closed tomorrow) BWT - 5 lbs. less than earlier this week, but still my Bovine Self This workout was a reminder of all the things that have to go right in order to have a good workout . . . precisely because so many things didn't go right during the week. This was final-exam week for the first summer session, and as a result I have been averaging only six hours of sleep as opposed to my usual eight. In addition, my sudden weight loss is evidence that I got sloppy on my eating. All of this conspired to have me in a very tired, run-down state by the time I went in for my workout. I went through my warmups to see if I could make something of the workout, but stopped at 600. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 500x3 600x1 After the 600, my wrists and elbows were throbbing. Also, the 600 was slower than my reps with 675 last week. So . . . I'll count this as a light week and start getting some serious recovery. Days like this happen. When they do, just have to deal with it, go light, and focus on recovery for the next week. I'll be under more pressure now, though, because there isn't much time left to prepare for Dallas. |
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Tuesday, July 1 - (No) Deadlift Day BWT - Take a Guess Rack Squats - 225x3 315x3 405x3 495x1 585x1 675x1 745x1 Rack Lockouts - 315x1 405x1 495x1 585x1 Bad form on the 585. I've been doing all my rack work on the same day since we're still not deadlifting, but I think I need to alternate weeks on these. My legs are smoked by the time I get to my target lockout sets, and that ruins my form. Shrugs - 500x15 |
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Friday, June 27 - Bench Press Day BWT - I'm within the allowable parameters of my weight class I took my reconditioned Super Plus for a spin tonight. Ken Anderson had the seams reinforced and the chest tightened by a half inch. This makes a BIG difference in performance, as you'll see. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Super Plus on . . . 3-boards - 405x3 This were a real challenge to get to touch. 500x3 Also very tough to bring down to the board. 585x3 675x4 New 3-board rep PR at this weight! 500x16 I believe this is one rep off my best ever. If Jeff Douglas still has his incredible PR document maybe he could look it up. These are VERY tough in the reconditioned shirt: the chest is so tight that it puts much more pressure than before across the chest on the descent. I'm sure my blood pressure was through the roof on this set. Afterwards, I was really wiped out. Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x5 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . This workout almost didn't happen due to a missing hand-off man. But Ryan did a great job for his first try at hand-offs, and Waldo and Luis are very good at sides. I've only got a month left to get ready for the Dallas meet, so I need to start getting the bar down to the chest. I'll probably try 705 off the 2-boards next week, then perhaps go to 1-boards the week after that. That will give me a couple of full-range workouts before Dallas. Two lifters who have tried my training programs with some success and who read my training log from time to time recently contacted me by email. To those who find anything useful and/or interesting here, a big "thank you" for visiting my website! For those who have had success on my programs or who have questions about them, please email me about your progress or with your questions. I love to hear from lifters who try my programs. It's a real thrill for me to find out that my ideas are helping others achieve their goals. |
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Tuesday, June 24 - Deadlift Day . . . but still not actually deadlifting. BWT - My hooves no longer fit on the scale. Rack Squat - 225x3 315x1 405x1 495x1 585x1 675x1 725x1 Rack Lockout - (haven't done these since 2007) 225x1 315x1 405x1 495x1 585x1 Waldo had a multiple-PR day, and a newcomer at 148 did very well, too. |
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Friday, June 20 - Bench Press Day BWT - This means bodyweight! My Super Plus is being repaired, reinforced, and tightened up by Ken Anderson. In the meantime, Ken sent me a 54 Katana to try. I LOVE the Katana. The sleeves felt creepy weird at first, but once I figured out how to go with the groove I was in gear heaven. The 54 would make a good opener shirt for me, but with some customization this one would work into the mid-600s I think. I'm eager to try a 52 and 50. A 50 might out-perform my beloved Super Plus. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 54 Katana on . . . 3-board - 405x3 500x3 2-board - 565x3 1-board - 565x1 Used new hand-off man on this and he had his hands on the bar the whole way, so I didn't feel good about it. 565x1 This simply launched off the board. VERY fast. Close-Grip Bench Press - 295x5 315x5 Too easy. But we were running out of time so no chance to try heavier. Very good workout! |
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Tuesday, June 17 - Deadlift Day Plenty of coaching today, as usual. BWT - Yes Rack Squat - 135x5 225x5 315x1 405x1 495x1 585x1 675x1 Shrugs . . . kinda light this week. My back was killing me when I came in. It was feeling good after just a few sets. Weird. |
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Friday, June 13 - Supplemental I inspected my Super Plus since it popped on me on the 655 and with my down set. Turns out the right front seam opened up pretty good. I'll call Ken to see whether the shirt can be repaired or whether I should just go with a new shirt. The rest of the shirt is in great shape. It's one of a handful of Super Plus models that were made for Titan lifters at Bench America 3. I received it in August of 2005, but the alterations didn't make it ready for use until December. I hit the 677 in Minneapolis in it in May of 2006, and it's seen LOTS of workouts since. It's basically a Katana chest with F6 sleeves. I'm hopeful that the seam can be repaired. In the meantime, I'll ask Ken to send me a Katana to take for a spin next week. On another note, I received an email from a lifting friend constructively criticizing me for cutting my own training short because of my coaching. I need to be more selfish, he says. Well, my coaching is my choice. And, quite frankly, if I had to choose between training for competition and coaching, I'd choose coaching. Sure, it's fun to hit PRs in competition and win stuff, but "been there, done that." It's alot more fun for me to see lifters I've coached do the same. So I'll slog along trying to do both at the same time as best I can, but clearly I have been giving up some of my own training time for the sake of my lifters. And that's what I want. UHD Powerlifting is the closest thing I'll ever have to a situation like Okayama Powerlifting, and those who've read my article on Okayama know what I think of their program. More importantly, it's about giving back to the sport. All of us can find ways to do so, and this is the obvious way for me. In that vein, here's a challenge for those of you who may read my log: recruit at least one new lifter this year and help train them for a meet. Imagine if every experienced lifter in the sport achieved that goal every year! And if you're one of those lifters typically complaining about all that isn't right with the sport today, quit complaining and start doing something about it by getting involved with a federation, whether by getting your judging credentials, helping out at meets, running a meet of your own, or volunteering to be a state chairperson. Imagine the progress the sport could make if people actually did something more than simply complain! |
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Friday, June 13 - Bench Press Day BWT - Mooooo! Kind of an off week as I woke up with a mild stomach bug, but lifted anyway. I'm doing what I call a "Big Daddy Wave." I work up to my target weight on the 3-boards (the 705 last week), drop to 2-boards and go lighter, working back up over a few weeks to the target again, then down to 1-board for the same before going full-range. I was trying wrestling shoes today to see if I could get a better grip on the flooring. I was surprised to find that with the wrestling shoes I can get up on my toes, so I gave heels up a try for this workout. It felt okay, but I'm not sure I get any better leg drive. In fact, I didn't feel quite as solid on my top set. So, back to regular shoes and heels down next week. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on. . . 3-boards - 405x3 500x3 2-boards - 605x2 Very easy 655x1 Didn't feel like I had much leg drive. The shirt was popping (first time it's ever done that, so I didn't try a second). Forearms were bothering me, too . . . maybe typing too much. Very solid, clean press, though. 3-boards - 500x14 Come-back PR Our team captain was away for a wedding, so I was doing all the coaching. Missed triceps as a result, so I'll go in and finish tomorrow. Our 165/148er did a very nice 365 off the boards. |
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Tuesday, June 10 - Deadlift Day BWT - Didn't Check . . . Probably very heavy. Rack Squats - Can't get the height quite right on this rack: it's either slightly too low or slightly too high. I'll try changing shoes to make myself a bit shorter. 315x5 405x3 495x2 585x1 635x1 Shrugs - 315x15 405x15 495x15 Almost three hours of coaching tonight. Finally got our potential 132 lifter to give it a try. He did an easy 315 rack squat on his first try and a 365 rack pull, also on his first try. Lots of potential. In fact, I'm amazed at the talent walking around our campus. And I'm also continually impressed by the maturity of thought and the intellectual curiosity of our students, including those on my team. These are smart, smart kids. Unlike all too many people, they are totally unafraid of difficult and challenging ideas, and willing to engage with those ideas respectfully and reasonably, even when they are ideas with which they strongly and fundamentally disagree. Totally my kind of people. Very rare and very refreshing. These lifters are becoming more and more of a joy to coach. |
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Friday, June 6 - Bench Press Day BWT - Kinda Heavy This was the first week of our first four-week summer session, and we had some mix ups on our training schedules. Our deadlift platform was supposed to have been ready by today, but it isn't. We'll continue with rack work until it's ready, hopefully by the end of next week. I've moved my bench to Friday so I can train more rested and with a couple of our other heavier guys in the shirt. However, we had some confusion on the start time and began the workout an hour late, making us very rushed since the facility closes at 7:00 p.m. I worked our team captain through his workout . . . he hit 455 at 198 off the boards. I was only able to work up to my target set before the gym closed. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards . . . 405x3 500x3 600x2 705x1 (almost two) All-Time PR!! We had a new side spotter, so handoffs were wobbly. The guys improved by the top set, but with that weight it doesn't take much to get the bar rocking. I took the handoff, waited for the bar to rock back to level, then brought it down. The press was pretty strong and steady, and I really wanted a second rep. Unfortunately, I had the bar uneven on the descent and started rocking on the press. Almost got it locked out before I told the boys to take it. Our plates (for now) are thicker-than-standard, rubberized monstrosities. Thus, we had to mess around with the change to get enough plates for the set and still have room for collars. We settled on 6 45s, 2 35s, and 2 25s for 705. Once we get our plates for the deadlift platform, we'll be set for the 700+ bench loads. On to 2-boards next week. |
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Tuesday, May 27 - Bench Press Day BWT - I spent the weekend in Seattle with Dai, so . . . no comment. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Lots of handoffs and coaching . . . F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-boards - 405x3 500x3 585x2 675x3 A very big rep PR with this weight. 500x12 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . My boys have turned into very good spotters and are doing very well with the three-man hand off. The Team Captain is very good about holding me on my last reps before calling "rack." The last rep with 675 was slow but smooth and strongly locked out. Gabe held me at the top for a couple seconds, too. |
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Tuesday, May 20 - Bench Press Day BWT - 299.5 Umm . . . Dai was here over the weekend. What can I say? I missed my back/deadlift workout last week. Grades were due Thursday, which meant a very late night Wednesday. On Friday, we had the UHD Sports and Fitness Awards Banquet. Yes, an awards banquet. I was very impressed with the feed that our Campus Rec put on for the students. I got a couple of awards, including a Service Award for my work with the Powerlifting Club. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Lots of handoffs for our guys in their shirts before putting on mine. Titan F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 500x3 585x1 655x3 A big rep PR off the board with this weight. The third rep with 655 was perfect. It popped right up easily. Not enough time to do a down set with 500 off the boards or close grips. Shoulder P/Rehab . . . These workouts are still taking a long time due to the amount of coaching I have to do, but I have no complaints. I'll give up some of my training time any day for the kind of situation I have here. |
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Tuesday, May 13 - Bench Press Day BWT - 297.0 Lots of coaching again today, but managed to get a good workout. Our 198er, Gabe, manhandled 405 for 3 in the shirt, and our 148er, Luis, did the same with 315. It's good to see them find the groove so quickly. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Lots of heavy handoffs for the boys . . . F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 500x3 585x1 635x3 Rep PR with this weight on 3-Boards Close-Grip Incline Bench Press - 225x7 Heavy Skullcrushers - 3x10 My plan is to hit the following weights on 3-Boards for 3s before going to 2-boards: 655-675-695. I'm aiming for a 2nd attempt 683 or 688 for a PR and a 4th attempt shot at 699 + chips for 700.something. If I can follow this up with a 700+ deadlift, it would be the first double 700 in WABDL history, believe it or not. Unfortunately, I won't be trying this until late July at the World Cup or August 9 in Dallas, and a couple other guys will be taking a shot at this feat before me. In any case, a 1400 ironman total would be a great achievement for me. |
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Friday, May 9 - Deadlift Day Wound up doing alot more coaching than I expected today and didn't get much done at all before the gym closed. But that's the way things are now. I'm Head Coach of UHD Powerlifting. And I'm very happy with that. Shrugs - 315x20 405x15 495x10 |
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Tuesday, May 6 - Bench Press Day BWT - 295.0 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 F6 Super Plus on . . . 3-boards - 405x3 500x3 Had to yell at someone in the middle of the set again. 585x3 500x10 Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x3 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Lots of coaching . . . |
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Friday, May 2 - Deadlift Day Squats - 135x5 225x5 Rack Squats - 315x1 405x1 495x1 585x1 |
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Tuesday, April 29 - Bench Press Day BWT - 295.5 This is what a weekend of Dai's cooking does (not to mention 1.5 pounds of Cajun shrimp, four whole blue crabs, and several ears of fresh sweet corn). I started training in the shirt again this week in order to get our guys trained up in board holding, spotting, and three-man handoffs before they go into their shirts in two weeks. I figured it was a better risk-management move to make myself the guinea pig rather then have some of my team under the bar with inexperienced spotters. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 Super Plus on . . . 3-Boards - 405x3 Had to yell at the board holder between reps 2 and 3 for not paying attention to what he was doing. 455x3 500x7 This was a weird set. I did a quick three, then stopped and yelled at the board holder again while hold 500 at lockout. I did another 4 reps, but yelling at someone while hold a big weight at lockout kind off saps ones energy. Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Got our 148/165 lifter, Luis, into a 40 F6 and he locked out an easy 295 on his first try. Six weeks ago, he had never benched anything over 200. It felt wonderful to be back in the shirt again. It's like Bailey's Irish Cream . . . absolutely addictive. Benching in the shirt feels more natural to me than benching RAW. I don't realize how much shoulder discomfort and instability I endure RAW until I get back into the shirt and suddenly my shoulders are not an issue. |
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Tuesday, April 22 - Bench Press Day BWT - 293.75 oops Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 295x5 305x5 315x4 325x2 Close-Grip Bench Press - 275x5 Skullcrushers - up to 125 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . I may go into the shirt starting next week to give my lifters some experience spotting the shirted bench. If I post next week you'll know I survived. |
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Tuesday April 15 - Bench Press Day BWT - 290.5 It was great to see so many old friends in Collinsville on Saturday. Illini Powerlifting won the team title, their fourth at Collinsville in five years. Only The Lockup has ever managed to beat them. On Sunday we held the first Greater Houston Area "Extramural" Bench Press Championship at UHD. My UHD lifters won handily with 118 points. Seems that lifters from the other Houston schools are afraid of us. Weight is holding consistently around 290. That's good news, though I'd like to be down to 280~285 for Dallas. I put the team on a 4-week 5X5 program beginning this week to work on some foundation and weak points. After the fourth week, we'll be into the shirts and peaking for Dallas. I'm doing the program, too, both to lead by example as well as to give myself a change. It should also help my endurance . . . though I stand by what I've said before: there are no trophies given for "work capacity." Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 295x5 305x5 315x3 305x3 295x4 Close-Grip Incline Bench Press - 225x4 215x4 205x4 205x4 195x4 Heavy Skull Crushers . . . Shoulder P/Rehab . . . NOTE: These updates are late as my home PC had a fried HDD. |
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Tuesday April 8 - Bench Press Day BWT - 292 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x4 Close-Grip Bench Press - 295x5 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . |
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Friday, April 4 - Bench Press Day BWT - 289.5 The lightest I've been since my first major intestinal bleed. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x3 Could only manage 3 reps with 315. Not surprising after back-to-back bouts of the flu. I should be back to normal strength within two weeks. Everything else was light, light, light. |
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Sunday, March 30 - Update My cold/flu/whatever-it-is peaked Friday and Saturday. Starting to feel better today . . . but not by much. At least the fever seems to be mostly over. I'm hoping that maybe I can do a bench workout late in the coming week. I won't pull again until I know for sure that I'm over this. |
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Tuesday, March 25 - Update I missed last week's deadlift workout due to a conference in San Francisco. It was nice to spend some time with Dai. And, yes Lance, it was nice to be in the city of "my people." Unfortunately, there were a bunch of sick, sick people on the two overbooked flights I took. As a result, I've just about lost my voice and my cough has come back. So I'm delaying my bench workout for a couple of days until I feel up to snuff. |
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Tuesday, March 18 - Bench Press BWT - 295.0 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x2 345x1 315x6 Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x5 Shoulder Pre-hab . . . Abs . . . Feels like I'm completely over the aftereffects of the flu. Worked out with a good chunk of the team. Fear UHD Powerlifting. |
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Friday, March 14 - Deadlift Still dealing with a cough from my flu, although I'm feeling much, much better. I worked out at UHD today to get more rest before getting back to pulling full bore. Heavy Lats . . . Pulldowns Dumbbell Rows Abs . . . Cardio . . . Bike X 15mn |
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Tuesday, March 11 - Bench Press BWT - 294.5 I took off all of last week due to what turned out to be the flu. I'm feeling better, but still coughing up gunk, and my doctor warned me to expect another week or so of coughing up gunk. So today I stayed light so as not to wear myself out and go into a relapse. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x2 315x5 |
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Wednesday, March 5 - Supplemental I'm taking this week off due to a severe (and annoying) chest cold. |
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Friday, February 29 - Deadlift Deadlift - 225x5 315x3 405x1 495x1 All RAW. Still getting back into things. The pulls felt much better this week, although my back is still a bit sore. Stiff-Leg Deadlift - 365x5 Also, check out the website for the WABDL Collegiate Nationals: http://www.wabdlcollegiatenationals.info |
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Tuesday, February 26 - Bench Press BWT - 295.5 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x2 345x1 365x1 315x7 Close-Grip Bench Press - 315x4 Bench Press - 225x19 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Getting lots of new members for the team. Trained a fantastic 148er tonight. Illini Powerlifting: Be ready for a real fight for the WABDL National Team Title. |
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Friday, February 22 - Deadlift BWT - 294.5 Dai was in town, so I took last Friday off. Then on Sunday night I was struck down by a bout of food poisoning, so I skipped benching on Tuesday. I was just checking out my back and pull since my only deadlift workout after the hospital stay was AWFUL. 315 felt like 500. Today was good, though. Deadlift - 135x5 225x5 315x5 365x1 405x1 Stiff-Leg Deadlift - 315x5 I've done two things to help my back: 1. I got more back support in my bed for sleeping. This seems to be helping alot. I need to set aside some money and buy a much better mattress, though. 2. I traded in my 18-year-old Honda Accord for a 2008 Civic Coupe. MUCH more comfortable. No more sciatica. No more limping painfully when I get out of the car. I drove the 25 miles up to Tiny's from campus late in the afternoon and my back felt fine. |
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Tuesday, February 12 - Bench Press BWT - 293.5 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x1 350x1 315x7 (one rep off my rep PR at 315) Close-Grip Bench - 315x4 Heavy Pressdowns - Shoulder P/Rehab - |
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Friday, February 8 -
Deadlift No workout today. Was helping with weigh-ins and gear check for Tiny's meet tomorrow. Should be fun. I got to meet alot of Texas lifters I haven't met yet. |
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Tuesday, February 5 - Bench Press BWT - 294.0 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x6 340x1 Close-grip Bench Press - 315x4 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Abs . . . A pretty good workout . . . just 2 reps off my best-ever rep performance with 315. Feels like my strength is about back to normal. |
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Friday, February 1 -
Deadlift Still not back to full strength, and quite tired from a full week. I did some light pulls but could see that I wasn't quite ready, so I did some high-rep upper back and leg work on machines. |
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Tuesday, January 29 - Bench Press BWT - 293.5 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x5 335x1 Close-grip Bench Press - 295x5 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . Abs . . . So-so for the first workout after the hospital. |
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Friday, January 25 - Update No lifting this week. Last Sunday I was admitted to the hospital with an obstructed bowel. Unbelievably painful!! No food for two days. They let me go home on Tuesday evening. I was exhausted from lack of food and from lack of sleep. In the hospital, just when you start to sleep soundly, they find some excuse to wake your ass up--to draw blood, check your vitals, or something else. I've never been so happy to get home. The hospital bed was very soft, which was wrecking my lower back. But since they pumped me full of morphine, I didn't notice . . . until I got home and the morphine wore off. On Wednesday it was all I could do to walk and stand up straight. What a week! |
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Friday, January 18 - Deadlift Another light deadlift week at the UHD facility. Classes have started and I'm a big run down . . . no energy to go all the way up to Humble for what would be a piss-poor workout. |
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Tuesday, January 15 - Bench Press BWT - holding steady at 295 Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x4 315x5 Close-Grip Bench - 275x5 Heavy Tricep Pressdowns . . . One-Arm Cable Kickbacks . . . Shouder P/Rehab . . . |
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Friday, January 11 - Deadlift Stiff-Leg Deadlift - 225x5 315x5 405x2.5 Stopped in the middle of the third rep. I've been dealing with a strain in my right sacral region, and it started to sting on the third. I'll drop stiffs at least until my back feels better. I need to find a chiropractor to push my hip back into line, I think. I haven't had an adjustment since Worlds. Leg Extensions - Lots of sets, lots of reps. I also did some sets with one leg at a time. Pulldowns, Hands Facing - Heavy weight, strict
reps . . . |
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Tuesday, January 8 - Bench Press BWT - 295.0 A light day since I haven't benched since December 19. Bench Press - 135x10 185x5 225x5 275x1 315x3 295x5 Close Grip Bench - 225x10 Shoulder P/Rehab . . . I'm feeling the holidays and my weight loss. |
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Friday, December 28 - Light Deadlift I had family at my place for Christmas since last weekend, so I missed last Friday's workout, this week's bench workout, and I've been eating too much of the wrong foods. So I went in to get some light pulls and do handoffs for Tiny. Stiff-Leg Deadlift - 225x5 315x2 405x1 455x3 Wanted 5 of these, but I was feeling a sting in my right glute. Better safe than sorry. Pseudo Rack-Pulls - Six sets, very heavy . . . . . . adnota
emendatiem. |
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Wednesday, December 19 -
Bench Press Day
BWT - 299.5
Yaaaaay! 365x1
The UHD Powerlifting roster continues to look more and more interesting. We've got a number of tremendously athletic guys interested, including an ex-defensive back from Jackson State. |
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Friday, December 14 -
Deadlift Day
BWT - 300.6 495x2 Heavy Pulldowns and Seated Rows . . . Back is feeling pretty good. I'm working on achieving a more pronounced lockout for those side judges who don't understand the phrase "standing erect." They simply need a little more visual stimulus, I guess. |
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Tuesday, December 11 -
Bench Press Day
BWT - 301.5
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Friday, December 7 -
Deadlift Day
BWT - 303.5 Heavy Pulldowns and Seated Rows . . . |
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Tuesday, December 4 -
Bench Press Day
BWT - 303.0 No deadlift last week as I was still resting up my back and hip from the meet. I'll do a few weeks of stiffs beginning this week. |
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Tuesday, November 27 -
Bench Press Day
BWT - 304.5 I hadn't been in a shirt in many months and wanted to get the feel of it again. I also wanted to give my new lifters some practice with three-person handoffs and shirted-bench spotting. I actually aborted my first try with 500 because the handoff was truly awful; I was rocking and rolling on the bench trying to steady the bar. The second handoff was considerably better . . . relatively speaking. I may have to do really heavy sets up at Tiny's. |
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