Back to full health and another week getting stronger!
Tuesday, 12/1/09
Seated (on the floor) Axle Press w/2-50# chains, 5th peg: 115×8/135×5/. Chains plus, 45×5/55×3/60×3/65/70/75/80/85/. Box Squats w/purp and mbs:/ I used a higher box to protect the injured groin.
95×5/115×5/135×4/155×3/185×3/185. T-Bar Row: 70×8/120×8/130×8/130×8/. Knee Ups: 10/10, w/50# chain/10/10/.
As you have read here, there are few pieces of gym equipment I have any use for, save for a couple. One is the Glute Ham Developer, (GHD) and another, the Reverse Hyper Machine, (RHM).
As an athlete, should you consider it an insult if someone says you are “quad-dominant”? Why? Because it implies the athletic muscles from your posterior side, the backside, are under-developed. Simplistically speaking, the front muscles; bi’s, tri’s, pecs & quads are known as “beach” muscles and while there is nothing wrong with developing them and looking good, the real athleticism comes from the developed posterior chain muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons of the hips, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, calves and down to the ankles.
Since, as Dan John says, “the body is one piece”, you need to work the entire body and not give short shrift to those muscles, ligaments and tendons “hanging out” behind you. Developing these muscles make you more athletic, stronger, faster and a less likely chance of injury. You can’t get any more functional than that, can you? The beauty of human movement is the synchrony of the hips, glutes and hamstrings firing off at just the right time.
Good stuff happened this week and Tuesday was a high volume, CNS-blasting session, masterly programmed by the Brengel. The week finished with a deloading week, starting on Saturday, followed by an unexpected, surprise training session Sunday.
Squat Clean + 2 Split Jerks, x 2: 113/113/113/133/133/133/. Total: 12/24. Hold in the split position for a second. Front Squats: 135×5/185×3/205/85% doubles: 225/225/225/. Too much on the toes. Quad dominant. Last set was garbage. Barbell Row, x 8: 113/163/181/191/.
Super Set-Front Plate Toss, 35# & kettlebell side bends, 96#. 3 x 10/.
Axle Push Press: 65×5/105×5/165×3/185/175/190/200/. Not enough leg drive. Back Squat: 135×8/185×8/185×5/225×2/ 3 second Pause Squats: 260×5/275×5/285×5/285×5/235×10 (no pause). Chin-ups, 2 mb, pause between reps: 3×4. Barbell Front Raise: 12/12/ Russian Twist: 25#x8/
Push Press (behind the neck): 95×6/95×6/135×3/155×3/165×3/165×3/165×3. I did not do a very good job get my legs into the lift and relied too much on upper body strength. Box Squats: 135×5/185×3/205×3/225×3/singles: 255/285/305/325, best lift/335, but lost my arch. Assisted Pull-ups, 1 purple band: 3×8. Iso Split Squats: 2 @ 2:00. Russian Twists: 25#, 3×10 Side Lateral Raises, 20#, 2×10.
Thursday, 9/24/09 (solo)
Hang Power Cleans: 90×5/90×5/100×5/105×5/111×3/121×3/126×3/131×3/. Singles: 146/146/155/155/155/. Clean Pulls: 155×4/165×4/170×4/175×4/. RDL: 135×8/185×8/225×8/245×6/255×6/275×6/. Front Plate Toss: 3×25#x10. Ab Mat Sit-ups: 25#x10/35×10/35×10
This week is the start of the second cycle after a week of deloading.
The first two sessions of the week are devoted to strength and working the central nervous systems (CNS). Saturday is speed, technique and work capacity. This is the hardest type of training I have ever done. It is great!
I have never been a fan of the cliche, “less is more” but that is exactly what Olympic and powerlifting coach, Glenn Pendlay of Wichita Falls Weightlifting Club suggests when he says that most people do too much in the gym.
In a very interesting podcast interview, Pendlay lays out a ton of training gems for the few experienced, competitive lifters to the many novice, intermediate and even for the older lifters (I made sure I turned up the volume on my computer so I could hear it).
I have never been a fan of the cliche, “less is more” but that is exactly what Olympic and powerlifting coach, 
