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Mike Mahler's Training Journal

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2010 Training Updated to July 16 

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Training with Mark Philippi from March 1 to July 16. Will be doing a  new DVD set with him that will be available in the fall. 

Make sure to check out Mark's website at: Top Strength Coach and Strongman Legend Mark Philippi in Las Vegas

7/16

Nice workout to end the week. I arrived early and did a few KB military press sets to get the day going: 1x5x62s, 1x5x80s, 1x6x88s

Workout

Barbell Jerk 1x5x135, 1x3x155, 3x3x175lbs

Barbell Bench Press with chains 185lbs and 100lbs of chains 8x3

In between first four sets:

Barbell Good Morning with 135 and 100lbs of chains 4x5

In between the last four sets

Reverse Hyper working against a green jump stretch band 4x15

Next up a super set of

One-arm Dumbbell 3x5 each side (70lb dumbbell)
Weighted Pushups 1x8x90lbs, 1x8x135lbs, 1x10x160lbs (never used this much weight before on weighted pushups. Fun exercise)

Next up Power Plate timed pushups 3x45 second sets

Wrapped up with a core exercise called Roll-ups 3x8 (hold top position of the crunch and stay in that position as Mark slowly rolls you forward and back).

Added my own Finisher to end the workout

Double KB Swing to head level (outside the feet) 5x10 (80s)

7/15

Solid legs and upper body pulling workout today as PSI. I warmed up doing some bodyweight squats on the power plate and then go the workout going.

Barbell Snatch 1x3x95lbs, 1x3x115lbs, 1x3x125, 2x3x135lbs

Barbell Front Squat 1x5x135lbs, 1x3x185lbs, 1x3x225lbs, 1x3x245lbs, 2x3x275lbs (these are coming along nicely and getting better every week)

In between the last three sets I did One-arm Dumbbell Bent-over Row 3x8 each side (120lb dumbbell)

Next Barbell Step-ups (12 inches) 3x5 each side 155lbs
Inverted Suspension rows 3x15
Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3x8 each side (60lb dumbbells)

Core work

Stick Turns 3x30 seconds sets
Sit-ups in Glute/ham machine 3x10 (45lb dumbbell locked out)

I wrapped up with some clubbell work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25lb clubs)
Alternating shield Cast 3x10 each side (25lb clubs)
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x10 each side (25lb clubs)

July 13 

Great upper body pressing and posterior chain workout today. I did some thick bar military pressing to get he workout going today

Thick Bar Military Press: 1x5x130lb, 1x5x150lbs, 1x5x170lbs

Several minutes later Mark arrived and I got started with the workout:

Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 3x10 (15lb ball)

This is my last week at PSI so I wanted to max out on the Bench Press to see where I am. Here is how it went:

1x5x135lbs 1x3x225lbs 1x2x275lbs, 1x1x295lbs (went up fast), 1x1x315lbs (went up fast) 1x1x325 (slower but no sticking point), 1x1x335lbs (this was a max rep that I had to fight for but pulled it off). Very happy with my bench press progress and I am gong to have to buy a squat rack with safety bars so I can keep the bench press and squat in my program.

In between each set I did One-arm KB Deadlifts 3x10 each side (80lb bell)

Next up alternating dumbbell press and weighted Glute/ham raise

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press 3x5 each side (75lbs each side. Steeper incline to make it harder)

Glute/ham raise 3x10 (30lb)

Then

Weighted Pushups 3x15 (90lbs)
Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 3x8 each side (75lb dumbbells)

Core work

Three rounds of

Standing Cable Rotations 3x10 each side (70lbe each side)
Hanging Leg Raise 3x12
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 3x15
Reverse Hypers 3x15

July 12 

Solid leg and upper body pulling workout today to start off the week. I arrived early as usual and did some KB military pressing to start the day.

Double KB Military Press 2x5x62s, 1x12x80s. Still pressing the 80s too fast and need to focus on pacing more so I can hit my goal of 20 reps with 2 80s.

Workout

Barbell Hang Clean, 1x3x111, 1x3x122, 1x3x155, 1x3x166, 1x3x177

Barbell Squat (205lbs plus 100lbs of chains) 8x3 (chains make it 205 at the bottom and 305 at the top. Each rep done as fast as possible)

In between the first four sets: Inverted Row 3x15, 1x12
Thick Bar Pull-ups 2x3, 2x5

Next up Prowler pushes and alternating dumbbell hammer curls:

Prowler Pushes 3x50 feet (4 45lb plates and 2 25lb plates total)
Alternating Dumbbell Curl 3x8 each side (55lb dumbbells)

Wrapped up with torso work

Stick Presses 3x30 second sets
Lying Leg Twists 3x10 each side

7/9/10

Nice workout to finish off the training week. Looking forward to checking out the club “Vanity” with my wife at the hard rock hotel tonight.

I arrived a few minutes early so did a set of Double KB Military Presses to get warmed up 1x20x62s

Then on to the workout:

Barbell Jerk (CNS booster) 1x5x135, 1x5x165, 1x3x180, 1x3x190lbs

Barbell Speed Bench Press 185lbs and 50lbs in chains 8x3
In between each set I did Barbell Good Morning: 1x6x135, 1x5x185, 1x5x205, 1x5x215
Glute Ham raise 3x8x30lbs

Next up Dumbbell Clean and Military Press and Ballistic Smith Machine bench press:

One-arm dumbbell clean and military press 3x5 each side (70lb bell)
Ballistic Smith Machine Bench Press 1x5x135, 2x5x185 (lower the bar quickly and “throw” it up as high as possible. Mark and another trainer caught the bar at the top and then I lowered it and repeated. Pretty cool exercise

Next up Power plate pushups for time and roll-ups

Power Plate Pushups 3x45 second sets
Roll-ups 3x8 (hold top position of a crunch and then Mark rolls me forward slowly and I have to hold the position the entire time)

Wrapped up with Double KB swings 5x10x80s (face level and outside of the feet)

7/9/10

Another solid workout today at PSI. Barbell Front squats are coming along nicely and I actually like them now!

I got there early so did some thick barbell military presses to get the day going: 1x5x130 1x5x150, 1x5x170

Workout:

Barbell Snatch to fire up the CNS 1x3x95lbs, 1x3x105lbs, 2x3x125lbs

Barbell Front Squat 1x3x135, 1x3x185, 1x3x225, 1x3x245, 1x3x260lbs, and then 1x3 in rest pause format with 225lbs

In between each set I did the one-arm dumbbell bent over row 4x8x110lbs each side

After that I did Barbell Box Step-ups with 95lbs and 50lbs in chains. This one really works the stabilizes and I felt it in the core on each rep. 3x5 each side

In between each set I did wide grip pull-ups 3x9

After that I did alternating dumbbell hammer curls and rolling thunder swings:

One-arm Dumbbell hammer curls 3x8 each side (55lb dumbbells)
One-arm rolling thunder swings 1x10x90lbs, 1x5x115lbs, 1x10x100lbs each side

After that three sets of two core exercises to finish off the workout:

Barbell Truck Driver 1x8, 1x10, 1x12 each side (35lbs)
Kneeling Cable pulldowns 3x15 (110, 120 130lbs)

I added in a few KB Double Swing sets 3x8 to face level (88s)
Double Clubbell Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25s)

7/6/10

Great workout today! I had three days off and really rested up this past weekend. Today we focused on upper body pressing and posterior chain work.

I arrived a few minutes early and did some KB pressing and clubbell work to get ready.

Double KB Military Press 2x5x62s, 1x12x80s
Double Clubbell Shoulder Cast 2x10x25s

Then we did the following:

Medicine Ball Throws (30lbs) 3x12 (I get in the floor press position and Mark drops a 30lb ball. I catch it and push it back up to him)

Thick Barbell Floor Press 1x3x170lbs, 1x3x260lbs, 1x3x280lbs, 1x3x290lbs, 1x10x240lbs
In between each set: One-arm Kettlebell Deadlift (62lb bell) 3x10 each side

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x70s,1x5x80s, 1x5x90s, 1x100s each side
Glute-Ham Raise 1x10, 1x12, 1x20, 1x8x30lb dumbbell

Weighted Dips 1x10x80lbs, 1x10x88lbs, 1x10x97lbs, 1x8x97lbs
Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 3x8 each side (70s)

Core Circuit:

Standing Cable Rotations 3x8 each side and pushes forward (50lbs)
Hanging Leg Raise 3x12
Suspension Push Outs 3x10 (similar to ab wheel roll out)

Wrapped up with some KB Snatch work:

2x10x80 each side 1x12x88 each side

7/2

Great leg workout to end the training week. Pierre Ngo, one of Mark’s trainers took me through the workout again.

After the warm-up we did the following:

Barbell Hang Clean 1x3x145, 1x3x165, 1x3x200, 1x2x210

After that it was time for Barbell Box Squats with Chains and lots of them!

Barbell Box Squat 8x3x205+100lbs of chains
In between the first four sets I did: Inverted Bodyweight Rows 4x10
Fat bar Pull-ups 1x5, 2x3, and 1x4

Prowler Pushes (6 45lb plates) 3x50 feet
Thick Bar Curls 1x10x80lbs, 1x10x90lbs, 1x10x100lbs

Ended with a core circuit

Shoulder Turns 3x30 seconds
Weighted Sit-ups in glute ham machine 3x10 (50lbs locked out)
Side V-ups 3x15 each side

No training on Monday so I am going to enjoy a few days off

7/1/10

Had a nice day off yesterday was read to go today. Lots of pressing volume today to say the least

I got on site early and did some thick bar military pressing to get the day going:

1x5x130, 1x5x150, 1x7x160lbs

Then we did some Barbell Jerks to fire up the CNS:

1x4x135, 1x4x165, 1x5x175lbs (these felt pretty good today. Much better than last week)

Bench Press for speed work was next:

8x3x185lbs with 50lbs of chains to increase the weight at the top and work on forced acceleration. Each rep was done as fast as possible

In between each set I did

Good morning 1x5x135, 1x5x185, 2x5x215lbs
Glute Ham raises 1x10, 1x12, 2x14

Next up was a super set of one-arm dumbbell military presses and weighted pushups:

One-arm Dumbbell Military Press 1x8x50, 1x8x60, 1x8x65 each side
Weighted Pushup 1x20x90lbs, 1x15x115lbs, 1x12x125lbs

A core circuit was next to finish off the workout:

Weighted overhead dumbbell sit-ups (in glute ham machine) 3x10x50lbs
Suspension Push outs 3x12 (similar to a abs wheel roll out)
One-arm Kettlbell Side Bend 3x10 each side (97lbs)

Stretched out and called it a day

Tuesday 6-29-10

Solid workout today and looking forward to taking tomorrow off

Did the usual warm-up and then we started off with the Barbell Hang Snatch to fire up the CNS. Nothing heavy just enough to work on form, speed, and to fire up the CNS: 4x3x115lbs

Next up Barbell Front Squats with One-arm Dumbbell Bent-over Rows in between each set.

Barbell Front Squat 1x5x135, 1x3x185, 1x3x225, 1x3x245, 1x3x255lbs. (These felt much better than last week)

One-arm Dumbbell Bent-over row 1x8x100 each side, 1x8x110 each side, 2x8x120 each side

Then more Front Squats rest pause style to work on form: 4x1x225lbs (30 second breaks in between each rep)

After that we paired up Barbell Step-ups with weighted Pull-ups

Barbell Step-up 3x5x135lbs each side
Weighted Pull-up 3x5x30lbs

Next was a core circuit with some curls as well

4 rounds off

Rope curls 4x8x120lbs
Swiss Ball Leg raises 4x15
Reverse Hypers 4x15

I wrapped up the workout with some Double KB Clean and Presses 3x10x62s

Monday 6-28-10

Had a nice weekend and was ready to train today. I arrived early so messed around with some KB military press work:

Double KB Military Press: 2x6x62s, 1x11x80s

Pressing felt good today and here is how the rest of the workout went:

Thick Barbell Floor Press 1x5x170, 1x3x260, 1x3x290lbs, 2x2x300lbs
In between each set I did One-arm-one leg KB deadlifts: 3x10 each side (62lb bell)

Next up were:

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press 3x5 each side (80s)
Glute-Ham Raise 3x10

After that I did:

Weighted Dips 3x10 (80lbs)
Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 3x8 each side (70s)

Then we wrapped up with some core work:

Cable Machine Reverse Sit-ups 3x12 (80lbs)
Pushup holds with downward resistance 3x30 seconds

Friday 6-25-10

Glad the training week is over as the Las Vegas heat is starting to get to me and I am looking forward to staying home and blasting the AC! Energy was lower towards the end of the week do I plan to sleep a lot and eat a lot to get ready for next week.

We started off with some Barbell Hang Cleans to fire up the CNS. I lack the elbow flexibility to really have a perfect “catch” position but good enough that I can still do the exercise. Plenty of room to improve on Barbell cleans but they are coming along. We did 6x3 with 175lbs to get the workout going.

Next up were Barbell Box squats with chains. Never done this exercise before with chains and really liked this one. After a few warm-up sets I did 6x3 with 185lbs on the bar and 100lbs of chains total. Basically the chains are on the floor at the bottom so coming out of the bottom the weight is 185lbs and at the very top it is 285lbs. We worked on speed and each rep was done as fast as possible. I like Box squats a lot and find that my form is much better. The box really helps with lowering correctly and setting up for a strong rep. I look forward to doing more of these.

I between each set I did Thick Bar Pull-ups for 3x5 on the first three sets and then on the next three sets did Bottom up suspension rows for 3x10.

After that we did three sets of torso work

Stick Turns 3x30 second sets
Roll-ups 3x5 (get in the top position of a crunch and hold that position while Mark applies just enough pressure to role you forward. This exercise is a hell of a lot harder than it sounds)

I wrapped up with some Double Kettlebell Swing 4x10 to above chest level (88s) Done on the outside of the feet

Thursday 6-24-10

I arrived early and did some KB military pressing to start the day: 2x5x88s

Then we started the workout with Thick Barbell Jerks today to fire up the CNS

1x5x130, 1x5x150, 1x5x160, 3x3x170lbs

After that we did some speed work on the bench press.

Barbell Bench Press 135lbs with 90lbs of chains on each side 3x5
Barbell Good Morning 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 1x5x210lbs

Barbell Bench Press 175lbs with 90lbs of chains on each side 4x3
Glute-ham Raise with 30lbs 4x8

Next super set was:

One-arm Dumbbell Military press 1x5x55, 1x5x65, 1x5x70 each side
Pushups with 90lbs on my back 1x15, 1x16, 1x17

Core circuit

Truck driver’s 3x8x45lbs
Standing Cable rope rotations 3x10 each side (70lbs)
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 3x15
Push outs (suspension ab roll outs) 3x10

Power Plate timed pushup sets 1x60, 2x45 seconds

Monday 6-21-10

Rested up over the weekend and came in ready to go today. We are on a different phase now which is more strength oriented training.

I arrived a few minutes early and did some KB work to get the training going:

Double Kettlebell Military Press 1x6x80s, 1x8x80s, 1x10x80s
One-arm Kettebell Windmill 1x6x97 each side, 1x8x97 each side, 1x10x97 each side

The first exercise Mark had me do was a medicine ball throw against the wall from a kneeling position about 15 feet from the wall. Throw the ball, extend through, and let your momentum take you forward. Interesting drill to say the least! I did 3x5 and then we moved onto floor presses

Thick Bar Barbell Floor Press 1x5x170, 1x5x260, 1x3x280, 2x3x290lbs

In between each set I did One-arm Romanian Kettlebell Deadlifts 4x10 each side (80lb bell)

Next up were Glute-ham Raises and incline dumbbell presses

Incline Dumbbell Press 3x5x90s
Glute-ham Raise 3x10x30lbs extra resistance

After that I did weighted dips and alternating dumbbell upright rows

Weighted Dip 3x8x88lbs (slow negative, pause at the bottom, fast to the top)
Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 3x8x70s each side

Finally we wrapped up with a core circuit

Side V-ups 1x12, 1x14, 1x20
Lying Leg Rotations 1x8, 1x10, 1x12 each side
Standing dumbbell lockout rotations three sets of 5 forward and 5 to each side

I did some Double Clubbell Cleans to finish off the workout 3x15x25s

Friday 6-18-10

Nice upper body focused nervous system workout to end the week and the last week of the nervous system focus. Not sure what is in store for the next phase but looking for a nice change of pace.

I arrived early so I did some KB military pressing to get the workout going:

Double KB Military Press 1x10x62, 1x7x80s, 2x5x88s

Round 1 (warm-up round)

Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x90s
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x135lbs with 2 red bands
Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 1x12 (30lbs)
Drop Pushups 1x5

Round 2

Drop Pushups 1x5
Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 1x14 (30lbs)
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x185lbs with 2 red bands
Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x105s

Round 3

Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x105s
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x185lbs with 2 red bands
Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 1x14 (30lbs)
Drop Pushups 1x5

Round 4

Drop Pushups 1x5
Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 1x14 (30lbs)
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x185lbs with 2 red bands
Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x105s

Round 5

Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x100s
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x185lbs with 2 red bands
Medicine Ball Throws Against The Wall 1x14 (30lbs)
Drop Pushups 1x5

Then three rounds of

Romanian deadlift 3x5x305lbs (overhand grip)
Barbell Bent-over Row 2x5x205, 1x5x225
Power Plate Pushups 1x30 seconds, 2x45 second sets

We did some stick turns after that for the torso 3x30 second sets.

I wrapped up with some Double KB Swing sets:

2x10x88s, 1x20x88s to chest level

Tuesday 6-15-10

Took most of last week off and had a great course in LA this past weekend. Jumped back in today and felt great.

I arrived early so I did some KB presses to fire up the CNS:

Double KB Military Press 2x5x62s, 3x5x80s

Then one of Mark’s Trainers Alonzo had me do the following barbell complex to get the workout going. I did three rounds with the 45lb bar of:

Barbell Squat Press 1x6
Barbell Good Morning to upright row 1x6
Barbell Bent-over Row 1x6
Overhead Barbell Lunges 1x6 each side

Then I jumped into the upper body focused nervous system workout:

Round 1:

Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x100lb dumbbells
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x200lbs
Drop Pushups 1x6 (off 12 inch box)
Medicine Ball Throws Against the wall 1x12

Round 2:

Medicine Ball Throws Against the wall 1x14
Drop Pushups 1x6 (off 12 inch box)
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x200lbs
Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x100lb dumbbells

Round 3:

Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x100lb dumbbells
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x200lbs
Drop Pushups 1x6 (off 12 inch box)
Medicine Ball Throws Against the wall 1x14

Round 4:

Medicine Ball Throws Against the wall 1x16
Drop Pushups 1x6 (off 12 inch box)
Barbell Speed Bench Press 1x6x210lbs
Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x100lb dumbbells

After that I did three rounds of:

Double Dumbbell Military Press 1x5x55s, 1x5x60s, 1x5x70s
Barbell Romanian Deadlift to Shrug 3x5x225lbs
Shoulder Series 10 reps of (y,t, l, w moves for shoulder mobility and health)

Finally we ended with a core circuit

Roman Chair Sit-ups 3x12x45lbs (weight locked out)
Push aways 1x10, 1x12, 1x15 (suspension abs roll outs)
Dumbbell standing rotations 3x5 second holds in front, and then each side

Tuesday 6-9-10

Great workout today and it is a wrap for this week. I have a seminar in Los Angeles this weekend and will be taking the rest of this week off.

Today was more of a lower body focused nervous system workout

4 rounds off

Barbell Squat 1x3x305lbs (past parallel and focus on speed)
Barbell Hang Power Clean 1x3x185
Jump Lunges in vertamax (resistance bands) 1x6 each side
Vertamax (resistance bands) Jumps 1x10

Then 3 rounds off

Neutral Grip Pull-ups 1x5, 1x6, 1x7 (dead hang and hold at the top. Strict form)
Thick Bar Curls 3x6x105lbs
Real Runner 1x15 each side

After that 3 rounds off

Stick Turns 1x30 second sets
Cable Rotations 1x10 each side (70lbs)
Shoulder Turns 1x30 seconds

I wrapped up with some KB snatches

One-arm KB Snatch 2x10 each side (80lb bell) 1x12x88 each side

Monday 6-7-10

Great workout to start off the week. I did the usual warm-up and then started off with some KB military presses to fire up the CNS

Double KB Military Press 1x6x80s, 3x5x88s (felt strong on each set). One of Mark’s athletes referred to me as a beast, ha ha

Then we did four rounds of

Double Incline Dumbbell Press 1x6x90s, 3x5x95s
Barbell Bench Press 165 and 2 red bands 4x5 fast reps
Drop Pushups off 12-inch box 4x8
Medicine Chest Throws against the wall 1x12, 1x14, 1x16, 1x20

Then I did three rounds of

Weighted Dips 1x8x60, 2x8x80lbs (2 second negative, pause at the bottom, and fast coming up)
Glute-ham raise 3x8x20lbs
Shoulder Series 10 reps of (y,t, l, w moves for shoulder mobility and health)

After that 3 rounds for the core of

Truck Drivers 3x10 each side (35lbs on one side of the bar. Same move as barbell Russian twists)
Weighted Sit-ups in glute-ham machine 3x10x45lbs

I wrapped up the workout with some clubbell work with 2 25lb clubs

Double Clubbell Clean 3x15
Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Alternating Shield Cast 2x10 each side
Alternating armpit cast 3x10 each side

Friday June 4, 2010

Great lower body focused nervous system workout to finish off the week. I did the usual warm-up and then jumped in:

4 rounds of

Barbell Squat 1x3x300lbs (few inches below parallel on each rep)
Barbell Power Clean 1x3x200lbs
Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (jump from the lunge position on each rep)
Vertamax Band Jumps 1x10

Then 3 rounds of

Thick Bar Barbell Bent-over Row 3x5x240lbs
Alternating Dumbbell Curl 1x6x70s, 1x6x80s, 1x6x90s
Lunge Walks (stayed low the entire time) 3x10 each side (35lb dumbbells)

Wrapped up with some KB work

Double KB Snatch outside the feet 1x12 (62lb bells)
One-arm Bottom Up Clean 5x5 each side (62lb bell)
Double KB Military Press 5x5 (80s and rested in the rack for a few seconds in between each rep)

 

 

Thursday June 3, 2010

Had a great upper body focused nervous system workout at PSI. I started with the usual warm-up and then jumped into it.

We did four rounds of

Thick Bar Bench Press 1x5x260lbs
Drop Pushups off a 12-inch box 1x6
Incline Dumbbell Press 1x6x75s
Medicine Ball Throws against the wall 1x10, 1x12, 1x14 (30lbs)
Push Outs (suspension Ab Roll Out) 1x10, 1x12, 1x14

After that we did three rounds of

Glute Ham Raise 3x8 (Mark P pushed down at the bottom for a few seconds nad then I had to contract quickly and complete a rep)
Shoulder Health series (Y move, T move, W move, L move. You line on a bench face down and use 2lb plates to work each move for 10 reps. Sounds super easy but this one adds up fast)

After that we did Power Plate Pushups 3x60 second sets (3 seconds down, pause at the bottom, and fast press up)

I wrapped up with some Kettlebell Snatch work: One-arm KB Snatch 3x10 each side (88lb bell and worked on relaxing at the top on each rep)

Tuesday June 1, 2010

PSI was closed yesterday to observe Memorial Day so I got an extra day off from training. Today we jumped back in with some more nervous system work. We focused on leg work and upper body pulling today. I also threw in some kettlebell work to fire up the CNS at the beginning of the workout and some more KB strength endurance work at the end of the workout as well as some clubbell work.

Double Kettlebell Military Press 1x6x80s, 3x5x88s (felt good on these)

Four rounds of

Barbell Squat 1x3x275lbs (lower than parallel today and lighter to work on speed)
Barbell Hang clean 1x3x200lbs
Dumbbell Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (35lb dumbbells)
Vertamax resistance band jumps 1x8

After that I did three rounds of

Alternating Dumbbell Curl 1x6 each side (85s) and 2x6 each side (90s)
Pull-ups 1x8 dead hang on each rep

After that I did 5 rounds of

Real Runner 15 reps each side
Stick turns working against Mark 30 second sets (I have come a long way on these and almost provide a challenge for Mark, ha ha)

After the workout I threw in some Kettlebell and clubbell work:

Double KB Snatch (outside the feet and full reps. No lowering to the rack after each rep) 5x10 (62lb bells)

Clubbell Work (25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side
Double Clean 3x10
Shoulder Cast 3x10
Alternating armpit cast 3x10 each side

Friday 5-28-10

Great workout to end of another solid week of training. After the usual warm-up we jumped into the upper body focused nervous system workout.

I did the following four rounds:

Round 1

Bench Press with 2 red bands 1x6x165lbs as fast as possible
Dumbbell Incline Press 1x6x85lb dumbbells
Drop Pushups off 1-foot box 1x6
Medicine Ball Throws from the chest to the wall 1x12

Round 2:

Medicine Ball Throws from the chest to the wall 1x12
Drop Pushups off 1-foot box 1x6
Dumbbell Incline Press 1x6x90lb dumbbells
Bench Press with 2 red bands 1x6x165lbs as fast as possible

Round 3

Bench Press with 2 red bands 1x6x165lbs as fast as possible
Dumbbell Incline Press 1x6x90lb dumbbells
Drop Pushups off 1-foot box 1x6
Medicine Ball Throws from the chest to the wall 1x12

Round 4:

Medicine Ball Throws from the chest to the wall 1x12
Drop Pushups off 1-foot box 1x6
Dumbbell Incline Press 1x6x90lb dumbbells
Bench Press with 2 red bands 1x6x165lbs as fast as possible

After that I did the following three exercises back to back for three rounds:

Glute-ham raise 3x10 (30lbs held at the chest)
Power Plate Decline Pushups 3x60 seconds sets (5 seconds up and down)
Stick turns for torso work 3x30 seconds.

After the workout Marcus Martinez and Mark de Grasse of Mbodystrength.com showed up to interview me and also film some KB exercise clips. I did the following for the clips:

Double KB Snatch Outside the feet with 62lb bells (2x12)
Double KB Military Press 2x6 (80s)
Double KB Swing to chest level outside the feet 2x8 (80s)
Alternating Renegade Row with minimum rotation to work the core big time 1x8 each side (80s)

You can check out their site at: http://www.mbodystrength.com/

Thursday 5-27-10

Today was a surprisingly good workout as I have had two nights of poor sleep! Anyway, I feel great today and will make sure to catch up with 9-10 hours tonight.

I arrived a few minutes early and wanted to see if my CNS was burned out. I have always found the any overhead exercise is a good test. If your CNS is burned out you will know on the first rep as the groove will be way off and bells that are normally easy will feel difficult.

Fortunately I passed the CNS test. I did a set of 6 with two 80lb kettlebells, which felt very light. Then I did another set with 2 88lb bells and that also felt fine for five reps.

I warmed up on the power plate machine doing squats and other mobility moves. Then it was time to dive into today’s leg focused nervous system workout.

Mark had a business obligation out of town today so one of his trainers Pierre Ngo took me through the workout. Pierre is an exceptional trainer and super strong! He did a great job. Mark’s entire training is excellent as well.

We did 4 circuits for legs and here is what each one looked like:

Circuit 1:

Barbell Squat 1x3x275lbs
Barbell Hang clean 1x3x185lbs
Dumbbell Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (30lb dumbbells)
Vertamax Jumps 1x20

Circuit 2:

Vertamax Jumps 1x20
Dumbbell Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (30lb dumbbells)
Barbell Hang clean 1x3x185
Barbell Squat 1x3x315

Circuit 3:

Barbell Squat 1x3x315
Barbell Hang clean 1x3x185
Dumbbell Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (30lb dumbbells)
Vertamax Jumps 1x20

Circuit 4

Vertamax Jumps 1x20
Dumbbell Jump Lunges 1x6 each side (30lb dumbbells)
Barbell Hang clean 1x3x185
Barbell Squat 1x3x315

Each circuit is done at a pretty rapid pace and it started adding up by the 4th one!

Next was another series for three rounds:

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x170, 1x5x220, 1x5x230
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 2x6 each side with 80lb dumbbells and then 1x6x85lb dumbbells each side
Prowler Pushes 8 45lb plates for 30 yards

Each exercise was done after the other and then a short break in between each round

I wrapped up the workout with a few sets of Double KB snatches outside of the feet:

Double KB Snatch (outside of feet) 3x10x62lb bells. These felt great and I definitely prefer this to double KB snatches in between the feet. I think I will stay at 62s for a while to work on form and then move on to 70s and beyond.

Tuesday 5-25-10

Great workout today and I am really enjoying the nervous system training program. Nice change of pace from the heavy lifting.

Today I warmed up on the power plate doing a few rounds of squats, stiff legged deadlifts, and pushups.

After that Mark set up a circuit for me consisting of four exercises: Barbell Bench Press with 2 red bands, Drop Pushups, Medicine Ball Throws from the chest, Dumbbell Incline Presses:

Barbell Bench Press with 2 red bands 4x6 (165 and 2 red bands). Focus was on maximum speed

Drop Pushups to a one-foot box 4x6 (explosive power)

Medicine Ball Throws From the chest to the wall 1x12, 1x14, 1x16 (30lb ball)

Dumbbell Incline Press 1x6x75s, 2x6x85s (these felt great)

Exercise was done after the other with no breaks. No breaks between round either. Total of four rounds.

After that I did Glute Ham Raises with a 15lb dumbbell for added resistance and Weighted Dips:

Glute-ham raise 3x8 (15lbs)

Weighted Dips with 4 second hold at the bottom 3x8x50lbs

After that we did three rounds of torso work and power plate pushups for time:

Seated Stick Presses 3x30 second sets

Seated Side V-ups 3x10 each side

Slow and controlled Pushups 3x45 second sets. (5 seconds down, pause at the bottom and 5 seconds up)

I felt really energized after this workout and did some clubbell and kettlebell work to finish off.

One-arm Kettlebell Snatch 5x10 each side (80lbell)

One-arm Kettlebell Windmill 3x6 each side (80lb bell)

One-arm KB Jerk 2x8 each side (88lb bell)

Alternating Clubbell Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25lb clubs)

Double Clubbell Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25lb clubs)

Double Clubbell Arm-pit Cast 3x10 (25lb clubs)

Double Clubbell Military Press 3x5 (25lb clubs)

Power Wheel Standing Ab Wheel Rollouts 3x6

Going to eat a lot as usual and also enjoy my day off tomorrow. I am doing an interview on hormone optimization on super human radio. Make sure to tune in tomorrow at 1pm Pacific Time. Go to www.superhumanradio.com

Monday 5-24-10

Had a great weekend and came in ready to train today. I arrived early so I did some KB and clubbell work to get my CNS primed.

Double KB Military Press 1x6x80s, 1x5x88s

Double Clubbell Clean 2x10x25s

Double Clubbell Shoulder Cast 1x10x25s

Alternating Shield Cast 1x10x25s each side

After that one of Mark’s trainers Pierre Ngo took me through the warm-up. Pierre is a great trainer and a very strong powerlifter. The warm-up was stacked with squats, lunges, one legged deadlifts, torso work etc

Mark had me start a new training program today to really work on the nervous system. Lots of super set work.

We started with some legwork:

4 rounds of

Barbell Squat 1x3x275, 1x3x300, 2x3x315

Barbell Hang Clean 4x3x175lbs

Jumping Dumbbell Lunges 4x6 each side (25lb dumbbells)

Vertamax band jumps 4x20

After that I did a super set of Prowler pushes (50 feet) and Alternating Dumbbell Curls:

Prowler Pushes 3x50 yards (270lbs and whatever the prowler ways)

Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3x6 each side (70s on first set 74s on second)

After that I did some torso work with Mark. Stick turns for several sets.

Finally I ended the workout with some Kettlebell work

Double Kettlebell Swing (outside of the feet) 1x10, 1x12, 1x16 (88s)

Double KB Snatch (outside of the feet) 5x10x50s (really like this one)

Time to load up on the calorie and get a power nap in

  Friday 5-21-10

Great workout today to bring a nice training week to an end. I got on site early and did some clubbell work to loosen up:

All done with 2 25lb clubs

Double Shoulder Cast 2x10

Alternating Shoulder cast 2x10 each side

Double Clean 3x10

Alternating Arm-pit Cast 1x10 each side

Double Swipes 1x25

Then I did the same warm-up as yesterday and then did some drop pushups to fire up the CNS: 3x5 to 1 foot box

After that I did some Bench press lockouts and Bent-over lateral raises back to back

Bench press lockouts 1x5x170, 1x3x260, 1x3x310, 1x3x345, 1x3x350, 1x3x360

Bent-over lateral raises 3x8 (45lb bells)

After that I did another super set:

Log Military Presses 1x5x100, 1x3x120, 1x3x150, 1x2x160, 1x3x150 (felt great and strong on these)

Power Shrugs 2x8x315, 2x8x365

After that I did three rounds of

Double Dumbbell Curls 1x8x60s, 2x8x65s

Power Plate Pushups 3x45 second sets

Rolling Thunder Swing 3x10 each side (90lbs)

After that I did some KB presses and more Clubbell Work

Double KB Military Press 3x5 (80s)

Double Clubbell Swipes 2x25 (25lb clubs)

Going to eat a ton and relax now.

Thursday 5-20-10

Took too much zinc this morning (75mg) and had some GI stress as a result! Not what you want before a workout. Anyway, I managed to get some calories down before the workout and will make sure to go easy on vitamins and especially minerals.

Felt strong but tired at the same time today, which was very strange. Anyway, I had a pretty good workout and will make sure to fuel up and have a great one tomorrow. Still somewhat fatigued from the KB workshop this past weekend. Demonstrating every exercise with 80s and 88lb bells will do that ;-)

I did the usual warm-up consisting of lunges, squats, core work, etc. After that we did some jump work on the vertamax. Several sets of three.

Then we did some ballistic work to fire up the CNS. We started with Barbell High Pulls: 1x3x155, 1x3x 205, 1x3x225, 1x3x235

Then Barbell Power Cleans

1x3x155, 1x3x175, 1x3x195, and 1x3x205lbs

Next up were Trapbar Deadlifts 1x3x175lbs, 1x3x265, 1x3x355, 1x1x445, 1x1x475lbs (not difficult but not easy like last week so I left it here) Did a few singles with 445lbs and moved on.

After that I did a super tri-set:

Kneeling one-legged squats 3x5 each side (70lb dumbbells)

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x190, 1x5x210, 1x5x230lbs (these felt great and I was strong on every set)

Barbell Good Mornings 1x5x135, 1x5x165, 1x5x185 (these felt harder than normal so I kept it conservative)

After that I did some Double KB Swings (outside of feet) and Hanging Leg Raises

Hanging Leg Raises 3x15 (full range feet touching the bar on each rep)

Double KB Swings 1x10x88s, 1x12x88s, 1x15x88s

Double swings felt great and nice way to end the workout strong! Time to take a power nap and kill a lot of vegan calories ;-

Tuesday 5-18-10

Took yesterday off to fully recover from my Las Vegas kettlebell/hormone optimization course this past Saturday. Glad I did as I felt great today and had a solid workout

I got to the gym early and Mark was in the middle of workout. Thus, I messed around with some KB presses and box jumps while Mark finished up his workout.

Double KB Military Presses 3x5x80s, 2x3x88s. Felt good but not super strong as my CNS is still a little fatigued (I can always tell how my CNS is by how presses feel)

Box Jumps 2x5x36 inch box, 3x5x40inch box. Felt great on each rep

Started with some medicine ball throws against the wall to get the CNS primed for bench pressing.

Medicine Ball Wall Throws: 1x10, 1x12, 1x14 (30lb ball)

Thick Bar Barbell Bench Press 1x5x170, 1x3x220, 1x4x260, 1x4x280, 1x3x290, 1x2x300lbs, 1x5x260. Bench felt great and I am back to being part of the 300lb club.

In between each set I did Alternating Dumbbell Upright rows: 1x8x65s, 1x8x70s, 2x8x75s each side.

Next I did some thick bar military presses out of the rack: 1x3x130, 1x3x150, 1x2x165. Felt weak here but not surprised after the KB presses and Bench press work.

In between each set I did cable scarecrow work: 3x15x70lbs

Next up were Alternating Dumbbell Incline Presses 1x6x60s, 1x6x75s, 1x6x85s each side

In between I did Cable Rope Curls 3x6x130lbs

After that I did a core circuit. Three rounds of:

Cable Rotations 1x10 each side (70lbs)

Cable Push outs 1x10 (70lbs)

Suspension Push Outs 1x10

Time to load up on calories and rest up for the evening

Thursday 5-13-10

I had a great workout to end this week as I have a kettlebell/hormone optimization course to teach on Saturday and want to come in fresh and ready to go.

We started off with some bodyweight drill to warm-up and then did some jump work on the verimax machine.

Next it was time to do TrapBar Deadlifts off of the floor. I used the 85lb trap bar Mark has which called for a wider grip. This in turn loads up the legs a lot more.

1x5x175, 1x3x245, 1x3x355, 1x1x445, 1x1x475, 1x1x490lbs, 1x2x445lbs. The 490lbs was a PR and went up pretty easily. I just thought of someone that pissed me off and the weight flew past the sticking point ;-) The only mistake I made was loading the back too much instead of the legs. Next time I will get it right and hit another PR

Next up was Barbell Deadlift lockouts and leg presses. I did three rounds of

Barbell Deadlift lockouts 1x3x315, 1x3x365, 1x3x405

Leg Press 1x8x6 plates, 2x8x8 plates

After that I did a circuit. Three rounds of:

Barbell Plate Bent-over Row 1x8x145, 1x8x180, 1x8x225

Glute Ham Raise 2x10, 1x12

One Legged Box Squat 3x8 each side

After that I did a core super set:

Side Bend 3x10 each side (100lbs)

Dumbbell rotations (hold a dumbbell straight out and rotate to shoulder width on each side) 3x8 each side (35lbs)

After that I did a core exercise called Roll-ups for three sets of five.

Finally I threw in some Double Ketlebell Military Presses to work on form. I did 5x5 with 2 80lb kettlebells. Great way to end the workout and I am ready for Saturday

Tuesday 5-11-10

Had another great workout today so I am back on a roll! Arrived early and did a few sets of KB military presses with double 80s for sets of six to get the CNS ready to go.

We started off with some warm up drills on the power plate (squats and push ups) and then did some medicine ball throws against the wall to fire up the nervous system (30lb ball)

First exercise was the Thick Barbell Bench Press: 1x5x170, 1x3x220, 1x4x260, 1x4x270, 1x4x280 and then one set of close-grip Bench Press 1x8x220 (hands very close together)

In between each set I did Alternating Dumbbell Upright Rows 1x8x60, 2x8x70 each side

Next up were Thick Barbell Military Presses out of the rack: 1x5x130, 1x5x150, 1x3x160, 1x1x170, 1x12x130lbs and Scarecrow Cable Extensions to work on pulling the shoulder blades together: 3x15x70lbs

Next up was some torso work:

Stick Presses (30 second sets)
Side V-ups 3x15 each side

After that more pressing work:

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press 1x8x75s each side, 2x6x85s each side
Rope Cable Curls: 1x120x10, 2x10x130lbs

Power Plate Pushups 3x45 second sets and seated stick turns in between each set for more torso work.

Glad I have tomorrow off. Felt great today and had a great power shake after the workout and it is time for a power nap.

Was going to work on some of Ken Blackburn’s AFS power breathing methods but will save that for another day. For more info on AFS power breathing email Ken at KenBlackburn@IKFF.net

Monday 5-10-10

I had a great weekend, ate a ton, and racked up a great deal of deep sleep. I woke up today ready to go and killed it at the gym!

I arrived a few minutes early and Mark was busy so I worked on some drop pushups and box jumps. On the Drop Pushups I was able to nail a few reps off of a 3-inch box. I fall forward land in the bottom position of a pushup and push myself up back to the standing position. I will get them off of the floor soon.

Next up I worked on Box squats. I did a few sets with a 30-inch box, then a 37-inch box. Mark came out and said lets go for 40 inches. I cleared it no problem and did a few sets of five. This felt bad ass! The drop pushups and box jumps were a great way to start the workout and build my confidence after a crappy workout last Friday.

Next up were Barbell High Pulls: 1x5x155, 1x5x175, 1x5x205, and 1x3x225

Barbell Power Clean, 1x3x155, 1x3x175. At this point I tried doing some reps with a 95lbs to work on the catch portion of the clean. Basically rolling the bar back to my fingers at the top. I got the hang of it after a few reps and then went back to 155lbs to work on it. I need to keep working on this and also catching the barbell in a defensive stance not with legs locked out.

After the explosive power work, we moved on to Barbell Squats: 1x5x135, 1x5x185 (pause at the bottom), 1x3x225 (pause at the bottom) 1x2x275, 1x2x315, 1x2x345 (this was hard!), 1x2x350lbs (this was even harder and took a maximum effort).

Squats felt great. The last two sets were hard but I pulled them off. Only mistake I made today was having my high calorie protein shake too soon to the workout. I need to make sure I finish it 2 hours before legs work. Upper body does not matter as much. I can have a shake an hour before doing bench press work with no issues.

Next up was a savage core circuit. Three rounds non-stop without breaks of:

Suspension Ring Push outs 1x10, 1x12, 1x14

Standing Cable Rotations 1x10x1x12, 1x14 (70lbs each side)

Roman Chair Sit-ups 1x10, 1x12, 1x14 (30lb dumbbell Locket out the entire time)

Next up was yet another circuit:

Dumbbell Kneeling Squats 1x4x65s, 2x4x70s each side

Barbell Good Morning 135x5, 165x5, 185x5

Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x155, 1x5x205, 1x5x225

I skipped the KB work I normally do a I was done after this. The Barbell squats took it out of me today but I felt strong at this workout and was happy with what I accomplished especially with regards to the drop pushups and box jumps

Went home and had a protein shake with 55 grams of protein, 50 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of fat. Also had some sprouted bread with Hummus and then sat in my massage chair for 30 minutes.

I feel great and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s workout.

Friday May 8

Well as the saying says all good things must come to an end. My workout-rocking streak definitely came to an end today. Today’s workout was the worst one I have had since the first week on Mark’s program.

The first mistake I made was having a business meeting before the workout. While the 90-minute meeting was very productive and I am really excited about a new protein powder supplement that I will be designing for the great people at Sunwarrior, all of the talking and negotiating drained me and took a lot of energy out of my workout. I definitely should have had an extra meal during this meeting to keep my fuel levels in a surplus state for training.

It may sound ridiculous, but I am generally adamant about not talking to anyone before my workouts. I purposely set up all interviews and meetings on Wednesdays or the weekend, which are my days off from training. However, the meeting with Sunwarrior was important and today was the only day that worked this week. Yes poor me for not having the perfect lifestyle every day for my workouts ;-)

Regardless, talking is a real energy drain and the last thing you want before a 90-minute savage workout is a long meeting! Anyway, I learned my lesson and will not make this mistake again. I am going to eat like a fat man at a Las Vegas Buffet this weekend and sleep like a baby and come in ready to conquer training on Monday!

Mark’s gym was packed with a lot of high school athletes today so we did some warm-up exercises on the power plate machine. We did some squats, pushups, and hip rotations.

Then we did some drop pushups.

Drop Pushups (fall forward onto a box and push yourself back up to the standing position. Goal is to be able to fall to the floor and push myself up back to a standing position)

The first set was too a box two feet off of the floor for a set of eight. Then I did a few sets to a box one foot off of the floor. These are getting easier and I did them with ease. I should be able to do drop pushups to the floor soon, which would be badass!

Next up were Bench Press Lockouts: 1x3x260, 1x3x335, 2x3x355
In between each set I did Bent-over Lateral Raises 3x8x40s

Next up were Log Presses. I felt super weak on these. My CNS was fried and I just did not have it together this workout for presses:

2x5x100lbs, 1x3x130lbs, 2x2x150lbs. (I did sets of 3 last week with 150lbs and will get back on track next week)

Barbell Shrugs: 1x8x225, 1x8x315, 2x8x365lbs

Next up was a super tri-set:

Decline Pushups 2x20, 1x25
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 1x8x55s, 2x10x55s
Grip exercise in which you roll a 65lb dumbbell attached to a string from the floor to chest level: 3 rounds

Last but not least was a core super set:

Roll-ups 3x5 (an exercise in which you get in the top position of a crunch and hold it while someone else rolls you forward slowly. Lot harder than it sounds)
Suspension Push Outs 3x10 (Similar to an abs roll out using a jungle gym type set-up)

I skipped doing any KB exercises at the end of this workout. Called it a day and it is feedbag and sleep all weekend time!

 

 

 

 

Thursday 5-6-10

I had a great workout today. I made sure to rest up yesterday and load up on healthy calories. It paid off well

Started off with the usual warm-up and then did some box jumps to fire up the nervous system. I did 5x5 on a 30-inch box, which was really easy. We will go much higher next week as I did 37 inches easily last week.

Next up was the trapbar deadlift with an 80lb bar that calls for a wide grip, which increases the range of motion quite a bit. Same technique as last week as we started with the trapbar on top of two boxes. I pick up the weigh and Mark and another trainer moved the boxes out of the way and then I crank out a few reps.

Trapbar Deadlift from the top: 1x3x355, 1x3x405, 1x3x445, 1x3x465

Every set felt great

Then I did a super set of

Deadlift lockouts 1x3x315, 1x3x405, 3x3x455lbs
Leg Press 1x8x3 plates on each side, 2x8x4 plates on each side

Then I did a super tri-set:

Barbell Plate Bent-over Row 1x8x180, 1x6x205, 1x6x225lbs (love this one!)
Glute Ham raise 2x10, 1x15
One-legged Box Squat (25lb chain around my neck) 3x6 each side

Finisher set on Barbell Plate Bent-over Row 1x20x145lbs

Then we did a core super set of

Dumbbell Rotations 3x10 each side (30lb dumbbell) Hold a dumbbell at arms length and twist to outside the shoulder on each side.
Shoulder Turns 3x30 seconds sets (I stand in a defensive stance and resist Mark turning me form side to side. This one is damn hard as he is strong as hell!)

Wrapped up with some Double KB Swings

5x5x80s, 5x5x88s all to chest level

Great workout and time to rest up for tomorrow. Really in a great groove with the program. Strength is great and bodyfat is getting lower. Gotta love that combination.

 

Tuesday 5-4-10

Great workout today! I made sure to put the feedbag on last night and had a big dinner and several additional snacks to ensure that I was fueled up and ready to go today. It worked well and I felt strong all the way through today’s workout.

I got to the gym early so I did a few sets of Double KB military presses while Mark was finishing up with a client:

Double Kettlebell Mil Press 1x8x80s, 2x5x88s. Have not done any heavy KB pressing in a while and these felt great. The 88s flew up and I felt strong on each set. I did not want to push the intensity, as I wanted to be fresh for today’s workout. Definitely more than ready for my KB workshop later this month in Vegas.

We started with the same warm-up as yesterday and then did some medicine ball work to fire up the nervous system for pressing.

With a 10lb medicine ball, we did two rounds of:

Overhead throw against the wall 10 reps
Throws from the chest against the wall 10 reps
Left rotational throws 10 reps
Right rotational throws 10 reps
Chop throws 10 reps

Then I used a 30lb medicine ball for throws against the wall from the chest 3x10

Next up was the bench press with an 80lb thick bar

1x5x170, 1x3x220, 1x3x260, 1x3x280, 1x2x290, 1x3x290lbs

Close grip bench press 2x10x220lbs

Bench felt great today and 290lbs went up pretty easily. I am definitely back to being a 300lb bench presser and would like work up to 350lbs by the end of the program just for the hell of it.

In between each set of the bench press I did a cable exercise called “scarecrows” which teaches one how to squeeze the shoulder blades together when benching and squatting.

I did 1x15x50, 1x15x60, 1x15x70, and 1x15x80lbs

Next up I did Thick Bar Military Press (out of the racks) super stetted with Alternating Upright Rows.

Thick Bar Military Press 1x5x130, 1x3x150, 1x3x160, 2x2x170lbs. I pressed with a thumb less grip, which allowed me to get into a better pressing position. This made a big difference but I am still not even close to what I can do when I do a clean before the first rep.

Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 1x8x70s each side, 2x8x75s each side

Next was a core circuit. Four rounds of

Truck Drivers (35lbs on one side and similar exercise to Barbell Russian Twists) 1x10 each side
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 1x15
Reverse Hypers 1x15
Push Outs 1x10 (suspension abs roll out)

Next was another super set:

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x70s, 2x5x80s each side
Cable Rope Curls 1x8x130, 1x8x140, 1x8x150lbs

Finally we did a few sets of Power Plate Pushups 2x45 seconds, and 1x60 seconds.

Did a few sets of Double KB Swings with some 80s (outside the feet) and called it day.

Monday 5-3-10

I had an enjoyable weekend and was amped up and ready to train today. However, I do not load up on the ideal calorie sources over the weekend. This made a big difference with how I felt during the workout. Loading up on food from restaurants is definitely not going to give you the ideal fuel for hard training. From now on I will eat out on Friday and Sat but when it gets to Sunday make sure to load up on meals that I prepare so I can ensure I have the best fuel for tough workouts. Regardless, training went pretty well today and I will make sure to load up on some great food tonight to get a killer workout tomorrow.

We started off with a warm-up consisting of various squats, lunges, one-legged deadlifts and torso work.

Then we did some resistance jump work on the vertamax. This is pretty fun stuff and when we do the last set with out resistance it feels like your jumping on a trampoline. With resistance we did one set of ten and then several sets of five.

Next up were barbell cleans from the floor. We did a few sets of high pulls and then moved on to power cleans:

Barbell High Pull 1x5x145, 1x3x185, 1x3x195, 1x3x225, 1x3x230lbs.
Barbell Power Clean 2x3x185, 3x3x195

Next up was the Barbell Squat. In between each set of squats I did neutral grip pull-ups. 3 second negative hang at the bottom and hold at the top.

Barbell Squat 1x5x135, 1x4x225 (pause at the bottom) 1x3x275, 1x3x315, 2x3x335lbs, 1x10x225lbs

Squats felt good today and Mark showed me how to pull my shoulder blades together in order to create a shelf to rest the barbell on my back. This made a huge difference and I felt much more stronger. Looking forward to continuing to work on this and getting better with the squat ever week.

Neutral Grip Pull-up 4x5 (3 second negative, hang, and hold at the top)

We also did T-bar presses in between each set, which is a torso exercise in which Mark holds a small barbell wide and I hold it in the middle. When he pushes right I have to push back with my left. When he pushes left I have to push back with my right side. This really works the core and I am getting better at it to the point where Mark actually has to use 5% of his strength instead of 1% ;-)

Next up was a four-exercise circuit for three rounds:

Dumbbell Kneeling One Legged Squats 3x5 each side (65lb dumbbells). Get into a kneeling position and pick up two dumbbells off of the floor. Felt much better than last week.

Standing Cable Rope Rotations: great torso exercise and I did 2x10x70, and 1x10x80 each side

Barbell Good Morning: 1x5x135, 1x5x185, 1x5x205

Thick Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 1x5x210lbs!

Did a few sets of One-arm KB Snatch work to finish the workout:

One-arm KB Snatch 1x5x80 each side, 1x5x88 each side, 1x20x97 right and 1x16x97 left. I stopped at 16 on the left, as I did not want to risk losing the bell! Felt good though and I think I will put in more work with the 88 for now. When I work up to 30 each side with an 88 I will come back to the 97.

Sat in my massage chair at home for 45 minutes and now it is time to feast!

 

Friday April 30

Today was another great workout to finish off another solid week of training. We did the usual warm-up and then did some medicine ball throws to fire up the nervous system.

Next were pushups to a standing position off a low box (1 foot off of the floor) for three sets of eight.

Next was the infamous bench press. I used an 80lb thick barbell again: 170x5, 220x5, 260x1 and then we moved on to some bench press lockout work. 1x3x260, 1x3x310, 1x3x335, 1x3x355

In between each set I did Bent Over Lateral raises 3x8 (40lb dumbbells)

Next up was a super set with log presses and Barbell Shrugs:

Log Press from the rack: 1x5x100lbs 3x3x150lbs (fun exercise and take a few sets to get used to the groove).

Click here to see a visual of log presses: http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=_TKpm93mDAI

Barbell Shrugs 1x8x225, 1x8x275, 1x8x315, 1x8x335, 1x8x365

Next super tr-set was Dumbbell Hammer Curls and Power Plate Pushups for time (45-60 seconds)

Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 1x8s55s, 2x8x60s
Power Plate Pushups 2x45 seconds, 1x60 seconds (4 second negative, 2 second pause at the bottom, and fast press to the top)
Rolling Thunder Swings 3x10 each side (90lbs)

Last but not least were roll-ups. This is the abs exercise in which I get into the top position of a crunch and have to hold that position while Mark slowly roles me forward. This is pretty damn hard but is much easier now then when I first did them. I did 4x5.

I threw in ten sets of five on Double KB Swings at the end of the workout

Double KB Swing to chest level (outside of the knees) 5x5x80s, 5x5x88s

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

Thursday April 29

Loved today’s workout! It was a lot of fun and strength felt great. We started off with the usual warm-up and then did Box Jumps to fire up the nervous system.

I cleared 30 inches easily for several sets of five so we moved up to 37 inches which I also had no problem with for several sets of five. Felt really explosive and the box jumps were really fun. I would like to keep this in the program.

Next up was trapbar Deadlifts starting at the top. We placed the trap bar on top of two boxes and then Mark had me set up and pick the bar off of the boxes. He and another trainer pulled the boxes out of the way and I knocked off the reps.

I did 245x3, 335x3, 425x3, 445x3, and 465x3

I found grip to be the limiting factor, which surprised me, as it never has been in the past. I talked to Mark about this and he stated that the thinner handles on the trap bar were likely the culprit. Thus, next time I will bring my own trap bar from home. I have worked up to 475x3 off of the floor and grip was never the limiting factor.

Next up was a super set:

Leg Presses 1x8x4 3 plates on each side, 2x8x4 plates on each side. These were done with a 3 second negative, a pause at the bottom, and a fast press.

In Between Each Set I did Barbell Lockouts 3x3 with I believe 365lbs

Next up was a triple super set

One legged Box Squat 1x10, 1x12, 1x14 each side
Barbell Plate Bent Over Rows 3x10 (180lbs)
Glute Ham Raise 1x8, 1x10, 1x12

Next up were T-bar Presses (core exercise working against Mark). I am getting better at these but still a joke of a Challenge for Mark’s strength ;-)

We did these with Shoulder Turns in between each set.

I threw in some KB Military Presses at the end of the workout, as I have not done them in a while.

I did 5x6 with 80lb bells and 45 second breaks. Each rep felt light and each set was pretty easy. Looking forward to teaching at my Vegas KB workshop on May 15!

Tuesday April 27

Solid workout today and the theme was the never-ending pressing workout! Pretty big increase in volume and I pushed it all the way until the end.

Did the usual warm-up and then started the workout with the Barbell Military Press out of the racks.

I am still amazed how much harder this is than clean and presses. The stretch reflex makes a big difference and I also think the clean is a confidence builder before the press. Last week I clean and military pressed 175 four times with a thick bar. This week 160lbs was challenging for three reps out of the rack with the same thick bar.

Thick Bar Barbell Military Press 1x5x130lbs, 1x5x150lbs, 2x3x160lbs, 1x1x170lbs

In between each set I did an exercise called the Scarecrow: 3x15x60lbs. This exercise is done with cables and teaches you how to pull your shoulder bladed together when bench pressing.

Barbell AB Roll outs 1x10, 1x12, 1x14

Then it was time for another triple series

Thick Bar Bench Press 1x5x170, 1x5x220, 1x4x260, 1x3x270, last set was with a close grip 1x12x220

In between each set I did

Alternating Dumbbell Uprights Row 1x8x55s, 1x8x65s, 2x8x70s each side

Truck Drivers (Russian Barbell Twist) 3x10 each side (35lbs on one end)

Next up was a super set

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x75s, 1x5x85s, 1x5x90s

Cable Machine Rope Curls 1x10x100, 1x10x120, 1x10x140lbs

Next:

Power Plate Pushups 3x45 seconds sets (2-4 second pause at the bottom and then fast press up)

T-bar Presses for the core 3x8 each side

Finally I did Double Kettlebell Swings 5x10 (80s to chest levels). I have not done these in a while and they felt great. Strong on every rep and the bells felt very light.

I am going to enjoy having tomorrow off

Monday April 26

Had a great weekend and spent a nice day at Lake Mead yesterday. Felt rested and ready to go today.

We started off with some warm-up exercises: bodyweight squats, one legged deadlifts, dragon twist lunges, and core work.

Next up was some resistance band jump work. We did three sets of ten and moderate intensity and then three sets of five at maximum intensity.

From there we moved on to Barbell High Pulls and Barbell Cleans.

Barbell High Pull: 1x3x165, 1x3x215, 1x3x225, 1x3x235.
Barbell Power Clean 1x3x165, 1x3x185, 3x3x205

Next exercise was Barbell Squats with Suspension push outs in between each.

Barbell Squat 1x5x135, 1x4x185 (2 second hold at the bottom) 1x4x225 (2 second hold at the bottom) 1x4x275, 1x4x315, 1x4x325lbs

Suspension Push Outs 4x10

Next super set was:

Barbell Good Mornings 1x5x185, 2x5x205
Kickstand Lunges (one legged squat starting from the knee on the floor holding on to two dumbbells) 3x6 each side
Thick Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 2x5x210 (these felt great.)

Mark added a finisher to my workout: One-arm KB Snatch

I did 20 reps each side with an 88lb bell. While I was pretty fatigued when I did this, it felt good and every rep was solid. Next goal is 30 reps each side with an 88lb bell.

 

Friday April 23

Made sure to sleep nine hours last night and put the feedbag on and load up on some calories to ensure today was a great workout. It worked and I am glad to finish the week strong. Next week we move into a different program for the final four weeks.

Started off with the usual warm-up and then did some medicine ball throws against the wall to fire up the nervous system. 30lbs for three sets of ten.

Then it was time for some bench press work. I used my 80lb thick barbell with 90lbs for a total of 170lbs and then more resistance from a red jumpstretch band on each side. I did five sets of six each rep as fast as possible. Mark does not buy into the no more than three rep rule for all athletes and finds that speed often goes up past rep three. That is the case with me as I get faster on every rep up to six.

In between each set I did one-legged good mornings. 5x6 each side with 105lbs (I hate this exercise as I hate most one-legged exercises ;-)

Next we did Alternating Incline Dumbbell Presses done in super set style with One-legged Romanian Deadlifts with a 62lb kettlebell

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x75s, 1x5x85s, 1x5x90s each side (Press two to lockout, lower one and press it back up while holding the other one in the lockout position) I felt really strong on this one today and will do the 95s next time.

One-arm-one kettlebell Romanian dead lifts: 6x5 each side

next up was another super set 

Barbell Shrugs 3x8 (295lbs) 
One-arm Dumbbell Military Press 1x5x45, 1x5x55, 1x5x65 each side (used more of a KB press style with the elbow low and pressed against the body. Much better and less stress on the shoulder) 

Next up was a core circuit

Four rounds of

Push Outs (suspension ab roll outs) 1x10
Standing Dumbbell Rotations 1x10 each side (25lb dumbbell held straight out at chest level)
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 1x15

Each exercise done immediately after the other and no breaks at all in between each round.

Did some KB pressing with an 80lb bell just to work on form at the end of the workout. 3x5 each side. Also pressed the 97lb bell for a few reps just to get used to it again. It felt good

Stretched out and called it a day 

Thursday April 22

Not the best night of sleep last night and I don’t think I ate enough calories either yesterday. Regardless, still a good workout and I will make sure to rest up today and feast to be primed and ready for tomorrow.

We did the usual warm-up of squats, lunges, rotations and then jumped into the workout

Barbell Snatch to fire up the nervous system: 1x3x95lbs, 1x3x115lbs, and 3x3x135lbs. Nothing heavy at all just enough weight to work on speed and form.

Next up was the trap bar deadlift:

1x3x245, 1x3x335, 1x3x425, 1x2x475, 5x1x425 (rest pause style (15 second breaks) to work on starting strength which I need to improve in order to lift the big weights. Doing 5 reps rest pause style is harder than five reps in a row with 425lb as each rep is a starting rep (off the floor from a dead stop).

In between each set I did 3x8, 1x10 on neutral grip pull-ups with a 2 second negative and hang at the bottom of each rep. No momentum or kipping crap!

Next up was a core circuit (three rounds)

Truck Drivers (same as Russian Twist) with 35lbs on the end of the barbell 1x10 each side
Standing Cable Rotations 1x10 each side (70lbs)
Hyperextension Machine sit-ups with a twist at the top 1x10 each side

Next was another super set

Leg Press (8 plates total) 3x10 (pause at the bottom and 4 second negative. Mark thinks this will help a lot with my TB Deadlift)

Cable One-legged Deadlifts with a pull at the top 3x10 each side (100lbs)

Finally we ended with ten rounds on the Road Runner (imagine a bike without a seat and you rest your hands on two bars in front of you)

I did some KB swings to end the workout

Hand to hand KB Swing 2x10 each side 1x15 each side (97lb bell)

Also threw in a few One-arm KB presses just to see where I am. Did 3x5 each side with an 88lb bell. Felt good on both sides.

 

Tuesday April 20

Exceptional workout today and this week is off to a great start. I brought my own Barbell to the gym today to test drive a few things. I have an 80lb thick bar from Ader that I prefer for overhead presses and wanted to test drive for bench pressing today as well.

We did the usual warm up and then some medicine ball throws to fire up the CNS. We started off with Barbell Military Presses today. I did a clean to get the bar in position and then did all of the reps. I prefer this than taking the bar off of the racks to start the set.

I did 1x5x130, 1x3x145, 1x3x155, 1x4x175 (PR for me with a thick barbell)

Next was the bench press with the Ader 80lb thick bar instead of a regular 45lb barbell. I did

1x5x130,lx5x170, 1x3x220, 1x3x230, 1x3x245, 1x2x260, 1x2x270, 1x2x280. Felt really good on these and I am confident that I am back up to bench pressing 300lbs. I think I could have done 300-310 today.

In between each set I did Barbell Good Mornings 1x5x135, 1x5x155, 1x5x185, 1x5x195, 1x5x205. These felt great and my hamstrings were fried afterwards.

Then close grip Bench press 2x8x220lbs

In between each set back extensions 2x10

Next up was Power Plate Pushups for time 3x60 seconds sets. Each rep was done slow and controlled with a pause on the bottom of each rep.

In between each set I did lateral raises 1x10x25s, 1x10x30s, 1x10x35s

We did some t-bar rotation presses for the core to finish off the workout

I threw in some KB snatch work to wrap up a great workout:

One-arm KB Snatch 3x10 each side (88lb bell) felt light and effortless

Monday April 19

Training with Mark just keeps on getting better every week. I had another great training session today and was paired up with UFC fighter Dale Hartt. We did lots of leg work today and upper body pulling motions

We started with the usual warm up consisting of squats, lunges and torso work. Then we moved on to hang cleans.

Barbell Hang Clean: 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 195x3x2 (getting better at these)

Barbell Squat 135x5, 225x5, 275x2, 300x2, 320x2, 340x2 (squats felt great and I am getting much better. I should be able to do 405lbs by the end of the program)

In between each set I did Pull-ups with a two-second hang at the bottom of each rep. 4x5

The next super set was:

Barbell Lunges 4x5 each side (125lbs)

Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x195, 3x4x237lbs (rows felt very strong!)

Next super set was:

Prowler pushes 4x25 yards (270lbs on)

Dumbbell Hammer Curls 1x5x55s, 1x5x60s, 2x5x65s

Ended the workout with one set of KB Snatch work

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10 each side (88)

Stretched out and called it a day.

Friday April 16

Another great training week in the bag. I felt great today and watched the season finale of the show “Spartacus” before going to workout with Mark. What a badass show and the season finale was incredible. Really got me fired up to have a great workout. I am going to see the band “Korn” with some friends in June and listened to the greatest hits CD on the way to the Philippi Sport Institute, which also got me fired up and in a great mood to train.

We started off with the usual warm-up and then some medicine ball throws against the wall to fire up the nervous system. We used a 30lb medicine ball for five sets of 10.

Next up was the Barbell Bench Press with a red band on each side to work on speed and forced acceleration. We did 175lbs with 2 red bands for five sets of six. In between each set I did One-legged Good Mornings with 100lbs for 4x5 each side. I am getting much better at this exercise. The first time I tried it at the beginning of the program I was losing my balance big time. Not at all today and it was nice to see the progress. We also did a core exercise: Push outs for 3x8 as well in between each set.

After that we did another super set:

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 1x5x70, 1x5x80, 1x5x85, 1x3x90 each side
Glute-Ham raise 3x5 (held the bottom position while Mark applied some downward force and then he let go and I had to reverse as fast as possible. Pretty damn hard and I will feel this one tomorrow).
Standing Dumbbell Rotations 3x10 each side (35lb dumbbell) (hold a dumbbell at arms length in front and rotate outside the shoulder on each side for ten reps each side per set)

Next up were Power Plate Pushups 3x45 seconds sets (2 second hold at the bottom of each rep. We did five sets of around 20 reps per set)

Finally we did Roll Ups, which is a killer abs exercise. My core is getting a lot stronger as I did much better at this. The way it works is I get in the top position of a crunch and contract everything. Mark roles me forward slowly and I have to stay in the contracted position and not collapse. First time I tried this at the beginning of the program and I was dying. Today I killed it on every set.

Really happy with the progress and how well the program is going. Five more weeks to go!

 

Thursday April 15

Rested up yesterday and had another great workout today. Today we focused on tons of pulling motions.

We started with the usual warm-up exercises and then did some jump work with bands to fire up the nervous system and hamstrings.

Next exercise was the Barbell Snatch for 5x3 with 115lbs to work on explosive power. These are coming along much better than Power Cleans. I am finding that Kettlebell snatches carry over well to barbell snatches but not so much to barbell cleans.

Trapbar Deadlifts were next with a big trap bar. It weighed 85lbs and called for a much wider grip than the standard Trapbar. More stress on the back on the starting position to get the bar moving.

In between each set I did One-arm Dumbbell Rows: 1x8x100, 2x8x120 each side

I did several sets: 175x5, 265x3, 355x3, 445x3, 475x1, 445x6 I definitely do better with reps when it comes to Deadlifts I could probably do 445 10 times but found 475 pretty challenging.

After deadlifts I did a few set of reverse hypers to loosen up the lower back.

Then a super set of:

One legged Cable Deadlifts 3x8 each side (90lbs)
Walking Dumbbell Lunges 3x14 (70lb dumbbells)

After that I did plate drags for 40 yards with 35lbs. It is much harder than it sounds. You have to pull hard on the cord to get the plate moving. Did two rounds backwards and one forward.

After that it was another super set:

Dumbbell Hammer Curls 2x10x55s, 1x8x60s
Rolling Thunder Swings 3x10 each side (90lbs)

After the work I did some KB one-arm Jerks to work on form:

1x10x80, 1x10x88, 1x10x97 each side

Tuesday April 13

I made to eat more yesterday as well as get in a good nine hours of deep sleep. It paid off and I had a great workout today.

We went through the usual warm-up and then did some medicine ball ballistic drills to fire up the nervous system.

After that it was time to move on to the bench press:

135x5, 225x3, 235x3, 245x3, 255x3, 265x4, then one set of close grip bench press: 1x10x205

In between each set of the bench press I did some Barbell Good Morning Work:

4x5x185lbs

Next up was another super set of

Thick Barbell Close grip Standing Military Press 1x5x130, 1x5x150, 1x3x150, 1x3x145 (funny thing is I can do so much more at home with a thick bar. I just did 10 reps with 150lbs and it was easy! Doing a clean before the press helps but that can be the only reason. I am bringing the thick bar with me to the gym at the next pressing workout to see)

Glute-ham raise: 5x5

Next up was Weighted Dips 1x8x55, 3x8x70lbs (2 second pause at the bottom of each rep)

Super set style with: Thick Bar Upright Rows 3x10x90lbs

Next we did pushups on the power plate for 3x20 and T-bar torso presses for the core

Finally with did 10 sets of real runner work as a finisher. 15 reps each side for the first 8 sets and then 20 reps each side on the last two.

 

Monday April 12

Rested up this weekend and was ready to go today. Only mistake I made was not eating enough on Sunday. I find that what I eat the day before a workout is more important than what I eat the day of the workout. Especially when training earlier in the day. Energy crashed half way through today’s workout but I sucked it up and finished it strong. I will make sure to put the feedbag on tonight!

Lots of leg work, posterior chain, and core work today.

Started off with the usual warm-up of squats, lunges etc and then did some Barbell ballistic work to fire up the CNS.

Barbell Hang Clean: 1x3x135, 5x3x185. Felt better today

Barbell Squat: 1x5x135, 1x5x225, 1x5x285, 1x5x315, 1x8x225. Felt good on these today and 315 felt much better than last week.

In between each set I did pull-ups with a 4 second hold at the top of each rep: 4x5

Next up was a one legged squat version with a barbell in which you tuck one foot behind the other. Not an easy exercise at all and I did 3x5 each side with 135lbs.

In between each set I did Thick Bar Bent Over Row: 1x5x130, 1x5x180, 1x5x190, 2x5x200lbs

After that I did Prowler pushes with 230lbs plus the weight of the prowler. I did 4 sets of 15 yards

In between each set I did Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls 2x5x55, 1x8x55

We wrapped up with some core work. Three rounds of:

Truck Drivers 3x10 each side (45lbs on one side same exercise as the Russian twist)

Swiss Ball Leg raises 3x15

Push Outs 3x10 (suspension ab roll out)

Did a few sets of KB snatches to finish off the day

1x10x80 each side, 1x15 each side (97lb bell)

Time to put the feed bag on and relax for the night.

April 9, 2010

Nice workout to end the week. We did lots of pressing and posterior chain work today.

Started off with the usual warm-up and then did some medicine ball throws to fire up the nervous system. 3x10 with a 30lb ball against the wall.

Next up was the bench press with a red resistance band added on each side for forced acceleration work. We had 165lbs on the bar and two resistance bands. We did 5x6 working on speed on every rep.

In between each set, I did One-legged Good mornings with 100lbs, 4x10 each side.

Next up was a super set consisting of Alternating Dumbbell Incline Presses (more upright than last week) and the Glute-ham Raise.

Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press 1x8 each side (70s), 1x8x75s each side, 1x8x80s each side, 1x3x85s each side. Had a hard time getting the bells in place on the last set, which killed my energy. I will get it next week.

Glute-ham Raise 3x10

Next up we did Barbell Shrug 2x10x275, 1x10x295 and One-arm Dumbbell Military Presses: 1x5x45, 1x5x55, 1x5x70, 1x5x75 each side (got all sets with the right. Had to go down to a 70 on the left on the last set. Dumbbell Presses are much harder than KB presses. It is not even close!)

Last but not least was some torso work:

Cable Rotations 3x8 each side (70lbs) and an exercise in which I hold a 10lb plate at arms length and Mark pushes it in various directions and I have to work hard to keep it in place.

Stretched out and time to relax and enjoy the weekend. Another great week of training in the bank.

 

April 8, 2010

Really in the zone now with Mark’s workouts and had another solid workout today. Started off with the usual warm-up consisting of squats, lunges, one legged deadlifts, hip rotations, v-ups, ab roll outs, etc

Next we moved on to Barbell Hang Snatches to fire up the nervous system. These are coming along nicely and actually much better than Barbell Cleans. Barbell Snatch: 1x3x90, 1x3x115, 3x3x125

Next up was my favorite the trap bar deadlift: 1x3x225, 1x3x315, 2x4x405, and 1x10x405. These felt great and I could have pulled at least 12-14 reps. Grip felt strong and there was no breakdown in technique at all.

In between each set of deadlifts, I did pull-ups. 4x5 with a two second hold at the top of each rep.

After the deadlift work I did:

Walking Dumbbell Lunges 3x12 total steps (60lb dumbbells)

Cable one legged deadlifts 3x8 each side (90lbs)

Then another super set:

Prowler pushes 4x20 yards (300lbs plus whatever the prowler weighs)

Double Hammer Curls, 1x35x8, 1x45x8, 1x50x8, 1x55x8. Felt strong on these. Funny thing is I always feel strong on exercises that I could care less about ;-)

Wrapped up with three sets T-bar Pushes for the torso.

I stretched and threw in a few sets of KB work

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10x80 each side, 1x10x88 each side.

Also added in one set of Barbell Thick Bar Presses 1x14x130lbs

My strength is best in the 10-12-rep range. I can probably trap bar deadlift 405 15 times but find 485 for a single difficult. With overhead presses I can probably press 130 15-17 times but have a hard time with 175 for a triple. I can snatch a 97lb bell 20 times but I doubt I could snatch a 145lb bell once.

While I prefer strength work, I tend to do much better at higher rep ranges.

April 6, 2010

Really on a role with training and had another great workout today. We started off with the same warm-up and then did some explosive pushups to a standing position off of a low box.

Then we moved on to the bench press:

135x5, 225x5 and then we added chains (90lbs total in chains I believe)

135+chainsx5, 225x5+chains, 245+chainsx2x4

Then one last set with just 225x5

In between each set of the bench press, we did Barbell Good Mornings, 1x5x135, 1x5x185, and 2x5x205

Then we did Standing Barbell Military Presses with a close grip off of the rack:

1x5x90, 1x5x130, 1x5x135, 2x5x140

In between each set we did Glute-ham raises with 32.5lbs 4x8

Then we moved onto Weighted dips with 135lbs of chain for 3x6
Done in super set style with one-arm lateral raises 3x10 each side (30lbs)

We ended the workout with three rounds of the following core circuit:

Standing cable rotations 3x70lbs each side
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 3x15
Hyperextensions 3x15
Push Outs 3x10

I did a few sets of KB push presses to finish the workout

1x10x88 each side, 1x10x97 each side.

Great workout and glad tomorrow is a day off!

 

April 5, 2010

Had a nice restful weekend and felt ready to go today. However, during the warm-ups my energy was dragging and I was wondering how the actual workout was going to go. Once we got started my mind got focused and I had a great workout.

We started off with the usual warm-up routine consiting of squats, one-legged deaflifts, core work, and lunges.

The theme of today’s workout was leg work and upper body pulling work.

We started off with Hang clean to fire up the nervous system

2x3x135, 2x3x170. I am much better at the power clean but the hang cleans are coming along. My biggest problem is still the catch portion of the lift, as I tend to finish the move like a KB clean or snatch.

In between each set of cleans, we did core work for three rounds:

Truck Drivers (same as Russian barbell twist) 3x10 each side (25lb plate on one side)

Hyperextension machine weighted sit-ups 3x10 (50lbs)

Then we moved on to Barbell Squats:

1x5x125, 1x5x225, 1x5x295, 1x3x315, 1x10x275

I enjoy the barbell squat a great deal and was glad to work on it this week. The set with 295 felt great, as did the last set with 275. 315 was not perfect but I am sure I can get that for 5-6 reps next time. I need to work on setting my core and really sitting back to stay strong on the exercise. Form is definitely coming along and I would like to work up to a 405 squat by the end of the program.

Next up was a super set:

Barbell Lunge 4x6 each side (115lbs)

Pull-ups 4x8 (hold at the top and dead hang on each rep)

Then we did

Thick Bar Bent Over Row 1x5x140, 1x5x160, 2x5x190

Push outs 4x10 (suspension drill form of ab roll outs)

We wrapped up with plate drags and thick barbell curls.

Thick Barbell Curl: 1x10x80, 1x10x100, 1x7x110

I added

Hand to hand Kettlebell Swing 1x10 each side (80lb bell)

April 2, 2010

Nice end to a great week of training. The focus today was pressing and lots of it. We started off with the usual warm-up, except this time it consisted of a great deal of core work (Roll outs, v-ups, etc).

We started with some dumbbell snatches to fire up the nervous system.

1x3x60, 1x3x70, 1x3x85, 1x3x90, 1x3x100 each side

Felt great on these and the form is more of a straight up snatch in which you pull up the trap and go into a jump shrug and then raise the weight overhead. Much different than how I do KB snatches, which is more of a J-curve trajectory.

Next up were thick bar military presses. We normally use a standard barbell but I asked Mark if we could use a thick bar as I prefer thick bars for pressing and that is what I use at home.

Thick Barbell Military Press of the racks: 1x5x90, 1x5x130, 1x3x150, 1x2x2x150, 1x7x130, 1x5x130. Presses feel much better this week and I am getting the form down. Mark like to focus on pressing straight up and behind the head rather than in front like I often do with Double KB presses. Basically you want to get the bar over your center of gravity for maximum control and strength.

Mark also emphasizes keeping the core tight but not like you are bracing for a punch and pushing the hips forward which is what I do with KB presses. Basically you take in some air set the core and stay as upright as possible while you press straight overhead. I am getting there and made a big leap forward in technique this week. I am also starting to get used to pressing off the racks, which does not have the stretch reflex that you get from doing a clean before pressing. As a result the first reps is much harder than having a clean before the press. The presses were also done with a closer grip than I am used to in order to avoid back bending. 

Next up were alternating incline dumbbell presses. Get two dumbbells in place, press one to lockout and hold it there while you press the other one to lock out. Lower and press one while the other is locked out. 1x5x55, 1x5x75, 1x5x85, 1x5x90 each side. Felt strong on these as well.

Next up were weighted dips. 3x5 with 97lbs and 1x15 with bodyweight and slow negatives and a pause at the bottom of each rep.

Finally we did pushups with my hands on a power plate and my feet on a bench. 3x15 with pauses at the bottom.

I did three sets of KB snatch work to end the workout 1x10x80 each side, 1x10x88 each side, 1x10x97 each side.

Did a few KB arm-bar reps with an 88lb bell as well as my shoulders felt tight.

Stretched out and I am looking forward to the weekend.

 

April 1, 2010

Man I am starting to sound redundant but today was just another really great workout. I feel like I am really on a role now with Mark’s program and strength is coming along nicely.

We started off with the usual warm-up and then it was time for some Power Clean and trapbar deadlifts.

No heavy work on the power cleans, just a few sets with low reps to fire up the nervous system. My form is very far from perfect but is getting much better.

Barbell Power Clean 1x3x135, 1x3x155, 2x3x175, 1x3x195

Trapbar Deadlift: the trap bar that Mark has weighs 85lbs and is longer than most standard Trapbars. It also calls for a wider grip (imagine a snatch grip on a barbell), which increases the range of motion. The starting position is pretty damn close to the parallel position on the barbell squat.

I felt strong on these and was ready to put in some work.

1x3x175, 1x3x265, 1x3x355, 1x3x445, 1x3x465. At this point Mark told me to go up to 500lbs for the next set. I thought it was going to be easy given how easily 465 went up for three (felt like I could have done 6 or so). However, I was in for a rude awakening. I did not set up right but that was only one of the mistakes I made. I made the mistake of not respecting the weight and when I tried to pick it off the ground it did not move which killed my confidence. This really irritated me. Thus, I lowered the weight to 490 for a confidence boost and to make sure to load up properly. While it certainly was not easy, I got the weight to the lockout position and called it a day.

Mark made the point of telling me that I need to hold my chest higher and look slightly up when pulling. Moreover, he told me that I need to keep building up my core strength, as that is the weak link in my deadlift. He is definitely right and I plan to work on both. Regardless, 490lbs is a PR for me on the trapbar deadlift and I was happy about that. 500 is just around the corner.

After the deadlift work it was time for three super sets consisting of Dumbbell Walking Lunges and Barbell Bent-over Rows

A-1: Dumbbell Walking Lunges 1x8 each side (50lb dumbbells)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x135, 1x5x185, 1x5x195, 1x5x205

Next on the agenda were reverse hypers and suspension rows (horizontal Rowing) for three sets of ten.

B-1: Reverse hypers 3x10

B-2: Horizontal rows 3x10

Finally, it was time to end the workout with another one of Mark’s intense core circuits. Three rounds of:

Truck Drivers (same as Russian Twist) 1x10 each side (45lb plate on top end)
Hanging Leg Raise 1x10 (toes touching bar overhead)
Push Outs 1x10 (suspension Abs Roll outs)

Did two sets of KB snatches to finish off the training

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10 each side (88) 1x10 each side (97)

Stretched out and it is time to eat like I am at a Las Vegas Buffet and get ready for tomorrow

 

March 30 2010

Another great workout today and the themes of today’s workout were pressing and then a high intensity finisher. I had the same workout partners today. An upcoming MMA fighter named John and an NFL player named Rolando. Both great guys that I really enjoy training with.

We started off with the usual warm-up and then did some Barbell Snatches to fire up the nervous system. 5x3x100lbs

Next up was the bench press. The bench press felt great today and I am starting to get back into it. 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x4, 2x3x260, 1x7x225.

After the bench press work it was time to move on to the Incline Press. I felt much better on these as well today. 1x5x55s, 1x5x70s, 1x5x80s, 2x4x85s

After that we moved onto weighted dips. 1x5x88, 3x5x97lbs

Next up were decline pushups with the hands on a Power Plate Machine. 2x20

We ended the workout with a finisher on the real runner machine. 10 sets of 30 reps total. Great way to end the workout.

Feeling strong and in a nice groove this week. Really enjoying the training with Mark.



Monday 3-29-10

Had a great weekend and felt rested and ready to go today. Today’s theme was pulling and lots of it. We started with the usual warm-up and then moved on to Barbell Hang Cleans.

Barbell Hang clean 1x5x135, 1x4x185, 3x2x200lbs. Getting better at these but need to work on elbow flexibility to really nail the rack position. I tend to catch it like two kettlebells, which is not the ideal way to go on Barbell Cleans.

We did some Barbell Jerks afterward. We did not do any heavy work today and just focused on technique.3x3 with 140lbs.

After the Jerks, I did some One-arm One-legged Deadlift work with a 53lb kettlbell, 4x20 reps total.

Next up was a pulling circuit which consisted of

One-arm Dumbbell Bent-over 1x5x85, 1x5x100, 1x5x120 each side
Reverse Hypers 1x15 (BW), 2x10 (purple band)
Pull-ups 1x5, 1x6, 1x8

The exercises were done in super set style for three rounds.

Next up was another one of Mark’s brutal core workouts. Five rounds of the four following exercises.

Standing Cable Torso extensions 1x10 each side (60lbs)
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 1x15
Push Outs (basically a suspension version of ab wheel roll outs) 1x10
Side V-ups 1x10 each side

I threw in some KB work after the workout

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10 each side (88lb bell) and 1x12 each side (97lb bell) Felt great on these. Each rep when up nice and easy and I could have done plenty of more work.

One-arm KB Windmill 1x12 each side (97lb bell)

Stretched out and called it a day

Friday March 26

Glad the last training day of the week is here and I can rest up this weekend. We started with the usual workout and then did some one-arm dumbbell snatches to fire up the CNS.

These are much easier than kettlebell exercises. A fun variation that I may throw in from time to time:

One-arm Dumbbell Snatch

1x5x35, 1x5x55, 1x3x65, 1x3x75, 1x3x85 each side. No pre swing. Pick up the bell squat down and then drive it overhead explosively.

Next up was the Barbell Military Press out of the rack. No clean before each press or even the first one. Still getting used to these as I am used to doing a clean to start each military press set at home.

1x8x95, 1x5x135, 3x4x145, and 1x10x95lbs.

Next was alternating incline presses. 3x5 each side with 2 75lb dumbbells. The felt great and involved pressing one dumbbell to lockout, keeping it there and pressing the other one up, and the lowering one etc.

Next up were weighted pushups. I had 90lbs on my back and did 3x8. On each rep I lowered slowly, held the bottom position, and then pressed up explosively. This is a great exercise

The final exercise was Dips. 2x8 and 1x16 with just bodyweight. Each rep was down with a 4 second negative and then a two second pause at the bottom of each rep.

Great workout and not now it is time to enjoy the weekend and get ready for next week.

 

 

 

 

Thursday March 25

I am glad I had yesterday off as I really needed it. I made sure to rest up and load up on the nutrition to be ready for today’s workout.

Today was a great workout. We started off with the usual warm-up routine and then moved on to Barbell Front Squats. I did these with my arms folded in front to keep the barbell in place rather than the clean position. I have not done these before and it took a few sets to get into the groove. I really like the exercise and plan to keep working on it.

Barbell Front Squat 1x5x95, 1x5x135, 1x5x155, 1x5x175

Next up was one of my all time favorites the Trapbar Deadlift. This is one of the exercises that I really want to get better at so I was glad to put in some work.

The trapbar Mark has is much bigger than the one I have at home. It weighs 85lbs and calls for a wider grip than with the one I have at home. This increases the range of motion for more legwork.

Trapbar deadlift 1x5x175, 1x5x265, 1x4x355, 1x4x405, 1x4x455

Each set felt great and on the last set with 455 each rep went up nice and smooth. Mark told me that he thinks I can pull 500lbs for a maximum set of 2-3, which was nice to hear.

In between each set of the trap bar deadlift, Mark had me stand on a power plate in the bottom position of a deadlift for 30-60 seconds. He read a study somewhere that this increases explosive strength when done before jumping and wanted to see if it carried over to deadlifts. Not sure if it did but hey it was worth trying.

After the deadlifts I did four sets of hyperextensions. Fifteen on the first set and then three sets of ten with a green band to increase the resistance. This felt great after the deadlift work.

Next up was some medicine ball work with a 100lb medicine ball. I shouldered the ball for three sets of five each side. Tough exercise!

After that it was time for another one of Mark’s core work marathons. Five exercises done back to back with now rest for three rounds!

Truck Driver 1x10 each side (similar to the Russian twist with no twist though to make it much harder. We had 35lbs on one side of the bar today)

Standing Rotational work in the cable machine 1x10 each side (60lbs)

Leg Raises on a Swiss ball 1x15

Weighted Sit-ups on hyper machine 1x10 (35lbs)

Push outs 1x10 (basically a suspension version of the ab roll out)

I was glad when this workout was over. I stretched out and went home to load up on calories

 

Tuesday March 23

Today’s theme was pressing, more pressing, and yes even more pressing! I worked out with one of Mark’s NFL clients and another guy who is an up and coming MMA fighter. Both great guys and I enjoyed working out with them.

We started off with the usual warm-up and then the pressing marathon commenced!

First exercise was pushups from a low box to a standing position done back to back with medicine ball presses. 3x10 on each exercise.

With the pushups from a low box you start in the push-up position a foot off of the floor and the explosively push yourself up to the standing position.

With medicine ball presses, you get in the bench press position. Mark dropped a 30lb bell and then I caught it brought it down to the chest and pressed it back up explosively to him.

Both great drills to fire up the nervous system.

Then we moved on to the bench press

I did a few warm-up sets and then Mark puts some chains on each side to increase the weight at the lockout position. 185 with I believe 90lbs total in chains. First set was not bad for five reps. Then we went up to 225 with chains and that was brutal. I barely made one rep. After the chain work, we did some more bench press work without the chains. 3x5x225 and 1x3x235.

In between each exercise of bench presses I did an exercise called “The scarecrow” in which you stand up and pull two chains out to the sides to work the rear delts.

Next up was the incline press. I did 3x5 with 2 70lb dumbbells

Then we moved on to weighted dips 1x5x60lbs, 1x5x80lbs, 2x5x100lbs

The last exercise was decline pushups with your hands on a power plate (vibration machine) I did 3x5 in which each rep was done with a slow negative and then static holds in various positions. This was pretty brutal especially after all of the other pressing work.

We wrapped up with some cardio on the real runner machine. 10 30-second intervals. Everyone was beat after this and I stretched out and went home to take a nap.

Monday March 22

Had a great weekend loaded with lots of sleep and good food and felt ready to go today. The theme of today’s workout was the posterior chain and lots of it!

Started off with a warm-up consisting of a variety of squats, lunges, lying trunk twists, ab roll outs, v-ups, etc

The first exercise we worked on was the Barbell Power Clean.

2x5x135, 2x4x185, 3x2x200lbs

Still using too much KB technique with the catch. I need to work on catching the weight and then standing up. It is coming along though and was much better than last time.

Next up was the Barbell Romanian Deadlift. I did two light sets of Barbell Squats before moving on to the RDL. 135x5, 225x5

Romanian Deadlift work: 135x5, 225x5, and 340lbs for 3x6

Next up was the Barbell Bent-over Row super done back to back with Barbell Lunges:

A-1: Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5x135, 1x5x185, and 3x6x200lbs

A-2: Barbell Lunge 1x5x105 each side 3x6x125 each side (these felt much better than last time. Form is coming along)

The final super set for today was Glute-ham Raises and Pull-ups

B-1: Glute-ham Raise 2x10, 1x12

B-2: Pull-ups 3x8

I did three sets of Kettlebell Swings to wrap up the workout

1x10x88, 1x12x88, 1x15x88 each side to face level



Friday 3-19

The theme of today’s workout was pressing and lots of it!

We started off with the usual warm-up and then got to work with the pressing marathon.

Actually before getting into the pressing I did a bunch of medicine ball throws against a wall. 1x10 overhead, 1x10 each side rotational throws.

First exercise was pushups off of a low box to standing position. Basically I do an incline pushup off a box that is two feet off of the floor. However, this is not regular a pushup. The goal is to push yourself off of the box to a standing position. This takes a lot of explosive power to pull it off. Fun exercise and I did 3x10.

Next exercise was wide grip barbell bench presses. Did a few warm-up sets and then did 3x4 with 225lbs. After that we did a few sets with 185 in which I pause at the bottom for two seconds and then press as fast as possible. I made the mistake of not staying tight at the bottom during the pauses on the first set, which threw the set off. I got it together on the next set. When I do kettlebell military presses, I generally relax in the rack in between each rep. Works great there but not so much on bench presses with a pause.

In between each set of the bench press, I did standing cable rotations to work the core. 3x8 each side with 70lbs.

After the bench press work we moved onto incline presses. I used a shoulder width grip and did 3x5 with 165lbs. I have never been a good barbell incline presser. I was always much better at dumbbell incline presses and could actually use more total weight with dumbbells than with a barbell.

Next up was Bottom position weighted pushups. Mark placed 120lbs on my back. I stayed relaxed until he gave the word and then I tightened up and pressed off the floor as fast as possible. I pulled off 3x8.

We finished off with suspension pushups (what you would do with a monkey bar gym or Trx) I did 1x25 on the first set and then 1x15 on the second set. On the second set I did a two second negative and a pause at the bottom of each rep.

I threw in one set of KB snatches to finish off the day. 1x20 right and 1x18 left with an 88lb bell. Snatch feels really good and I think I will do one KB ballistic exercise after each workout from now on.





Thursday March 18

Lots of pulling and posterior chain work today to say the least! Started off with the usual warm-up routine and then moved onto Barbell Power Cleans.

Mark likes t start off workouts with some ballistic work to fire up the nervous system. Coincidentally I started doing this with my own workouts before I started working with Mark. I found that doing a few sets of double kettlebell swings with a moderate weight for several sets of low reps really worked well to get the CNS engaged. This carried over well to presses, trapbar deadlifts etc.

I started with 135lbs and did a few sets of shrug pulls and high pulls. Then I did around five sets of power cleans: 135x5, 1x155x5, and 3x4x165. Nothing heavy today on power cleans. We just did lots of work on technique and being as fast as possible. I tend to push my hips to far forward at the finish instead of catching the bar with the knees bent and hips back and then standing up. Basically I am using the technique I use with kettlebells, which is good for driving the hips through but not so good for the catch portion of the lift. This is something to work on at future power clean workouts.

Next was a super set involving three exercises: Romanian Deadlifts, Standing Swiss Ball Cable Rotations for the core, and Barbell Bent-over Rows.

Romanian Deadlifts were done with light weights (135-200lbs) for three sets of eight. Whenever Mark introduces a new exercise to a client he errs on the side of being conservative to make sure form is locked in. I have done quite a but of Romanian Deadlift work in the past. I got the green light on form and look forward to using a lot more weight at future workouts.

Standing Swiss Ball Cable Rotations: this is an interesting core exercise. You hold a swiss ball at chest level and then grab a pulley handle connected to a cable machine. Rotate to the right 10 times and then switch sides and rotate to the left ten times. You definitely feel this on in the oblique muscles and all over the midsection. 3x10 each side with 60lbs.

Barbell Bent-over Row: I do this exercise all of the time so we did 3x8 with 170, 185, and 200lbs.

Each exercise was done one after the other for all three rounds. Next was another super set consisting of:

Inverted Rows (using a device similar to the Monkey Bar Gym) 2x12, 1x15
Push Outs (basically a standing Ab Roll Out using a monkey bar gym) 3x10
Walking Dumbbell Lunges 3x10 each side (50lb dumbbells)

Again each exercise was done one after the other for all three rounds in super set fashion

Next was yet another super set consisting of back extensions and sit-ups in a back extension machine with a dumbbell locked out.

Back Extensions 3x10 (35lbs)
Overhead Sit-ups 3x10 (25lb dumbbell)

Finally we did some work with a 100lb medicine ball. Shoulder it each side two sets of five reps.

I threw in a finisher with a 97lb kettlebell. Just 1x10 each side on the kettlebell snatch. I was going to go for 1x20 each side with an 88lb kettlebell but decided to save that for another time, as I was pretty beat after this workout.

Appetite is through the roof! Time to load up on some calories and rest up for tomorrow’s workout.

 

Tuesday March 16

Back to the gym for another “fun” workout! We started off with the same warm-up as yesterday. A variety of lunges, squats, and hip stretches.

The workout today was a focus on pressing and also quite a bit of core work. Mark is certainly a big believer in core work and always adds a great deal to each workout. Mark believes that when someone has a week core they are not able to transfer strength efficiently from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa.

When I train myself I generally do one core exercise a few times a week. One of Mark’s workouts has more core work than I generally do in a month! (Not an exaggeration). It will be interesting to see how the ramped up core strength affects my overhead pressing; double KB swings, and snatches after the program is over.

First exercise was the all time male favorite exercise the oh so popular Bench Press! I used a medium width grip and paused for a second at the bottom of each rep. No touch and go reps or bouncing off of the chest.

Barbell Bench Press: 135x8, 185x5, 205x6, 220x3x5, 195x6. It was going smooth but on the first set with 220, I hit the pins twice which not only threw off the set but the rest of the bench press workout. I will make sure to line up my eyes with the bar more adequately next time. Really need to focus on being explosive at the bottom. Slow and controlled it not going to get the job done with any pressing move. Mark also told me to make sure I have the bar set at the bottom of my hand (the palms) rather than riding up just below the fingers. This is what I do when I do KB pressing as well as thick bar overhead pressing. I need to make sure I line it up better next time.

In between each bench press set I did the following core work (4 rounds)

Swiss Ball Leg Raises 1x15
Side V-ups 1x10 each side

Next was a super set of Decline Bench Dumbbell Presses and Alternating Dumbbell upright rows.

Decline Dumbbell Press 2x6 and 1x15 (70s) (last set to the limit)
Alternating Dumbbell Upright Row 3x8 each side (60lb dumbbells)

First set was off with the dumbbell presses. I let the dumbbells go out to wide. Form and effort improved big time when I kept the dumbbells in close to the body and pressed straight up.

Next superset was

Weighted Dips and T-bar Presses

Weighted Dips 3x6 (80lb kettlebell)

T-bar Presses 3x6 each side (this is the exercise in which I hold a T-bar in the middle and Mark holds it outside of my hands. He presses with his right hand and I have to press back with my left to keep the bar in place. 6 reps each side. This exercise is brutal!

Last exercise was suspension Pushups (basically Jungle Gym pushups) 1x15 and 1x20

I threw in two sets of KB swings at the very end 2x10 each side to head level with an 88lb bell.

Stretched out and went home to kill a lot of calories for the evening! Glad tomorrow is a rest day.

Monday March 15

I made sure to rest up this weekend and load up on nutrition to be ready to roll for week three. I felt great today and feel that I am starting to get into the swing of things.

We started off with the usual warm-up and then moved on to Barbell Squats.

In between each set of the warm-up sets Mark had me do a static squat hold with a 45lb plate. Squat down with the plate at chest levels and use it to drive the legs apart to reinforce optimal squat technique.

Barbell Squats 135x10, 185x5, 225x5, 275x4, 265x5, 255x5, 250x5
Squats felt much better than last week and this is my favorite exercise on the program. I am going to have to purchase a squat rack so I can continue with Barbell squats after the program is over.

In between each squat set from 275 I did Russian Barbell Twists with a 35lb plate on one end. 3x10 each side. This is a great core exercise, which will also be a staple in my training program in the future.

After the squat work it was time for another tri super set consisting of:

Barbell Good Morning 3x6x170
Barbell Abs Roll Out From Knees 3x10 (10lbs on each side)
Dumbbell Push Press 3x5x60lbs

Good mornings felt great and what a great hamstring and posterior chain builder! Barbell Ab Roll outs were easy as I do this exercise all of the time with the Lifeline USA Power Wheel. The Dumbbell Push Press felt awkward. I am used to using kettlebells for push presses and presses in general and it is a much different groove with dumbbells. I am sure these will come along once I get used to it.

Next was another tri super set

Barbell Split Squats 3x8x135 each side
Barbell Deadlift from the knees into a shrug at the top 3x8x275
Thick Bar Curls 3x10x100lbs

Still working out the technique kinks with one-legged split squats, as I have never done this exercise before. Started getting into by the third set. Knee Deadlifts to shrugs felt great. No problem at all on this one. Thick Bar Curls also felt great. Forearms were really pumped up by the final set.

We wrapped up with a fun finisher. Marked attached a chain to the prowler. The Prowler was loaded up to around 400lbs and then I pulled the prowler for three rounds of 20 yards. Great quad exercise and really felt this one. Looking forward to using a lot more weight on this one.

I threw in one set of KB snatches to round things off

1x15 each side with an 88lb bell. This felt really light and I could have easily done 20 reps per side. In fact I will do that later this week and then move up to the 97lb bell after that.

Did the usual stretch work and then headed home.


Friday March 12

Had another fun workout today to finish off week two. I am looking forward to two days off to rest up and get ready for week three.

Started off with the usual warm-up routine and then started the pressing-pulling workout.

We started off with Medicine Ball Ballistic Floor Presses 3x10 (Mark drops a medicine ball (I believe it was 50lbs) and I catch it at arms length and let the ball travel to my chest and then do an explosive press back up to Mark to catch. Similar to the ballistic bench presses that Jay Schroeder does)

Next was a super set of Bench Presses with a band on each side ala Westside style paired up with one-arm dumbbell rows.

A-1: Barbell Bench Press (medium grip) 165lbs and a red jump stretch band on each side. 4x5 (each rep pressed as fast as possible. I have never done these before and really liked this move. I am sure I will get much better as I get used to it)

A-2: One-arm Dumbbell Row 3x5 each side (120lb dumbbell)

Next super set involved three exercises:

B-1: Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press 3x5 each side (70s)

B-2: Cable Lateral Extension 3x15 (60lbs) (basically the opposite of chest flyes. This exercises teaches you how to pull the shoulder blades together for stronger pressing)

B-2: Standing Cable Rows 3x10 (160lbs)

No rest in between each exercise.

Next superset was Bottom Position Weighted Pushups and Dumbbell shrugs. With the bottom position pushups, I start at the bottom in a relaxed position. Mark places 90lbs on my back and then I have to tense up and press to full extension as fast as possible. Lower under control, relax at the bottom and repeat. This is a great exercise that I will likely keep when the 12-week program is over)

C-1: Bottom Position Weighted Pushups 3x8 (90lbs)

C-2: Dumbbell Shrugs 3x8 (80lb dumbbells)

We wrapped up with the same core work as Tuesday’s workout (roll-ups etc)

Stretched out with a jump stretch band and then did a few sets of one-arm KB swings and called it a day.

Thursday March 11

Today was another leg day and we focused on trapbar deadlifts, dumbbell lunges, one- legged good mornings and a lot of core work.

We started with the usual warm-up full of bodyweight squats, lateral lunges, forward lunges, backward lunges, rotational lunges, warrior pose yoga stretch etc

Workout

Started off with some barbell snatches to fire up the nervous system. Several sets of 3 with light weight.

Trapbar Deadlift 1x5x135, 1x5x225, 1x5x315, 4x3x365, 1x5x315. I can trapbar deadlift 465 for three reps so this was not challenging in terms of intensity. However, Mark wanted me to focus on being as explosive as possible and really drive my feet through the floor. Moreover this is the beginning of the program and we will be progressively increasing the intensity over the 12-week program. I want to work up to 500lbs for 5 reps.

Did a few sets of weighted pull-ups in between each set of deadlifts. 40lbs for sets of three.

Next was Rack Barbell Deadlifts. Basically pulling from knee level to lockout. Started with some warm-up sets and worked up to three sets of 5 with 315lbs. Again the focus was on being fast and explosive.

Mark is not a believer in being slow and controlled when doing deadlifts of any kind. He talked about how he pulled 860lbs and went over some technique on how he pulled it off. Basically, he starts with his hips high and then lowers them quickly and pulls the bar explosively in one motion to get the bar moving. He did mention however that powerlifting legend and his close friend Ed Coan likes to be slow and controlled when doing heavy squats rather than being explosive out of the bottom position.

Next was another super set:

One legged Good mornings 3x6 each side (90lbs)
Dumbbell Lunge walks 3x5 each side (70lb dumbbells)

The good mornings were challenging with regards to the balance factor but managed to get the hang of it after a few sets. Dumbbell Lunges went well.

After the legwork it was time for another core training super tri-set!

Three rounds of

Leg Raises On A Swiss ball 1x15
Reverse hyper 1x15 (2 second hold at the top of each rep)
Dumbbell twists 1x10 each side (hold a 25lb dumbbell at arms length, bend the knees slightly and rotate from the trunk only to shoulder with on each side. Much harder than it sounds)
Standing roll out drill 1x10 (jungle gym forward extension)
Cable Rope Curls 1x10 (90lbs)

We wrapped up with five sets on the Rolling Runner Machine

10 reps each side as fast as possible and then a 30 second break.

I threw in some KB Windmills at the end of the workout

2x5 each side (88) and 1x12 each side (97)

Jump stretch band stretching to wrap things up.

Tuesday March 9

Mark likes to pair up upper body exercises with lower body exercises at each workout. For example, on Monday he had me do upper body pulling exercises in between sets of lower body pressing exercises.

Today we did upper body pressing exercises with lower body pulling exercises in between each set.

As usual we started off with an extensive warm-up full of lateral lunges, squats, yoga stretches, forward lunges, backward lunges, lunges with a twist similar to dragon lunges, and the superman stretch.

Then it was time for some running mechanics work. After that it was time for the strength workout.

We started off with the bench press. Now I have not done any serious bench press work since I was 25 (I am 36 now). I am definitely not at the numbers I used to be at when I was 25! It is kind of fun to have some bench press work in the routine but I do not plan to keep benching after the program is over. Just not my thing any more as I prefer to work on overhead pressing.

Bench Press workout: 135x8, 195x5, 210x5, 225x3x3 (all sets were relatively easy and did not come close to failure on any set. Groove feels off as it has been a while but that will probably come back in a few weeks).

In between each set

Good Mornings: 1x5x95, 1x5x115, 1x5x135, 1x5x155 (have never done this exercise before and you really full it in the hamstrings. Nice overall posterior chain developer).

Next was Overhead Presses and Glute-ham Raise

Barbell Military Press Off the racks (no clean) 1x5x95, 1x5x115, 3x5x125 (I am amazed how much harder pressing is off the racks. When you do a clean before each press you get a nice pre-stretch and load up for a strong press. I asked Mark about this and he agreed that doing a clean before each press makes a big difference. I also asked him how he compares thick bar pressing to regular bar pressing and he stated that thick bar pressing is easier. He told me a story about how he pressed 400lbs with a thick bar!
I have to agree that pressing with a thick bar is easier than a regular bar in the sense that there is more to press against. The thick bar in particular hits the lower part of the palm really well, which creates a strong CNS connection for strong pressing. Cleaning a thick bar of course is harder than a regular bar due to the additional grip power that is required.

In between each set of pressing I did Glute-ham raises for three sets of eight. Mark has one of the expensive Glute Ham Raise machines that you see at serious gyms. The exercise is challenging but not anywhere near as challenging as doing the raises on the Sorinex Poor Man Glute Ham Machine that I have at home.

Next was some shoulder isolation work paired up with triceps work:

Lateral raises 3x8 (25lbs)
Bent-over lateral raises 3x8 (25lbs)
Weighted Dips 3x10 (50lbs)

All three exercises where done in superset fashion for three rounds.

Next it was time for some core work:

Roll-ups 3x5 (never seen thus one before, you lie on the floor and get into the top position of a crunch. Mark rolls me forward and I have to contract the abs really hard to stay in the crunch position and then control the negative on the way back. Very difficult drill that I am sure I will feel tomorrow)

In between each set of Roll-ups we did a core drill in which I hold a wooden pole on the inside at shoulder width and Mark holds it on the outside. When he pushes to the left I have to push with my right hand to keep the wooden pole in place. Then he pushes with his right and I have to push back with my left side. It is safe to say that Mark used 10% of his strength on this one as if he used more he would have sent my flying across the room!

After the core work I did a variety of stretches with a jump stretch band. This is really a great way to end a workout.

After the stretching I saw a kettlebell across the room and decided to crank out some snatches just for the hell of it.

2x10 each side (53lb bell)
1x10 each side (80lb bell)

I will throw in some KB work at the end of each workout. I want to keep my KB form solid as I am teaching a few workshops in May and June.


Monday March 8

We switched gears to more of a focus on strength training this week.

Same warm-up and running drills as last week

Started off with hang high pulls and then hang cleans for several sets of three to work on form. I definitely have a lot to learn here with regards to timing and coordination. Ended up being around 10 sets of work.

Next was Barbell Squats.

Started off with 135x8, 185x5, 205x5 and then 5 sets of 225x3. We focused on form today rather than lifting as much as possible. Mark places a lot of emphasis on keeping the core tight and making sure to sit back as much as possible when squatting down. I have not done barbell squats in a long time and it was fun to get them back into my routine. Looking forward to moving up in weight and putting in some serious work with these.

I did sets of five on pull-ups with a two second hold at the top of each rep in between sets of barbell squats. 5x5 total.

Next came One-legged Bulgarian Squats. 3x5 each side with again an emphasis on proper form. We kept the weight light at around 115 to work on technique. In between sets of the one legged squats, I did plate barbell rows. Mark took a 100lb plate and stacked two forty-five pound plates on top. He put all three plates on top of a 25lb plate so that I could get my hands on the bottom to do bent over rows. I did three sets of five with 190lbs. This is a really cool exercise that I will be sure to keep in my program after I am done with the 12 week program with Mark.

We wrapped things up with five sets of prowler pushes. I pushed 300lbs for five sets of 10 yards. Another real cool exercises that fires up everything but in particular the calves.

I did some stretches with a band at the end of the workout.

Friday March 5

Today’s warm-up consisted of a bunch of complexes with a 45lb bar

3 rounds without putting the bar down of:

Hang Snatch 1x10
Bent-over Row 1x10
Upright Row 1x10
Squat press 1x10
Good Morning 1x10

With 95lbs this would be a great workout in and of itself. This is definitely a good test of grip endurance. I believe Randy couture does a workout with a 95lb barbell that is similar to this one. Again, it looks very easy but when done round after round with no break, you really start feeling it.

Then we moved on to some upper body pressing

Three rounds of

Standing Military Press (fairly close grip) 1x5
Alternating dumbbell upright row 1x10 each side
Medicine ball throws against the wall 1x15

With the military press we used a grip that is closer to what I am used to and really places the focus on the triceps. Weight was pretty light to work on form (keeping the core very tight and avoiding any back bend at all. Also making sure to lockout behind the head rather than in front). I used 55lb dumbbells for the standing alternating upright row. The medicine ball throws against the wall were completed with a 15lb ball. The reps were very fast and explosive on these.

Then we moves on to another super tri-set:

Dumbbell Decline Press 1x5 (85lb dumbbells)
Dips 1x10 (bodyweight with a two second hold at the bottom)
Hammer Curls 1x15 (45lb dumbbells)

Next we moved on to another core workout to finish the day off:

Three rounds of

Rolling thunder swing 1x8 each side (100lbs)
Standing AB Roll out (Using a device similar to Lifeline’s jungle gym)
Standing AB crossover drill 1x15 each side (I think I used around 60lbs and will see if I can get a picture of this drill)

Wrapped up with some band stretching.

On to the strength phase starting on March 8.

Thursday March 3

I made sure to sleep in late on my day off on Wednesday and load up on calories to ensure I had fuel for this workout.

This was supposed to be a workout focused on pressing but when I told Mark I could barely touch the top of my head due to my severely sore triceps, he decided to make it a legs day instead. Lucky me!

We started off with the same warm-up and running drills and then moved on to another leg workout.

We did three rounds of the following:

Safety Bar Barbell Squat 1x5 (205lbs)
Trapbar Deadlift 1x10 (250lbs)
Prisoner lunges 1x15 each side

Each exercise done one after the other in rapid succession for three rounds. I do a lot of trapbar deadlifts so that part was very easy. The prisoner lunges got brutal on the last set. Not as hard as Monday’s workout but still challenging due to the rapid pace.

Next we did some upper body pulling movements again:

Three rounds of

Pull-ups 1x5 (2 second hold at the top, controlled negative, and then explosive pull from a dead hang)
Bent-over Row 1x10 (180lbs)
Standing Cable Row 1x15 (I forget what weight I used. Will check with Mark)

We finished off with the standing bike drill again. We did very fast reps of 15 reps each side followed by a 10 second break. We did five rounds total.

Wrapped up with some band stretching which felt great.

Tuesday March 2

This was another tough metabolic conditioning workout. Did the same warm-up and running drills as yesterday.

One of Mark’s NFL clients was in the house so he paired me up with him for the workouts.

We started off with a brutal core training session followed by a tough pressing workout and wrapped up with some hamstring hip flexor work.

Core Workout:

Five rounds of

Russian twists 1x10 each side (barbell with a 35lb plate on one end)
Cable rotational drill 1x10 each side
Leg Raises On A Swiss ball 1x15
Reverse Hyper 1x15
Standing roll out drill (jungle gym forward extension)

Next we moved on some pressing work. Nothing like pressing after your core is shot!

We did three rounds of

Bench press 205lbs 1x5
Incline Press 50lb dumbbells 1x10
Decline Pushups 1x15

I thought 205 was too light on the first set but by the time I got to the last round I barely made the reps on the incline press and decline pushups. The lactic acid build up was immense to say the least. I really felt this workout the next day, the day after that, and the after that one as well. Each exercise was done one after the other with no rest in between (well the time it takes you to get to the next exercise).

Next we moved on to some hamstring and hip work

Three rounds of

Good morning 1x5x95, 1x5x115, 1x5x125 (I have never done this exercise before so we started really light to work on form. I really like this one and look forward to moving up in weight)
One legged Deadlifts (cable machine) 1x10 each side
Swiss ball leg curls 1x15 (similar to what I do with a Power Wheel at home)

We ended the workout with another tough finisher

Five rounds of:

Lateral slides (not sure what this exercise is called but it is basically a lateral skating move done on a slick surface. I will find out and post pics of thus one as well) 45 seconds going as fast as possible followed immediately by
20 close grip pushups

A short break (3 seconds) is taken after each round.

All I can say is I am looking forward to strength training next week!


Monday March 1

Each workout starts off with an extensive warm-up, which is a workout in and of itself. The warm-up involves several sets of jumping jacks, core work such as planks held for time, lateral band work to get the hips fired up, hip stretches, superman stretches, hip rotations etc.

After the warm-up we worked on some running drills as one my goals in addition to the strength goals is to improve sprinting form. These drills are very similar to what Steve Cotter covered on “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Age Of Quarrel” DVD’s. These drills require a lot of coordination and I found them challenging given that I am about as coordinated as a giraffe on roller skates! I started getting the hang of it by the end of the first week. Far from perfect but at least good enough to avoid the chuckles from the high school female swim team that works out at Mark’s place.

After the running drills we moved into the actual workout. Of course, I felt like I already had a workout by the time we started so there is definitely a strong component of mental toughness training with Mark’s approach.

Workout

3 rounds of

Box Squat 1x5
Leg Press 1x10
Box Step-ups 1x15

We kept things fairly light for this week to work on form. With the box squats the weight was at 205 for all three sets of five. The leg press (which Mark only uses during MC workout) was at 400lbs and the box step-ups was just bodyweight.

Not challenging and I was thinking that this was going to be an easy workout until I got to round three. With the rounds you go from one exercise to the next without any rest at all. It does not look like much on paper but by the time I got to the last round the lactic acid build up was immense. I was also fairly fatigued from the warm-up and running drills!

Next we moved on to some upper body pulling drills.

3 rounds of

Barbell Bent-over Row 1x5
One-arm Dumbbell Row 1x10 each side
Inverted rows 3x15

The Barbell Bent-over Row was done with 190lbs. Followed immediately by one-arm dumbbell rows with 80lbs and then followed immediately with bodyweight-inverted rows. Once again it did not look that challenging on paper but by the time I got to the last round my lats and biceps were on fire.

Last but not least was a finisher to end the workout. We used a machine that looks like a standing bike. I will find out the name of it and post some pics. You hold on to two bars in front of you and then pedal back with your legs. We did very fast reps of 15 reps each side followed by a 10 second break. We did five rounds total.

Mark showed me some band stretches to do at the end of the workout to stretch out the legs thoroughly. This was a welcomed way to end the workout.

2/11

JM Work

Morning workout

12 100 yard sprints

Evening Workout

A-1: Glute-ham raise 3x10 (light push at the bottom of each rep)

A-2: Double KB Front Squat 1x5x70s, 1x5x80s, 1x6x88s, 1x4x88s

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x180, 1x5x190, 1x6x200lbs

Standing Power Wheel Roll-out 3x10



2/9

JM work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Evening workout

Double Kb Swing 5x10 (70s to above head level)
Thick Bar Military press 1x5x130, 1x5x140, 1x7x155

One-arm KB Windmill 1x7x88, 1x9x88, 1x8x97lb bell (each side)

KB Crucifix 3x10 (35lb bells)
Triceps Band Pushdowns 1x12, 1x10, 1x11 (green jump stretch band)


2/8

JM work

Morning workout

11 100 yard sprints with my dog Grover

Evening workout

A-1: Thick Bar Deadlift 3x5x200lbs

A-2: Glute-ham Raise 3x10 (slight push at the bottom)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x5x365, 1x3x425, 1x4x460lbs

Alternating Renegade Row 2x5, 1x10 each side (97s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (3 yellow cables)








2/6

JM Work

Workout

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10x70, 1x10x80, 1x10x88 each side
KB Side Press 2x6, 1x10 each side (88)
Glute-ham raise 3x11 (push at the bottom)

2/5

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

One legged squats 3x10 each side



2-4-10

JM Work

morning workout

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Evening workout

A-1: Glute-ham raise 3x11 (push at the bottom)

A-2: Double Kb Front Squat 1x5x70s, 1x5x80s, 1x6x88s

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x160, 1x5x180, 3x5x200

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (3 yellow cables)



2-2-10

JM Work

Morning workout

11 100 yard sprints

Evening workout

Double KB Swing (above head level) 5x10 (70s)

Thick Bar Military Press 1x5x130, 1x3x150, 1x5x160

One-arm KB Windmill 2x6, 1x10 each side (88)

KB Crucifix 2x10, 1x12 (35s)

Resistance Band Pushdowns (green jumpstretch) 2x10, 1x12


2-1-10

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Evening workout

A-1: Thick Bar Deadlift 3x5 (205lbs)

A-2: Glute Ham raise 3x10 (push at the bottom)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x3x355, 1x3x415, 1x3x455

Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s)

Thick Bar Curl 1x6x100, 1x6x110

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (3 yellow bands)





1-29-10

JM Work

Morning workout

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Evening Workout

One-arm KB Snatch 1x10, 1x12, 1x15 each side (70lb bell)
KB Side Press 3x5 each side (88lb bell)
Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 3x6

1-28-10

JM Work

Morning workout

15 50 yard sprints

Evening workout

A-1: Glute Ham raise 3x10 (push at the bottom)

A-2: Double KB Front Squat 1x5x70s, 1x5x80s, 1x5x88s

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 5x5 (3 yellow bands)

 

1-26-10

JM Work

Morning Workout

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Later afternoon workout

Double KB Swing 5x10 (70s to head level)

Thick Bar Military Press 1x120x3, 1x135x3, 1x155x6

One-arm KB Windmill 3x5 each side (88lb bell)

Thick Bar Bent Over Row 1x5x155, 1x3x185, 1x3x205

KB Crucifix 2x10, 1x12 (35lb bells) (this is basically a vertical dumbbell fly)

Band Triceps Pushdown 3x10



1-25-10

Joint mobility work (First thing in the morning I pick 8 bodyweight moves and three Indian clubs exercises. 15-30 reps each exercise depending on what needs work)

Morning workout

10 100 yard sprints

Late Afternoon Workout

Workout

A-1: Thick Bar Deadlift 3x5 (220lbs)

A-2: Glute-ham Raise 3x10 (push at the bottom)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x5x325, 1x5x375, 1x9x420

Thick Bar Curls 3x8x100lbs

Exercise Breaks (sets done through out the day)

Sternum Pull-ups 5x7


1-20-10

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Workout

Thick Bar Military Press 1x5x110, 1x5x130, 1x7x145

One-arm KB Windmill 2x10, 1x12 each side (80lb bell)

Double Kb Swing 5x5 (80s)

Kb Crucifix hold 5x15 second holds (35lb bells)

1-19-10

Workout

A-1: Glute Ham raise 3x10 (bounce at the bottom)

A-2: Double Kb Front Squat 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 (80s)

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x150, 1x5x170, 3x5x190

1-15-10

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs).

Yesterday

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Thick Bar Deadlifts 3x5 (200lbs)

A-2: Glute-Ham raise 3x9 (push at the bottom)

trap bar deadlift 1x5x350, 1x5x395, 1x5x440 (getting into a nice groove with these and strength is coming along nicely)

1-13-10

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Swing 2x5x70s, 1x5x80s, 5x6x88s
One legged KB Deadlift 3x5 each side (80s)

One-arm KB Windmill 2x9, 1x10 each side (80lb bell)

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 5x6

1-12-10

JM Work

10 100 yard incline sprints

Workout

A-1: Glute Ham raise 3x9 (bounce at the bottom)

A-2: Double Kb Front Squat 1x10, 2x7 (80s)

Thick Bar Bent-over Row 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 1x5x200lbs

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 5x7 (80s)

1-9-10

Yesterday

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Clean 5x7 (88s)

A-1: One-legged Squat 3x6 each side
A-2: Glute-ham Raise 3x8 (push at the bottom)

1-6-10

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Thick Bar Deadlift 3x5 (180lbs)

A-2: Glute-ham raises 3x8 (push at the bottom of each rep)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x3x325, 1x3x370, 1x5x420

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x7

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (3 yellow cables)

1-5-10

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Double KB Front Squat 1x8, 2x7
A-2: Glute Ham raises (push at the bottom) 3x8

Thick Bar Bent-over Rows 5x5 (180lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x6 (80s)

1-4-10

JM Work

12 50 yard sprints

Workout

Double KB Swing 5x5 (88s)
One-legged Squat 3x5 each side
One-arm KB Windmill 3x7 each side (80lb bell)

Crucifix hold 3x30 second holds (25lb clubbells)

1-2-10

JM Work

Workout

Trapbar Deadlift 1x5x305, 1x5x350, 1x5x395

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 5x5
One-legged Box Squats 5x5 each side (35lb kettlebell front squat style)

Today

Exercise Breaks

Thick Bar Military Press 5x4 (160lbs)

---

 

2009 

9/23

JM Work

Workout

Clubbell Work

Clubbell Work

Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25s)
Double Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25s)
Double arm-pit cast 3x10 each side (25s)

Farbar barbell bent over row 1x3x190lbs, 3x3x230lbs

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 2x7x405, 1x5x405
Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Exercise Breaks

Wide Grip Pull-ups 5x6
TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow, 1 blue cord)


9/22

JM Work

2 mile Weight Vest Walk (100bs)

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x8 (97s)

Alternating Renegade Row 5x5 (97s, feet close together and minimal rotation on each pull)


9/21

JM Work

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 4x7(88s)


9/18

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

Clubbell Work

Alternating Shield Cast 3x12 each side (25s)
Double Shoulder Cast 3x12 (25s)
Double arm-pit cast 3x12 each side (25s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x3x405
Janda Sit-ups 3x5

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow, 1 blue)

9/17

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x8 (97s)
Close grip Fatbar Bent Over Row 3x5 (170lbs)
Hanging Leg raises 3x10



9/16

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95s)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x6 (88s)

9/15

JM Work

Workout

Clubbells

Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25s)
Double Shoulder Cast 3x12 (25s)
Alternating arm-pit cast 3x12 each side (25s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x6x405

9/14

JM Work
2 mile weight vest walk 95lbs

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x7 (97s)
Alternating Renegade Row 3x10 each side (97s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow one blue cord)


9/13

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x6 (88s)



9/9

JM Work

2 Mile Weight Vest Walk (95lbs)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow 1 blue cord)



9/8

JM Work

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x5x40lb clubs

A-2: Fatbar Bent-over Barbell Row 3x6 (220lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x4x405

Janda Sit-ups 3x20

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 4x6 (88)


9/7

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x15 (green jumpstretch band)

Hanging Leg raises 1x15, 1x12, 1x10

Double KB Swing 7x6 (97s. Had to stop at 7 sets as I have a blister that is about to tear)

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 4x10
TNT Cable Military Press 4x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)


9/4

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral raise 3x12 (35s)

A-2: Fatbar Barbell Bent Over Row 1x5x210s, 2x3x220s

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x6x405, 2x5x405


9/3

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x15 (green jump stretch)

A-2: Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

Double Kb Swing 10x6 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow 1 blue)



9/1

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral raise 3x10 (35s)

A-2: Fatbar barbell Row 3x6 (210lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x5x405

Janda Sit-ups 3x15

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 2x10
TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow, 1 blue cord)



8/31

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 10x1 minute sets
Double KB Swing 10x5 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x5 (88s)




8/28

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

Hanging Leg Raise 3x12

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x8 (35lbs bells)

A-2: Fatbar Barbell Bent Over Row 1x4, 1x5, 1x4 (210lbs)

trapbar deadlift 2x3x315, 3x5x395lbs

Janda Sit-ups 3x15

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 3x5 (88s)





8/26

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 10x1 minute sets

Double Kb Swing 10x5 (97lb bells to chest level)

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 2x8
Double KB Mil Press 5x3 (88s)



8/24

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

A-1: Standing Power Wheel Roll-out 3x10

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x15 (green jumpstretch band)

B-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x6 (35s)

B-2: Fatbar Bent-over Row 3x6 (200lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 3x3x315, 2x5x395, 1x3x395

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow 1 blue cord)

8/23

JM Work

Workout

Battling Ropes Overhand Wave 10x90 second sets

Hanging Leg raise 3x10 (feet touching the bar on every rep)

Double KB Swing 10x10 (70s)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Military Press 6x5 (88s)


8/21

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Going to relax for the rest of today and get a workout in tomorrow


8/20

JM Work

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10
Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (green band)

Fatbar Bent over Row 3x5 (200lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x5x385
Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow, 1 blue)



8/19

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 2x12x70s, 5x5x88s




8/18

JM Work

Workout

Battling Ropes (underhand Wave) 10 one minute sets with 30 second breaks

Double KB Swing 10x6 (97s to chest level and 30 second breaks)

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x7
TNT Cable Mil Press (2 yellow, 1 blue) 5x3


8/17

2 mile weight vest walk (95lbs)

Workout

A-1: Farbar Barbell Bent-over Row 3x10 (170lbs)

A-2: Double CLubbell Lateral Raise 1x12x25s, 2x10x30s

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x5 and 2x3x385

Janda Sit-up 3x12

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s)


8/14

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Battling Rope Overhand Wave 10x1 minute sets

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x4 (88)


8/13

JM Work

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x11
Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x12 (green jumpstretch band)

Clubbell Lateral Raise 1x6x25s, 1x6x30s, 3x6x35s

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x5x375lbs

Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 4x5
TNT Cable Mil Press (1 blue, 2 yellow) 5x3





8/11

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x5 (97s)

Hanging Leg Raise 3x12

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 3x5

Double KB Military Press 5x4 (88s)



8/10

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Workout

Clubbell Work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25s)
Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25s)
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10
Double Lateral raise 3x5 (35s)

Alternating KB renegade Row 3x10 each side (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 2x3, 1x5x375

Janda Sit-up 3x10

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 yellow and 1 blue) 5x3



8/9

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 3x11x70s, 7x4x88s


8/8

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x6
TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow 1 blue cord)


8/7

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 7x3 (88s)

Workout

A-1: Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (green jumpstretch band)

Alternating KB Renegade Row 2x8, 1x10 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x5x365

Janda Sit-up 3x10

Battling Ropes Overhand wave 3x30 second sets

Feeling run down this week. Looking forward to resting up this weeked.




8/5

JM Work

2 mile walk with 90lb vest on

Workout

A-1: Fatbar Barbell Row 3x5 (190lbs)

A-2: Hanging Leg Raises 3x10 (feet touching bar above head)

Double KB Swing 3x5 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

Behind the neck pull-ups 3x5
TNT Cable Mil Press (2 yellow and 1 blue cord) 5x3




8/3

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

A-1 Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x6 (35lb clubs)

A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x3x315, 3x5x365

Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Double KB Mil Press 9x6, 2x5 (70s) (50 second breaks)


7/30

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 3x6

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 1x6x30, 2x6x35

A-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x15 (straight legs to bar overhead)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 3x1x405

Double KB Mil Press 11x10 (53s, some sprint sets and some sets resting in the rack in between each rep. 30 second breaks on first 6 sets and 45 second breaks on last 5)


7/29

JM Work

Weight Vest Walk (90lbs) 2 miles

Workout

One-arm Shield Cast 3x10 each side (20lb hammer)

Sledgehammer Tire Strikes 10x30

Double KB Swing 5x5 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 3x6
TNT Cable Mil Press 3x4 (2 yellow, 1 blue cord)


7/27

JM Work

Weight Vest Walk (90lbs) 2 miles

Exercise Breaks

Sternun Pull-ups 5x6

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll out 3x6 (focus on tension during the roll out phase)

Clubbell Lateral Raise 1x5x25, 1x5x35, 3x3x40

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 3x3x405

Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Double KB Mil Press 9x5, 2x4 (70s, first several sets done in sprint style and last several done with rest in the rack in between each rep)




7/26

JM Work

Workout

One-arm Sledgehammer strikes 3x10 each side (20lb hammer)
Two-arm Sledgehammer strikes 10x30 (20lb hammer)

Double KB Swing 10x5 (97s)



7/22

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Workout

A-1: Hanging Leg Raises 3x12

A-2: Clubbell Lateral raise (above shoulder level) 1x5x25, 1x5x30, 3x5x35

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 1x3x385, 1x3x405

Double KB Mil Press 10x10 (53s and 40 second breaks. Working on pacing and developing structural integrity for pressing. Basically I need to be able to survive for several minutes in order to accomplish my goal of pressing 2 97s for 10 reps. I have the strength now but my foundation breaks down to soon. Thus the specific foundation must be build)


7/21

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Wide Grip Pull-ups 1x12
Sternum medium grip pull-up 1x5

Workout

Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side (20lb sledgehammer from torque athletic)

Sledgehammer strikes 10x30 (hand placement changed every 15 reps) 20lb hammer

A-1: Fatbar Bent-over Row 1x3x170, 4x3x190
A-2: Double KB Mil press 5x5 (70s, working on resting in the rack in between each rep)


7/20

JM Breaks

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 1x12, 2x15 (70s)

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll out 3x6

Double KB Mil Press 1x20, 1x15, 3x10 9x5 (100 reps total with no more than 30 second breaks. Did some sprints sets in which you bang out as many presses as fast as possible. Then I did some sets where I rested in the rack in between each rep for 10 seconds to work on integrity. I am gradually working into timed sets to improve Mil press numbers. I need specific structural integrity to hit the goal I have of 10 reps with 2 97s by October)

Clubbell Lateral Raises 3x10 (25s)

Slow and controlled Sit-ups 3x10

Double KB Swing 15x5 (88)


7/17

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 2x15 (70s)
Wide Grip Pull-ups 2x12

Workout

One-arm Shield Cast 3x10 each side (20lb sledgehammer from torque athletic)
One-arm Strikes Against a tire 5x10 each side

Fatbar Barbell Bent-over Row 5x3 (170lbs, grip was fried from the sledgehammer work)

Double KB Swing 5x5 (97s)


7/16

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 2x12, 3x15 (70s)

Workout

Standing Power Wheel roll Out 3x10
Clubbell lateral raise 1x10x25, 1x10x30, 1x10x35

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x3x365
Janda Sit-ups 3x12

Hanging Leg raise 3x6
Battling ropes underhand wave 3x30 second sets


7/15

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Military Press 3x12 (70s)
Wide Grip Pull-ups 3x10



7/14

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 4x10
Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s competition style bells)

Workout

Sledgehammer Shield Cast 3x10 each side (20lb torque athletic hammer)

Sledgehammer tire Strikes 10x20 (hand placement changed every 10 strikes)

Double KB Swing 10x6 (88s and 30 second breaks)

Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 each side (88s)

 

 

 

7/12

JM work (joint mobility work)

2 mile walk with 90lb weight vest

Exercise Breaks (these are sets done one at a time through out the day to practice form)

Double KB Military Press 4x12 (competition style 70lb bells)
Pull-ups 4x10

7/10

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x9

Workout

Power Wheel Roll Out 3x8
Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (green jump stretch bands)

Clubbell Lateral raise 1x5x25x, 1x5x35s, 3x4x40s

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 2x3x415

Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

Double KB Mil Press 3x5 (88 in left hand and 70 in right: both comp bells) I have 2 70lb comp bells and 1 88lb bell. Love the groove with the comp bells. My other 88 should be here next week. In the meantime, doing imbalanced presses with the heavier bell on my weaker side is good for bringing it up to speed. This is actually harder than pressing with 2 88s) Was also done at the end of a workout for mental toughness training etc

7/8

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x9

Workout

Fatbar Barbell Row 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 3x3x210

Double KB Swing 5x5 (97s)

7/7

JM work

2 mile weight vest walk (90lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x10 (70s, worked on resting in the rack in between each rep and keeping every rep fast and explosive. Used comp bells which I love and will be using a lot more in my training. Have some 88s on the way)

Workout

Power Wheel Roll Out 3x7
Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (green jump stretch band)

CLubbell Lateral Raise 3x6 (35s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 2x3x405 (felt great)

Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Hanging Leg Raise 2x10
Battling Rope Underhand Wave 2x30 seconds.


7/2

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walks (90lbs)

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (jumpstretch green band)
Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 1x6, 1x7, 1x8

Clubbell Lateral raises to above head level 1x5x25, 1x5x30, 3x5x35
Janda Sit-ups 3x10

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x3x385

Hanging Leg Raise 3x10
Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 3x30 second

Exercise Breaks TNT Cable Mil Press 3x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)


6/30

JM Work

Workout

Fat Bar Barbell Bent Over Row 1x5x170, 1x5x190, 3x3x210

KB Chair Press 5x6 (53s. I like this exercise and was inspired by my friend Ken Blackburn to add this one in. I am weak at it which actually has me excited. Once I get good at seated presses my standing presses will go way up. This exercise makes me realize how much my back and legs come into Standing presses. While I do not use the legs like a push press, they provide major stabilization and rooted power for pressing.)

Double KB Suitcase Lunge 2x12x97s

Double KB Swing 3x5x97s


6/29

JM Work

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (jump stretch Green)
Lifeline Power Wheel Standing Roll Out 3x6
Power Wheel Pike 3x10

CLubbell Lateral Raise 3x4 (45s) 2x5 (35s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 3x3x375

Hanging Leg raise 3x5
Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 3x30 seconds

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 3x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)

6/25

JM Work

Workout

Pushups with LL power Pushup 2 (2 red 1 purple band on each side) 2x12, 1x10
One-arm KB Bent over row 3x3 each side (2 79s in one hand)

Suitcase KB Lunge 3x10 each side (97lb bells)
Double KB Swing 5x5 (97s to chest level)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (5x3 2 blue 1 yellow cord)



6/24

JM Work

Workout

Standing Lifeline Power Wheel Roll out 3x6
Power Wheel Leg Curl 3x10

CLubbell Lateral Raise 3x5 (2 40lb clubs: 25lb clubs plus 15lbs each club)
Janda Sit-up 3x10

Trapbar Deadlift 2x5x315, 3x3x365
Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

Double KB Military Press 1x6x88, 2x3x97s (did these at the end of the workout and they felt great. Body weight is 193 which is the lightest I have ever been pressing double 97s)

 

 

 

6/23

Joint mobility Work

Workout

Pushups with Lifeline Power Pushup 2 (2 red and 1 purple band on each side) 3x10
Fatbar Bent-over Row 3x5 (200lbs)

Suitcase KB Lunge 3x10 each side (88s)
Double KB Swing 5x5 (88s to head level)

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 5x5

Today's Nutrition

Breakfast:

Power Shake

2 scoops of vanilla sunwarrior rice protein
1 block of frozen acai (non sweetened)
1/2 cup of mangoes/1/2 cup strawberries
1 scoop of Foundation Formula mult-vitamin
1 tablespoon of Udo's oil
1 teaspoon of cinammon
5 grams of leucine
8oz of almond milk (low carb) 8oz of ginger tea


Pre-workout meal (2 hours before training)

2 homemade protein bars
recipes at:

http://www.mikemahler.com/ articles/proteinbars.html

Post workout shake (1 hour after workout)

Power Shake

2 scoops of vanilla sunwarrior rice protein
1/2 cup of papaya and 1/2 cup of bluberries
1 scoop of Foundation Formula mult-vitamin
1 tablespoon of Udo's oil
1 teaspoon of cinammon
5 grams of leucine
8oz of almond milk (low carb) 8oz of ginger tea

Dinner

Black Beans and Pistachios

Steam the following for 30 minutes

1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 cup of red bell peppers
1 cup of yellow bell peppers
1 cup of broccoli
2 cups of black beans

Spices added: 1/4 teaspoon each of: cumin, oregano, and onion and garlic

After the meal is cooked add 1/4 cup of pistachios. The pistachios and black beans combine well together for complete protein. Finally add 1-2 tablespoons of Udo's Choice Oil to the mix which is an exceptional source of essential fatty acids.

Will probably have some more protein bars later and whatever else I feel like. I have been eating more and am weighing less ;-) Stronger as well so it is all good.

6/22

JM Work

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll-out 3x6

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x8 (35s)

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdown 3x10

Trapbar Deadlift 5x6 (315lbs)

Janda Sit-up 3x10
Hanging Leg raise 3x8 (straight legs, feet touching the bar)

Exercise Breaks

Sternum Pull-ups 5x5
Double KB Mil Press 4x7 (88s)

6/21

JM Work

Sternum Pull-ups 5x7
TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cable)

6/20

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Close-grip Pull-ups 3x7
Double KB Mil Press 3x7 (88s)

6/19

JM Work

2 mile walk with 105lb vest on

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x7
TNT Cable Mil Press 4x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cable)

6/18

JM Work

Workout

Pushups with LL Power Pushup 2 (2 red bands) 3x10

One-arm KB Bent over Row 3x5 each side (2 70s)

Double KB Swing 3x10 (79s to head level)

Double KB Lunge 3x10 each side (79s)

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups

3x7

6/17

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Pull-ups 3x7
Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (88s)

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdown 3x10 (green jumpstretch)
Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 4x5
Janda Sit-up 3x10

Clubbell Work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10 (25s)
Double Lateral raise 1x6, 1x7, 1x8 (35s)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x5 (315lbs) Inner thigh pain is gone and happy to get these back in my routine

Hanging Leg Raise 3x5

6/15

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x15

A-2: Fat bar Bent-over Row 1x5, 2x3 200lbs

Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x5 each side (97s)

B-1: Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 4x30 second sets

B-2: Double KB Swing 4x15 (79s)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (88s)

6/14

JM Work

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x5

Clubbell Lateral raise 3x5 (40lb clubs (25s with 15lb plates added to each one)
Chin-ups 3x6
Alternating KB Hang Clean 3x5 each side (70s)

Fatbar Power Clean 2x3x170lbs, 1x3x200lbs, 4x2x200lbs
Fatbar Snatch Grip Deadlift 5x5 200lbs

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 3x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cable)

6/12

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (88s)

6/11

JM Work

Workout

A-1: One-arm KB Bent-over row 3x4 each side (140lbs: 2 70s in one hand)

A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x6

B-1: Battling Rope Underhand Wave 3x30 second set

B-1: Double KB Swing 1x10, 1x12, 1x15 (79s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 3x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

6/10

JM Work

Workout

LL Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x5
Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x10 (jumpstretch green band)

Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x6 (35s: added 10lb plates to each club)
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x10 each side
Pull-ups 3x5

Fatbar Power Clean 10x3 (190lbs)

6/9

Hindu Squats 10x25 (20 second breaks)

6/8

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Fatbar Bent over row 1x5, 1x6, 1x7 (190lbs)

A-2: Incline Ring Pushups 2x10, 1x30

B-1 Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 3x60 second set

B-2: Double KB Swing 3x10 (80s to face level)

6/7

Joint mobility work

Workout

Clubbell Work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x15 (25s)
Double Lateral raise 3x10 (30s: added 5lb plate to each club)
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10
Chin-ups 3x6

Fatbar Power Clean 10x3 (190lbs)

Double KB Mil Press 2x5, 1x6 (88)


6/4

JM Work

2 mile walk with 106lb vest

Workout

A-1: Incline Power Rings Pushups (steep incline close to mil press) 3x10

A-2: One-arm KB Bent-over row 3x3 each side (140lbs: 2 70lb bells in one hand)

B-1: Battling ropes underhand Waves 6x30 second sets

B-2: Double KB Swing 6x10 (70s)

6/3

JM Work

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdowns 4x12 (green jumpstretch band)
Lifeline USA Power Wheel roll out 3x15

Clubbell Work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x15 (25s)
One-arm Lateral raise 3x10 each side (25)
One-arm Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25)

Chin-ups 6x5 (did these sets in between clubbel sets above)

Farbar Power Clean 9x3, 1x5 (180lbs and one minute breaks)

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 3x5 (88s)


6/1

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (106lbs)

Workout

A-1: Decline Power Ring Pushups 3x20

A-2: Fatbar Bent-over Row 1x5, 1x6, 1x7 (180lbs)

KB Goblet Squat 3x5 (97lb bell) Picked up this one from Dan John's excellent book "Never Let Go" get it at www.davedraper.com

Super set

5 rounds of

Battling Ropes Undehand Wave 3x30 reps as fast as possible
Double KB Swing 3x10 (70s to head level)

one minute breaks in between each round

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s)



5/31

JM Work

Workout

Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x12 (jump stretch green band)

LL Power Wheel Rollout 3x15

Clubbell Work

Double Shoulder Cast 3x12 (25s)
One-arm Shield Cast 3x10 each side (25)
One-arm Pendulum 3x10 each side (25)
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10 (25s)

Fatbar Power Clean 10x3 (180lbs)

Fatbar Military Press 5x3 (170lbs)



5/28

JM Work

2 mile weigt vest walk (106lbs)

Workout

A-1: Power Ring Pushups with 30lb vest on (feet elevated on bosu) 3x20

A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x12 each side (97s)

Fatbar Power Clean 10x3 (170lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88)



5/27

JM Work

Hindu Squats 10x25 Tabata Protocol Style. 25 reps as fast as possible followed by a 30 second beak. Will work down to 10x25 with 10 second breaks and then increase the reps or intensity with Lifeline's Portable Power Jumper http://www.mikemahler.com/ prod_equip/power_pushup_2. html

Workout

Jumpstretch Tricep Pushdown 3x10 (green band)
Power Wheel Rollout 5x10

Clubbell Work (25s)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Double Lateral Raise 3x10
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10
One-arm Shield Cast 3x10 each side

Double KB Swing 5x10 (all reps to head level and 30 second breaks)

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x3 (170lbs)



5/25

JM Work

2 mile 101lb vest walk

Workout

Power Ring Pushups with 10lb vest 3x15
Fatbar Bent-over Row 3x5 (170lbs)

Fatbar Power Clean 10x3 (170lbs)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)




5/24

JM Work

Clubbell Workout (2 25lb clubs)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x12
Alternating Shiedl Cast 3x10
Altenating Arm-pit Cast 3x12 each side

Hand to hand KB Swing 5x10 each side (97)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Military Press 3x5 (88s)


5/22

JM Work

2 mile weight vest walk (101bs)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue and 1 yellow cable)


5/21

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Elevetated Ring Pushups 3x15

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x10 (97s)

Double KB Clean 3x6 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s)




5/19

JM Work

2 mile 101lb weight vest walk

Workout

CLubbell work ( 2 25lb clubs)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x12
Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x15
One-arm Pendulum 3x10 each side

Double Swipes 10x15

5/18

JM Work

10 100 yard incline sprints

Workout

A-1: Jungle Gym Pushup 5x5 (went wide to increase difficulty)

A-2: Fatbar Bent-over Row 5x5 (200lbs)

B-1: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x6

B-2: Double KB Bent over Row 3x5 (97s on outside of feet increase range of motion)

Double KB Swing 10x8 (97s)

Battling Rope Underhand Wave 5x30 secon sets

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)




5/17

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s)


5/15

JM Work

2 mile walk with 101lb vest on

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue one yellow cord)


5/14

Joint mobility work

11 100 yard incline sprints

Workout

A-1: Jungle Gym Pushups 4x10, 1x12 (went wide to increase stability demands and make the exercise harder)

A-2: Alternating KB renegade Row 5x10 each side (97s)

Above is a great combination for a complete upper body workout. Really hits the midsection as well

Double KB Clean 10x5 (97s. Got into a nice grove with these and think I will keep the reps at 5 and keep adding sets to keep working on form)

Exercise Breaks

Farbar Military Press 5x5 (160lbs)





5/12

JM Work

2 mile wak with 101lb vest on

Workout

Clubbell Work (2 25s)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Alternating Shield Cast 1x10, 1x9, 1x7 each side
Double Arm-pit Cast 2x10, 1x15
Double Lateral Raise 3x10

Double Swipes 9x10, 1x20

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 blue and 1 yellow) 5x4


5/11

JM Work

10 100 yard hill sprints

Workout

A-1: Jungle Gym Push-up 5x15

A-2: Fatbar Bent-over Row 2x3, 3x5 (brutal on the grip!)

B-1: Tricep Band Pushdown 5x6

B-2: Double KB Bent over row 5x3 (97s done outside of the feet to increase the range of motion. Big difference in difficulty!)

Double KB Swing 10x7 (97s to chest level)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x4 (88s and nice to have these back in. Taking them out for 2 weeks to focus on TNT Cable Presses and fatbar mil presses made a big difference. I feel strong and fresh on these)





5/10

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (160lbs)


5/8

JM Work

2 mile walk with 96lb vest on

Workout

Jungle Gym Pushups 5x10 (serious stabilizer work!)

Clubbell Work (2 25lb clubs)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x10 each side
Double Lateral raise 3x10
Alternating Shield Cast 3x8 each side

Hand to hand KB swing 4x10 each side (97lb bell)

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 3x5 (150lbs)


5/7

JM Work

10 100 yard Hill Sprints

Workout

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdown 5x10

A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 5x6 (97s and no rotation in order to increase difficulty. Just pulled each bell straight up on each rep)

Double KB Clean 3x7 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue and 1 yellow cable)






5/5

JM Work

2 mile walk with 96lb vest on

Workout

Clubbell work ( 2 25lb clubs)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Double Lateral Raise 3x15
Alternating shield cast 3x8 each side
Double Arm-pit cast 3x10

Hand to hand KB Swing 5x10 each side (97lb bell)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 5x4 (2 blue and 1 yellow cable)



5/4

JM Work

14 50 yard sprints in the morning (which for me is 11am ;-)

Workout

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdowns 5x10

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 5x10 (97s)

Double KB Swing 8x6, 1x8, 1x10 (97s)

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (150lbs)




5/2/

JM Work

2 mile walk with 96lb vest on

Workout

Clubbell Work ( 2 25s)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x8
Alternating Shield Cast 3x8 each side
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x12 each side
Front raise to lateral raise super set 3x8

One-arm KB Swing 3x15 each side (97lb bell)

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 3x30 second sets

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 blue and 1 yellow cable)



4/30

JM Work

13 50 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdown 8x6

A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 8x5 (97s, mimimal rotation to make it harder)

Double KB Clean 5x6 (97s). These felt great on every set.

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (140lbs)

4/28

2 mile walks with 90lb vest on

Workout

Clubbell Work (25lb clubs)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x6
Alternating Shield Cast 3x6 each side
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (140lbs)

One-arm KB Swing 3x12 each side (97lb bell)


4/27

JM Work

13 50 yard sprints

Workout

Double KB Bent-over Row 2x10, 2x6 (97s)
Triceps Band Pushdown 4x10

Double KB Swing 10x5 (97s to chest level)

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 5x30 second sets

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 5x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow band)


4/22

JM Work

12 50 yard sprints (very hot today and not looking forward to the summer)

Workout

Standing Power Wheel Roll out 3x5

Clubbell work (2 25lb clubs)

Double arm pit Cast 3x5
Alternating shield cast 3x5
Double arm-pit cast 3x10
Double Mil Press 3x5

Fatbar curl 3x5 (110lbs)

Hand to hand KB swing 5x20 (97lb bell)

4/21

Joint Mobility Work

2 mile walk with 90lb vest

Workout

A-1: Double KB Mil Press 5x6 (80s)

A-2: Behind the neck pull-up 5x6

Double Kb Swing 5x5 (97lb bells)

Battling Rope Underhand Wave 5x60 second sets

4/20

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints

4/16

JM Work

2 mile walk with 90lb vest.

4/15

JM Work

Sprinting: 12 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks
TNT Cable Mil Press 2 blue, 1 yellow cable 5x3

4/14

JM Work

Workout

Alternating Renegade Row 3x10 each side (97s)

Double KB Clean 3x5 (97s)

4/13 

JM Work

Sprinting: 12 100 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x3 (88s)

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x8 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x3x315, 1x3x335, 1x3x365, 1x3x390, 1x3x405

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 5x30 second sets

4/6-10

Had a terrible stomach flu that derailed training. Could not eat for a few days and basically just slept 12 hours a day. Started feeling better by the end of the week. Being sick definitely makes me value my health and I will make a point of thinking about the stomach flu often so I do not take it for granted.

4/5

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Mil Press 4x5 (88s)
Alternating Renegade Row 5x5 each side (97s)

Double KB Clean 5x5 (97s)

4/3

JM Work

2 mile walk with 90lb weight vest on

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

4/2

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Bent Over Row 2x11, 1x12 (97s)

Double KB Swing 8x5 (97s to chest level)

Standing Power Wheel Rollout 2x12

Battling Ropes Underhand Wave 5x30 seconds

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 7x5 (88)

4/1

JM Work

Weight vest walk (90lbs for 2 miles)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 6x4 (2 blue 1 yellow cable)

March 31

JM Work

Workout

Standing LL Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

Alternating KB Reneade Row 3x12 each side (97s)

Fat Bar Curl 3x6 110lbs

Double KB Swing 5x5 to chest level (97s, these felt great)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x5 (88s)

March 30

JM Work

90lb weight vest 2 mile walk

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Military Press 5x4 (2 blue and 1 yellow band and wider stance to increase resistance)

March 29

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Bent-over Row 4x10, 1x8 (97s) (felt really strong on these)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (390lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Military Press 5x5 (88s)

March 27

Jm Work

15 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue, 1 yellow cable)

March 24

JM Work

Lifeline standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x10

A-1: Fatbar Curl 3x10 (100lbs)

A-2: Tricep Band Pushdown 3x10

Double KB Swing 20x5 (88s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

March 23

JM Work

Weight Vest Walk (84lbs and 2 miles)

A-1: Battling ropes underhand Wave 8x20 seconds

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 8x6 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 8x3 (385lbs)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press (88s) 5x5, 1x6

March 18

JM Work

2 weight vest walk (84lbs) again kept a good pace and will start timing myself so I can work on getting it done in less time.

Workout

LL Power Wheel Roll out from knees 3x15

A-1: Battling Rope Underhand Wave 3x30 seconds (fast reps)

A-2: Fatbar Barbell Curl 3x8 (100lbs)

A-3: Triceps Band Pushdown 3x10

Double KB swing 12x5 (88s)

Battling Rope Overhand wave 5x30 seconds (fast reps)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 blue and 1 yellow cord) 5x4

Today's dinner

2 cups of lentils
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of baby carrots

spices added: garlic, ginger, cumin, oregano

The above was steamed and then added 1/2 cup of pistachios and 1 tablespoon of Udo's Oil to the mix

March 17

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x5 (88s)

March 16

JM Work

Weight vest walk (84lbs) walked 2 miles and picked up the pace

Workout

A-1: Battling Ropes underhand wave 8x60 seconds

A-2: Double Kb Bent over row 8x5 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 8x3 (375lbs)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable 6x3 (2 blue and 1 yellow cord)

March 15

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (88s)

March 14

JM Work

A-1: TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 blue and 1 yellow cord)

A-2: LL Power Wheel Roll out 5x10

Battling Rope Overhand wave 10x30 seconds

Double KB Swing 8x5 (88s)

March 11

4 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x4 (88)

March 10

10 100 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x15 (25s)

A-2: Fatbar Curl 3x6 (105lbs)

A-3: Triceps Band Pushdown 2x8, 1x10

Double KB Swing 6x5 (88s)

Battling Rope Overhand Wave 5x30seconds

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x4 (88s)


March 9

2 mile walk with 84lb vest on

Workout

A-1: Battling Ropes Overhand Wave 5x60reps

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 5x6 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 6x3 (365lbs)

Will probably do some exercise breaks for Mil presses with the 88s later on

March 8

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x4 (88s)

March 4

JM Work

Finally getting better from the viscous cold I have been fighting off this week. Have been sleeping a lot and should be ready to get back in full force next week.

Workout

A-1: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 3x60seconds
A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s)

B-1: Fatbar Barbell Curl 2x7, 1x10 (100lbs)
B-2: Triceps Band Pushdown 2x6, 1x10
B-3: Alternating KB Renegade Row 2x6, 1x8 each side

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 5x3x365. Going to keep the weight around here and increase the volume gradually. I will add a set each workout until I am up to 8x3 and then up the weight. This is a good weight for me to focus more on improving form.


Today's Dinner

On foreman grill

1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup of mushrooms
1 yellow squash

added to steamed:

1 can of garbanzo beans
1 cup of fresh basil
1 cup of baby carrots
1 tomato

added 3 tablespoons of hempseeds on top of the above, one avocado, and a tablespoon of Udo's Choice oil.


March 3

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x3 (88s)

March 2

JM Work

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise (25s) 2x12, 1x15

A-2: Fatbar Curl (100lbs) 2x6, 1x10

A-3: Triceps Band Pushdown 2x5, 1x8

Double KB Swing 5x5 (88s)

Battling Ropes Overhand Wave 3x30

Getting over a bad cold so keeping the volume and intensity low for now.


March 1

JM Work

Double KB Mil Press 8x3 (88s)

Feb 25

JM Work

20 100 yard runs (not sprints) with dog Grover. Decided to do some runs instead today for active recovery from yesterday's high volume explosive double swings and high volume rope and pressing work.

May do some pressing with the 80s later. Will not be doing much training for the rest of the week as I am attending a 3-day hormone optimization course starting tomorrow.


Feb 24

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 10x30 reps

A-2: Double KB Mil Press 10x10 (53s and each rep fast and explosive)

Double KB Swing 10x5 (80s to head level)

Post Workout Shake (hour after training)

2 scoops of sun warrior rice protein (vanilla)
8oz of almond milk (low sugar)
8oz of water
1 cup of frozen mangoes
1 cup of frozen cherries
1 tablespoon of Udo's Oil
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon of mint powder
2 teaspoons of Delgado's Stem Cell Strong


Feb 23

2 mile power walk with 84lb vest. Walked faster than normal. Now that I can survive 4 mile walks with the 84lb vest with no problems the goal is to do 2 mile walks in less time.

Workout

A-1: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 5x30

A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 5x5 (97s)

B-1: Battling Rope Alternating Wave 6x30 seconds

B-2: Trapbar deadlift 6x3 (315lbs for speed work westside style)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press (80s) 5x9

Feb 19

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest on

Workout

A-1: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 10x30 reps (fast)

A-2: Double KB Mil Press 10x10 (53s)

This is an example of controlled fatigue training that I picked up from Ori Hofmekler. I purposely fatigue myself with the ropes before each Mil press set. This not only builds mental toughness but improves KB pressing technique. As fatigue builds I have to use perfect form on each rep and pace myself to get the job done. The last few sets were pretty hard and the very last set was very hard.

Feb 18

JM Work

Went to the local park to run with Grover but it was full of fresh fertilizer. Thus decided to do sprints on the baseball field We did 10 rounds.

No other training today as I am pretty fatigued from yesterday's training and felt the need to relax today to fully restore. My neurotransmitters feel nice and balanced and I am ready to jump back in tomorrow.

Feb 17

4 mile walk wit 84lb vest on! (more mental than anything else and not something I will be doing too often)

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 2x15, 3x10
A-2: Fatbar Curl 3x6x110, 2x6x100lbs
A-3: Triceps Band Pushdown 3x6

Did some very strict lateral raises and curls and on some sets 50% ballistic and 50% strict.

Double KB Swing 15x5 (70s to head level. Working on violent explosive power on each rep. Thus the need for low reps and lots of sets. Really enjoying this as it allows me to really work on form and I am making some big improvements on generating maximum power)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x9 (80s) (I purposely do these in the evening after I am fatigued from all of the other training to work on mental toughness and technique. When you are fatigued you have to fall back on technique and strength rather than just strength.

Feb 16

JM Work

15 50 yard sprints

Workout

A-1: Battling rope alternating Wave 3x30 seconds

A-2: Double Kb Bent over Row 2x5, 1x6 (97s)

A-3: Alternating KB renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s)

trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 1x3x405, 2x3x430

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x9 (80s)

Feb 13

JM Work

Morning Workout

15 50 yard sprints

Evening workout

A-1: Fatbar Curl 5x5 110lbs

A-2: Triceps band pushdown 5x6

A-3: Battling Ropes alternating wave 5x30

Double KB swing 12x5 (70s to head level)

Feb 12

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest on

Workout

A-1: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x5 (97s)

A-2: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 3x30reps

B-1: Alternating Renegade Row 3x5 each side (97s)

B-2: Battling Rope Overhand Wave 3x30reps

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365 3x3x425

LL power Wheel Roll out 4x10, 1x15

In addition to post workout shake (hour after workout out as more effective than immediately after working out) had

2 cups of quinoa cooked in almond milk. added 1/4 cup of pecans and some udo's oil. Great stuff

Feb 10

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest on

Workout

Double KB Mil Press 10x10 (53s and 30 second breaks in between each set. Worked on the stacked rack, speed reps, structural integrity)

A-1: Farbar Barbell Curl 3x5 (100lbs)

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdown 3x6

Battling Rope Overhand Waves 10x30reps

Feb 9

JM Work

Morning workout

15 50 yard sprints

Afternoon workout

Battling Rope Underhand wave (2 minute set to warm-up)

Double Kb Bent over Row, 1x6, 1x7, 1x8, 1x9, 1x5, 1x6 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 2x3x315, 1x3x365, 3x3x420lbs

Battling Rope Underand wave 10x40reps

Will do some KB or TNT pressing during commercial breaks while watching 24 in a few hours.

Feb 8

Jm Work

4 mile walk with 84lb vest on (this is what happens when you walk without saving anything for getting home, ha ha)

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x8 (80s)

Feb 4

JM Work

10 200 yard runs

Workout

Double KB Bent over Row 5x5 (97s)
Double KB Swing 5x5 (88s)

Battling Ropes (overhand wave) 20 sets of 30 reps as fast as possible

Feb 2

JM Work

15 40 yard sprints (these are a welcome change from the 100 yard sprints!)

Feb 1,

JM Work

3 mile walk with 84lb vest (added a mile with lots of hills! great workout)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x8 (80s and working on pacing and resting in the rack in between each rep. In other words no panic mode in which you try to get the set over as fast as possible! Sound familiar ;-) ?

January 30

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 3x5 (2 blue and 1 yellow cord)

Workout

Battling Ropes overhand wave 1 minute

A-1 Fatbar Curl 3x10 (90lbs)

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdowns (wrapped over pull-up bar twice to increase resistance) 3x10

Double KB Swing 3x8 (88s)

January 29

JM work

15 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press (80s 6x7

Workout

Battling Ropes underhand wave (4 minute set)

Trapbar deadlift 5x3 (415lbs)

Battling Ropes underhand wave again (4 minute set)

January 28

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

6x5 TNT cable Mil press (2 blue, 1 yellow)

January 27

JM Work

11 200 yard runs

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 8x7 (80s)

Workout

LL Power Wheel Roll outs from knees 5x10

A-1: Fatbar Barbell Curl 2x15, 1x12 (80lbs)

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdowns 3x15

Above combination really helps with my left elbow which was injured a while back from a muay thai lesson.

Double KB Swing 5x7 (88s)

January 26

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x5 (2 blue 1 yellow cord and close stance)

Workout

Double KB Bent over Row 5x7 (last 2 reps of last set done in rest pause fashion) (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 410lbs

January 25

JM Work

11 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x7 (80s)

January 24

JM Work

1 mile walk with 84lb vest

January 23

JM Work

Exercise Break

Double KB Mil Press 5x6 (80s)

Workout

Double KB Swing 5x6 (88s)

Fatbar Curls 3x12 (80lbs)
Triceps Band Pushdown 3x12

Double Clubbell Swipes 2x25 (25lb clubs)

January 22

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 6x6 (80s)

Workout

Fatbar Bent over Row 5x3 (200lbs)
Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (405lbs)

January 21

11 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

January 20

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb Vest on

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Military Press 3x5 (150lbs)

Workout

A-1: Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (150lbs)

A-2: Double KB Swing 5x5 (88s)

January 19

Morning workout

11 200 yard sprints

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 8x6 (80s)

Workout

Double KB Bent-over Row 5x6 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (400lbs)

January 15

Morning workout

10 200 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 blue, 1 yellow) 8x3

Workout

Fatbar Bent-over Row 5x10 (140lbs)
Triceps Band Pushdown 5x10

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (395lbs)

January 14

JM Work

10 200 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 10x5 (80s)

January 8, 2009

JM Work

Morning workout

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

Workout

One-arm KB Push Press 1x65 each side (53lb bell, 8:20 set)

A-1: One-arm Bent-over Row 6x3 (2 70s in each hand)

A-2: Triceps Band Pushdown 6x6 (wrapped over pull-up bar twice to increase the resistance)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (390lbs)

January 6, 2009

JM Work

2 mile walk with 84lb vest on

Exercise Breaks TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue 1 yellow cord)

Workout

A-1: Clubbell Lateral Raise 5x15

A-2: Triceps Pushdown 5x10

Double KB Swing 10x9 (80s to chest level)

January 5, 2009

JM Work

16 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 10x7 (70s)

Workout

A-1; Double Kb bent over row 8x5 (97s)

A-2: Power Pushup 2 Pushups 8x5 (2 red cords)

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (385lbs)

January 3, 2009

Joint Mobility Work (10 minutes)

2 mile walk with 84lb vest

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cord)

Morning Power Shake

2 scoops of Sun Warrior Rice Protein
2 scoops of Dr Delgado Stem Cell Strong
2 scoops of Dr Delgado Slimblend (fruit veggie superfood)
2 tablespoon of flaxseed oil
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
8oz of almond milk (low sugar)
8oz of water
2 servings of frozen raspberries


Lunch

Baby Spinach Salad with 1/4 cup of pecans and an apple
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 Ezekial English Muffin with 2 tablespoons of Almond butter

Late afternoon power shake

Morning Power Shake

2 scoops of Sun Warrior Rice Protein vanilla
2 scoops of Dr Delgado Stem Cell Strong
2 scoops of Dr Delgado Slimblend (fruit veggie superfood)
2 tablespoon of flaxseed oil
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
8oz of almond milk (low sugar)
8oz of water
2 servings of frozen blueberries

Dinner

two cups of garbanzo beans mixed with tomatoes, cauliflower, baby spinach, carrots, mushrooms, and marinara sauce. Steamed and then topped off with basil, garlic powder, 4 tablespoons of hemp seeds, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Dessert: 2 pieces of extra dark chocolate.

January 1 Training

Joint mobility work in the morning (10 minutes to loosen up)

2 Mile walk with 84lb vest on. I walk my dogs every morning so this is a convenient way to add some intensity to stuff I am already doing.

Exercise Breaks (every hour or so through out the day)

TNT Cable Military Press (2 blue cables, and 1 yellow. For those that lift kettlebell this is the equivalent of pressing 2 88lb bells in terms of difficulty) 8x3 with a medium stance. The wider the stance with cables the greater the resistance. Band pressing is great for increasing one gear strength as the resistance goes up the closer you get to lockout. This carries over very well to KB pressing. You can learn more about the TNT Cable at: http://www.mikemahler.com/ prod_equip/tnt_cable.html

Workout

Clubbell Lateral raises 5x12 (25lb clubs. Isolation work to increase shoulder stability for pressing)

One-arm KB Bent over Row 5x3 each side ( 2 70s in one hand)

Double KB Swing 10x8 (80s and I swing bells on the outside of my feet to head level)

January 2 Training

JM Work

15 100 yard sprints with my dog Grover. Started wearing five finger shoes that are awesome for running on grass. Definitely not great for running on pavement so beware. You can learn more about these shoes at: http://www.rockcreek.com/v ibram/?ref=tl_rc_g

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Military Press 8x6 (70s. Keeping it light and working on form)


Workout

Double KB Push Press 1x20 (53s and 2 minute set. Gradually working on some timed sets and this is also a great warm up)

A-1: Triceps Band Pushdown 7x10 (generally do not do much isolation work but increasing triceps strength is essential for pressing. Not necessary for beginners but necessary when you have been training for many years)

A-2: Double KB Ben-over Row 7x5 (97s)

I do A-1 and A-2 back to back. In other words, I do one set of A-1, rest 30 seconds and then do a set of A-2. I keep going back and forth until all of the sets are done.

Trapbar Deadlift 5x3 (380lbs) Every time I use the same weight for all three sets, I add five pounds. So at the next workout I will go up to 385.


Sample Daily Nutrition plan

Generally do not eat anything for 2 hours after getting up. I am not hungry in the morning and do not want to force feed myself. After my morning workout I have a power shake that generally consists of:

3 scoops of Sunwarrior Rice Protein Powder (vanilla) (45grams of protein)
1 tablespoon of flaxseed powder
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon powder (great for keeping insulin sensitivity up which is crucial for hormone optimization)
2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil
10 grams of the amino acid Leucine (a critical amino acid for muscle growth and protein synthesis)
8oz of almond milk (low carb low sugar)
10oz of water
1 bag of frozen strawberries (equal to two servings)

This above equals 3-4 glasses and I sip on one glass at a time though out the day.

Two hours before training I will have

a baby spinach salad with 1/4 cup of pecans, a tomato, and a tablespoon of olive oil. I usually still have a glass or two left of the morning power shake and have that at this time as well.

After training I have another power shake (generally a half hour after working out)

Dinner (this is my main meal)

I take a page from my friend Ori Hofmekler (author of the warrior diet and anti-estrogenic diet) and make dinner my main meal. A sample dinner is a combination of:

yellow squash, baby spinach, baby carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, mushrooms, 2 cans of lentils, 4 tablespoons of hempseeds, a cup of seeds of change marinara sauce and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I steam cook all of the veggies and lentils and then add in the hempseeds and olive oil when the meal is done. This meal has around 60 grams of protein and is a good balance of carbs, protein, and fat. If I am still hungry I eat more of the above.

for desert I really like Coconut ice cream which is great stuff. I have this whenever I feel like it which is not often as I am not much of a sugar person. All of the frozen fruits I have with shakes are more than enough for me.

If I am still hungry after dinner I eat almonds, pistachios, apples etc. Whatever I feel like.

 

2008 training log 

 

September 18, 2008

JM work

Workout

Fatbar Power Clean (170lbs) 1x10, 1x13, 1x20 used the pause rep method. Took three deep breaths in between each rep. Last set was brutal!

Tricep band Pushdown 3x10

Double KB OH Sit-up on bosu 1x8, 1x5, 1x9 (2 35lb bells)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 blue 1 yeloow band) 5x4

September 17, 2008 

took a saliva test last month to see where my hormones are at and am very happy with the results

Testosterone 181.7 pg/ml reference range is 30-142pg/ml
DHEA 618.5 pg/ml reference range 72-500 pg/ml

DHEA is usually on the low end of normal for me. I have tried taking DHEA supplementation in the past but it never worked for me. An alternative practitioner friend recommend A Magnesium cream called Dr Healy's Bignenics Magnesium lotion. You can read more about it at http://www.springvalleyherbs.com/catalo ... temID=2872

Clearly it worked for me as my DHEA levels are way past the high end after one month os use. As a result DHT and estone were bumped up. Estrone is at the high end of normal and DHT is way up. I think I can reduce conversion of DHEA into DHT and estrone by taking less of the magnesium cream.

My estradiol (strongest form of estrogen) is at 3.2 pg/ml and the reference range is 1-12pg/ml.

Thus is is on the low end which is not surprising as I have not had any sudden urges to watch sex in the city and I appear to be more muscular with lower bodyfat. I will have to get a bodyfat test to confirm this of course.

I have been doing a lot more reserach on hormomes lately and I think the most important hormones to keep in optimal zones are Insulin and Cortisol. Everything else will fall into place if those two hormones in line. If cortisol goes way up DHEA and T will decline rapidly. If Insulin goes way up growth hormone will decline as well as T.

People that just focus on optimizing T and lowering estrogen are missing the boat. It is the communication between all of the hormones that is necessary. Just enhancing one or two is not going to cut it.

Keeping Insulin sensitive is very important and high levels of Insulin will always increase bodyfat and mess up other hormones. Thus, have a balance of protein, fat, carbs at every meal. for some 20% carbs works great others will do better at 40% or so. Make sure fat is at least 30% and protein at 30% or more.

September 16, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

One-arm KB Snatch 2x10 each side (97lb bell) Did these sets in the pause rep format. Really like this rep scheme and form got better with each rep. Would have done a third set but I have a callous that was about to tear so I left it at two sets.

Renegade Row 3x10 each side (105lb bell)

One-legged Calf raise 3x15 each side (105lb bell)

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x4 (88s)

September 14, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Trapbar Deadlift 355x5, 365x5, 380x5 (did not do use the pause rep format with deep breathing but did reset at the start of each rep to avoid momentum from the touch and go rep style. Thus each rep was pretty close to a first rep)

Fatbar Skull Crusher (120lbs) 1x5, 1x7, 1x10

Double KB Clean (88s) (pause rep format) 3x7

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x7

September 12, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

One-arm KB Snatch 1x5, 1x6, 1x7 each side (97lb bell). Use the pause method and it went like this. 1 rep l,r and then park the weight and take 3 deep breaths then proceed to the next rep. In some ways this makes the set harder as every rep is a what Louie Simmons would call a "first rep." However, it is certanly less harsh on the hands and a great way to avoid tears. I am going to move up to the 105lb bell next week.

Fatbar Bent-over Row (200lbs) 1x5, 1x6, 1x7 Used the pause rep method as well. One rep, three deep breaths and then on to the next rep. Will go up to 210 next week.

Standing Calf Raise 2x20, 1x40 (105lbs). Used pushup board to increase range of motion.

September 10, 2008

JM Work

Workout

Fatbar Power Clean 1x10x155, 1x12x155, 1x20x155 (used the pause method in which you park the weight after each rep and take three or more deep breaths and then continue).

Tricep Band Pushdown 3x10

Sissy Squat 3x15 (just bodyweight and working on really feeling it in the quads)

Double lockout Sit-up (35lb kettlebells) On Bosu 2x15, 1x8 (lock out two bells and do a sit-up on a bosu ball. Decreased the leverage advantage on the last set to make it harder).

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Mil Press 5x5 (155lbs)

September 9, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

One-arm Kb Tricep Press 3x10 r, 2x10 l, 1x8 l (105lb bell) (tricep is kept close to the body and pressed up in a straight line to keep the emphasis on the tricep)

Alternating Renegade Row 3x10 each side (97s)

Sissy Squat with 40lb weight vest 2x12, 1x15

Deep Breathing Double KB Clean 3x10 (80s) I have been reading some Peary Radar work recently and really like his work on deep breathing squats, deep breathing deadlifts, and deep breathing clean and jerks. I wrote an article recently on this for t-nation which should be up soon.

The deep breathing double kb clean works like this: do 1 clean, park the bells and then stand up without the bells and take thee deep breaths, do another rep park the bells and repeat with the breathing. As fatigue builds up take more breaths as needed. I used a moderate weight this time to get used to this pattern. What I liked about it is my form got better with each rep rather than the other way around. I think this is a great method for beginners and advanced trainees that want to work up to heavier weights and keep the rep volume up. Of course it will likely work well for low rep heavy sets similar to rest pause training.

I am going to try this method with barbell clean and jerks this week and perhaps a few other exercises such as trap bar deadlifts.

September 7, 2008 

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x9 (80s)

September 6, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Trapbar Deadlift 5x10 (315lbs)
Tricep Band Pushdown 5x10
Hanging Leg raise 5x10

September 5, 2008 

JM Work

Fatbar Power Clean 5x10 (140lbs)
Fatbar Skull Crusher 4x10, 1x12 (100lbs)
Clubbell Lateral Raises 4x10, 1x12 (25s)
Power Wheel Roll out 5x12

Exercise breaks

Close grip fatbar Military Press 5x5 (150lbs)

September 4, 2008 

Power Pushup 2 pushups 1x12, 4x10 (2 red bands)
Alternating Renegade Row 5x10 each side (97lb bells)
Calf raise 5x12 (105lbs, deep stretch on each rep at the bottom and top)
hand to hand KB Swing 5x12 each side

September 3, 2008 

JM Work

Tricep Band Pushdowns 5x15
Trapbar Deadlift 5x15 (225lbs)
Sledgehammer Strikes 3x15 each side (16lb hammer)
Kettlebell lockout Sit-up on body ball 5x15 (2 18lb bells)

September 2, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

One-arm Floor Press (97lb bell) 2x15 l,r 2x10 l,r 1x6 l,r
Fatbar Bent over Row 5x15 (170lbs)
One-legged Calf Raise 5x15 each side (105lbs)
Double KB Swing 5x15 (70s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 6x4 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

September 1, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Trapbar Deadlift 3x8, 1x10 (315lbs)
Tricep Band Pushdowns 4x10
Hanging Leg Raise 4x12
Double Clubbell Swipes 4x15 (25s)

Sunday

Exercise Breaks

Double Kb Mil Press 6x8 (80s)

August 29, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Double Clubbell Swipes 3x25 (25lb clubs)

Fatbar Skull Crusher 3x12, 1x10 (100lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 4x5 (315lbs)

Powerwheel roll out 4x12

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x7 (80s)

August 28, 2008 

JM Work

Lifeline Power Pushup 2 Pushups 2x12, 2x10 (2 red bands)

Fatbar Barbell Bent over Row 4x10 (170lbs)

On legged calf raise on pushup board 4x12 (105lbs) each side

One-arm Clubbell Clean to order 4x10 each side (45lb club)

Exercise breaks

Fatbar Military Press 5x5 (145lbs)

August 26, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Sledgehammer Strikes 2x35, 1x20 each side (16lb hammer)

Tricep Band Pushdown 3x15

Trapbar deadlift 1x15, 2x11 (255lbs)

Janda Sit-up 3x15

August 25, 2008 

JM work

Workout

One-arm KB Floor Press 2x15, 1x11 each side (97lb bell)

One-arm KB Bent-over Row 3x15 each side (80lb bell)

Standing Calf raise on pushup bar 3x15 (200lbs)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow cable)

August 23, 2008 

JM Work

Weighted Dip 3x8 (105lbs)

Fatbar Bent-over Row 2x8, 1x10 (170lbs)

Calf Raise 3x12 (200lbs) (pushboard for full range of motion)

TNT Cable Alternating Curl 3x10 each side

August 21, 2008 

JM Work

Exercise breaks: Double KB Mil Press (80s) 4x6

Sledgehammer Strikes 3x25 each side (16lb hammer)

Fatbar Skull crushers 3x12 (100lbs)

Trapbar Deadlift 3x15 (225lbs)

Power Wheel Roll out 3x12

August 20, 2008 

JM Work

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 6x3 (2 blue 1 yellow cable)

Fatbar Military Press 3x12 (120lbs)

Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x10 each side (80s)

Standing Calf Raise on Pushup Bar 3x15 (105lbs)

Fatbar Curl 3x10 (80lbs)

August 19, 2008 

JM Work

Exercise Breaks TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue 1 yellow)

Workout

Sledgehammer Strikes 3x20 each side (16lb hammer)

Tricep Band Pushdowns 3x15

Hindu Squat with Fatbar (80lbs) 3x15

Reverse Sit-up 3x15

August 18, 2008 

JM work

Exercise Breaks

Fatbar Mili Press 5x5 (140lbs)

Workout

Fatbar Floor Press 1x15x170lbs, 1x15x190lbs, 1x11x210lbs

Double KB Bent Over Row 1x15x80s, 1x13x80s, 1x9x80s

Calf Raise on tire for full range of motion (40lb vest) 2x15, 1x30

Double KB Clean 3x15 (70s)

August 14, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Fatbar Skull Crushers 5x10

Trapbar Deadlift 10x3 (315lbs and 30 second breaks)

Fatbar Front Raises 5x5

Fatbar Side Bends 3x10 each side

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 8x5 (80s)

August 13, 2008 

Fatbar Close grip Military Press 3x5 (150lbs)

Sternum Chin-ups 3x5

Double KB Swing 5x5 (80s)

August 12, 2008 

JM work

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 8x3 (2 blue, 1 yellow)

August 11, 2008 

fatbar barbell arrived from Ader today. Very high quality bar and brutal fun.

Fatbar Mil Press 5x5 (140lbs)

Fatbar Bent-over Row 5x5 (170lbs)

Tricep Band Pushdown 3x15

Fatbar Curl 3x10 (80lb bar)

Hindu Squat 1x100

August 9, 2008 

Thursday

JM Work

TNT Cable Mil Press (8x2 2 blue for speed work)

Barbell Skull Crusher 3x6 (105lbs)

Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s)

Clubbell Lateral raise 3x12 (25s)

August 8, 2008 

JM work

Double KB Front Squat 6x3 (80s)

Stiff Legged Trap bar deadlift 5x5 (225)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (working on tension and lowering with the lats)

August 6, 2008 

JM Work

Trap Bar Deadlift 1x3x225, 1x3x315, 3x3x425

Double KB Swing 5x6x70s (outside the legs to head level)

Hindu Squat 1x100

August 5, 2008 

JM Work

Double KB Mil Press 2x3x70s, 1x3x80s, 1x4x88s. Felt weak with the 88s today so stopped at one set. I do not think I have receoved fully from the heavy singles with the double 97s on Sat. Anyway, I am going to take the KB mil press out of my workouts for a few weeks and focus on other overhead exercises (westside's Conjugate training)

On speed day I am going to do the TNT Cable Mil press for 10x3 and on maximum strength day do barbell mil presses with a new thick (2 inch) barbell that I should have this week.

Behind the neck pull-up 3x5

A-1: Band Tricep Pushdowns 3x12

A-2: barbell Curl 3x10 (105lbs)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x20 (20lbs dumbbells)

bent over rear delt raises 3x10 (20lb dumbbells)

August 3, 2008 

JM work

Double KB Mil Press 1x3x70s, 1x3x80s, 2x1x88s, 2x1x97s

Double Kb Front Squat 8x3 (70s)

Romanian Trapbar Deadlift 10x5 (225lbs)

Hindu Squat 1x50

August 1, 2008 

JM Work

Barbell Mil Press 10x3 (155lbs)

A-1: Double KB Tricep Skull Crushers 4x5 (53s)

A-2: Double KB Bent over Row 4x5 (1 97, 1 105)

Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x10 (25lb clubs)

Barbell Curl 3x6 (105lbs)

July 29, 2008 

JM Work

Double KB Mil Press 4x4, 1x2 (88s)

One-arm KB Bent over Row 5x3 each side (70 and 80 in one hand)

A-1: Barbell Curl 1x85lbsx5,1x95lbsx5, 1x105lbsx5

A-2: Band Tricep Pushdown 3x6 (wrapped around top of chin bar to decresase length and thus increase resistance)

Dumbbell Iron Cross 3x10

Alternating Clubbell Shield Cast 1x10 (25lb club)

Tomorrow lower body focus and ab work

July 26, 2008 

JM Work

Speed Work

Barbell Mil Press 8x3 (145lbs)

Trapbar deadlift 8x3 (225lbs)

band tricep pushdowns 3x10

Clubbell Lateral Raise 3x5 (30lbs) (added 5lb plates to 25lb clubs)

Clubbell Shoulder Cast 3x10

July 25, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 4x3 (140lbs)

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 4x4 (202lbs (97lb bell and 105lb bell)

Trapbar Deadlift 1x3x315, 5x3x405lbs

July 22, 2008

Joint Mobility work 

Barbell Close Grip Mil Press 5x6 (135lbs presses from nose level to lockout to focus on the triceps. 45 second breaks)

Behind the neck pull-up 5x5

Double Seated KB Mil press 1x12 (53s)
Double Kb Mil Press 1x15 (53s)

Iron Cross 3x10 (20lb dumbbells)

One-arm KB Snatch 1x8, 1x9, 1x10 l,r (97lb bell)

Hot as hell here in vegas!

July 21, 2008 

Double KB Mil Press 5x3 (88s)
One-arm KB Bent over row 5x3 each side (1 88 and 1 53)

Trap Bar Deadlift 1x315x3, 1x335x3, 1x355x3 3x3x375 (really enjoying the trap bar deadlifts)

July 19, 2008 

JM Work 

Barbell Mil Press 8x3 (135lbs and 45 seond breaks) Speed day westside style

Clubbell work (25s)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x10
Lateral Raise 3x10
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10

One-arm Kb Snatch 3x6 each side (97lb bell)

Hindu Squat 1x100

July 18, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Bent-over Row 2x9, 1x5 (97s)

Trapbar Deadlifts 5x5 (315lbs) Really like this exercise and will be working on this one for a while. Feels much better than a barbell. More emphasis on the legs and less on the back

Power Wheel Standing Roll out 3x5

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x8 (80s)

July 16, 2008 

JM Work

Double KB Jerk 10x10 (53s)

Clubbell Work (25s)

Double Shoulder Cast 3x8
Lateral Raise 2x12, 1x10

Double KB Clean 5x5 (80s)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 blue 1 yellow)
Behind the Neck Pull-up 5x5

July 15, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x5 (130lbs)

A-2: One-arm KB Bent-over Row 3x4 each side (123lbs (70 and 53lb bell)

Romanian Deadlift 3x3 (315lbs)

Kb Side Bend 3x5 each side (97lb bell)

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 3x8, 3x7 (80s)

July 10, 2008 

JM Work

Double KB Bent-over Row 3x8 (97s)

One-arm Snatch 1x6 (88) 3x5 (97)

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x7 (80s)

July 9, 2008 

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 4x7 (80s)

Today

JM work

Double KB Jerk 2x20 (53s fast reps)
Hindu Squat with 40lb vest 4x25

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil press 5x4

July 8, 2008 

JM Work

Clubbell Work (2 25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x12
Double Shoulder Cast 3x5 (full extension held on each rep)
Lateral Raise 2x12
Double Pendulum 3x6 each side
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x10 each side

Double KB Swing 5x5x88s to chest level

July 1, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x5 (120lbs)

A-2: Barbell Bent over Row 3x5 (225lbs)

Barbell Deadlift 3x3 (390lbs)

Janda Sit-up 3x10

One-arm Clubbell Clean 5x5 each side (45lb club)

June 29, 2008 

JM Work

Clubbell Work (25s)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x10 each side
Double Shoulder Cast 3x0
Double Pendulum 3x5
Iron Cross 3x5
Lateral Raise 2x8
Alternaitng arm-pit cast 3x10 each side

Double Kb Swing 1x5x53, 1x5x80, 6x5x97s

Janda Sit-up 1x15

June 27, 2008 

JM Work

Barbell Power Clean 5x3 (200lbs)

A-1: Double KB Floor Press 3x10 (97lb bells) These felt great and very easy

A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x6 (97lb bells)

Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x5

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 blue and 1 yellow cable)

June 25, 2008 

JM Work

Clubbell work (2 25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x8 each side
Double Shoulder Cast 3x8
Double Pendulum 3x5
Lateral Raise 3x10
Front Raise 3x10
Double Shoulder Cast 3x10

Double KB Swing 5x5 (97lb bell)
Hindu Squat 1x50 (40lb vest)

June 23, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x5 (115lbs)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x6 (200lbs and underhand grip)

Barbell Deadlift 5x3 (375lbs)

Janda Sit-up 4x10

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x6 (80s)

June 20, 2008 

June 17, 2008 

JM Work before working out

Workout

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x5 (110lbs)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row (underhand grip) 3x6 (195lbs)

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (370lbs. Much better than last week!)

Janda Sit-up 10x6

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x5 (80s)

June 9, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x6 (105lb bell)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x6 (190lbs palms facing me)

Barbell Deadlift 8x3 (365lbs)

Janda Sit-up 8x5

Going to do some TNT Cable pressing later (2 blue and 1 yellow cord) 5x3
and behind the neck pull-ups 5x6

June 6, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Super set done EDT style (15 minutes)

Dumbbell Lateral raise 20lb dumbbells sets of 10
Iron Woody Tricep pushdown sets of 10
TNT Cable Curl (1 blue, 1 yellow cable) sets of 10

8 sets total were completed

Double KB Swing 10x6 (88s)

Power Wheel Roll out off of Bosu 5x12

June 5, 2008 

Jm Work

Workout

Barbell Power Clean 5x5 (190lbs)

A-1: One-arm KB Floor Press 3x6 (105)

A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s and no rotation to make it harder)

Janda Sit-up 5x12

June 3, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Super set

Lateral Raises 7x10 (20lb dumbbells)
Tricep pushdown (band) 7x10
TNT Cable Curl 7x8

then

Double KB Swing 10x8 (80s)

LL Power Wheel Roll out 5x12

June 2, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x5 (105lbs)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x6 (185lbs and underhand grip)

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (360lbs)

Janda Sit-up 10x5

May 30, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x5 (88lb bells)

Power Wheel Roll out from knees on a bosu 5x12

May 29, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

Barbell Power Clean 5x5 (185lbs) Form is getting much better and more use of legs this week and less upper body the way it should be

A-1: One-arm KB Floor Press 3x12 each side (97lb bell) Made sure the bell handle was in the lower part of the hand and pressed in a straight line

A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 1x7, 1x8, 1x10 each side

Janda Sit-up 3x12

May 27, 2008 

JM Work

Double KB Swing 10x6 (80s to chest level)

Power Wheel Roll Out from knees 5x10

May 26, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dip 3x6 (97lbs)

A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x3 225lbs

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 355lbs

Janda Sit-up 5x10

May 22, 2008 

May 14, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Barbell Power Clean 5x5 (175lbs)

One-arm KB Mil Press 5x6 each side (53lb bell)

One-arm KB Snatch 10x10 each side (53)

May 11, 2008 

Took most of last week off after attending the AKC cert. It was a great time and I learned a lot of cool stuff from Valery, Cate, Marty and Andrew. I will be working on the KB pressing technique  that valery showed me with light bells for a while to get the groove down.

Yesterday

JM Work including Hindu Pushups on the pushup board Steve M gave me this past weekend at his BW seminar which was excellent.

One-arm Band Press with LL chest expander 3x10 each side

Double KB Bent over Row 3x5 (97s)

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (345lbs)

Janda Sit-ups 5x5

Today

JM work
added some chest expander drills to this

Workout

One-arm KB Mil press 5x5 each side (53)

Clubbell work

Alternating Shield Cast 3x8
Double Shoulder Cast 3x6
Double Pendulum 3x5
Double Arm pit Cast 3x10

Double KB Swing 5x5 (79s)

May 3, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Double KB Swing 10x7 (80s)
Hanging Leg Raise 5x6

Exercise breaks

Double KB Mil Press 6x3 (80s)

May 1, 2008 

JM Work

A-1: Weighted Dips 3x5 (70lb bell)

A-2: Double KB Bent over Row 3x8 (88s)

Deadlift 5x5 (340lbs)

Hanging Leg Raise 3x12

April 30, 2008 

JM Work

Barbell Power Clean 5x5 (160lbs)

Sledgehammer Strikes 4x25 (16lb hammer) each side for a total of 200 reps

Exercise breaks to be done later: presses and pull-ups

April 29, 2008 

JM Work

Clubbell work (2 25s)

Clubbell Mil Press 3x5 (pause at the top of each rep)
Alternating Shield Cast 3x5
Dips 3x10
Double shoulder cast 3x5 (hold on each rep at extension)
Double Pendulum 3x6
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10

Double KB Swing 10x6 (80s)

April 28, 2008 

April 4, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

One-arm KB Push Press 3x6 r, 2x6 l and 1x4 l (105lb bell)
One-arm KB Mil Press 3x1 r only (105lb bell)

Renegade Row 3x5 each side (105 and 97lb bell)

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (325lbs)

Pushup With Power Pushup 2 2x10
Double KB Swing (53s) 2x12

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow, 1 blue)
Sternum Pull-up 3x5

January 4, 2008

December was a very busy month business wise and with the promotion of the new DVD set it was busier than normal. Great month and 2007 was a great year. Looking forward to making 2008 better.

Just been doing GTG with KB mil presses/TNT cable presses and barbell deadlifts for the last few weeks. Today I started doing some jerks and snatches with some 53lb AKC bells that I purchased from Ken Blackburn a few weeks ago.

GTG

• Double KB Mil presses 5x5 (70s)
• Barbell Deadlift 330lbs 5x3

Workout

• Double Jerks 3x10 (53s and 45 second breaks)
• One-arm Snatch 3x10 each side (53 and 45 second breaks)

Easy workout and just working on the techniques that I picked up from Steve C's on the Boys Are Back in Town DVD.

Going to work on jerks and snatches at least 5 times per week and ramp up the reps and sets gradually. Right now I am just getting used to the AKC bells and new techniques. Down the road I will try some timed sets.

January 8, 2008 

• GTG
• Double KB Mil Press 5x5
• Barbell Deadlift 5x3 330lbs
• 100 yard sprints 20 rounds (great workout with my dogs this morning or in my case afternoon when I wake up)
• Double jerk 1x15 (53s)
• One-arm Snatch 1x30 each side (53)

January 9, 2008

Morning

• JM work

GTG

• TNT Mil Press (2 yellows and one purple) 5x5
• Barbell Deadlift 5x3 330lbs

January 10, 2008

This morning

• JM work and 10 100 yard sprints

GTG

• Double Kb Mil Press (70s) 6x5
• Barbell Deadlift (330lbs) 6x3

January 13, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

GTG

TNT Cable Military Press (2 yellow cables and 1 purple) 5x5
Barbell Deadlift 5x3 335lbs

January 15, 2008 

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints
more JM work 1x10 reverse pushups

GTG

TNT Cable Mil Press ( 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 purple cable) 5x3
Barbell Deadlift 5x3 (340lbs)

January 16, 2008 

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints
more JM work
Reverse Pushup 1x10

GTG

Double Kb Mil Press 7x5
Barbell Deadlift 7x3 (340lbs)

January 17, 2008 

Jm work
10 100 yard sprints

GTG

TNT Cable Mil Press (1 purple, 1 yellow, 1 blue)
Barbell Deadlift 5x3 340lbs

January 18, 2008 

JM Work

10 100 yard sprints

GTG

Double KB Mil Press 7x5 (70s)
Barbell Bent over Row 5x3 (340lbs)

January 22, 2008 

Jm work
10 100 yard sprints

GTG

TNT Cable Mil Press (1 purple, 1 yellow, 1 blue) 8x4
Barbell Deadlift 8x3 345lbs

January 23, 2008 

January 31, 2008 

Messed up my ankle last week sprinting. Nothing major and getting ART treatment this week.

Monday:

JM Work
One-arm Snatch 3x10 each side (53lb bell)

GTG

Double KB Mil Press (80s) 6x3
barbell Deadlift 350lbs 5x3

February 7, 2008 

Ankle is much better this week. I got a new enzyme product called Sorenzyme by Labrada Nutrition and took 15 caps a day since Friday. Noticed the ankle felt much better the next day and is almost back to normal now.

JM work in the morning

50 Hindu Pushups
Cossack 30 reps each side
Back Bend 30 reps
Egyptian 15 reps each side
Hula Hoop 15 reps each side
Neck work from several angles 15 reps each move
Circular Sit-up 15 reps
Reverse Sit-ups 15 reps
Hang off pull-up bar 30 seconds

GTG

TNT Cable Mil Press 6x3 (2 blue bands and 1 purple band)
Sternum Pull-up 6x5
Barbell Deadlift 3x3 (350lbs, these felt great)

February 12, 2008 

February 15, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

10 round of 30 reps on Sledgehammer work.

Exercises breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x4 (2 blue 1 purple)
Pull-up 2x6

February 16, 2008 

JM work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints with my dog Grover. As usual he won and only I was tired afterwards.

Exercise breaks

LL TNT Cable (2 blue 1 purple) 6x4
Sternum Pull-ups 6x6
Barbell Deadlift 5x3 (355lbs)

February 19, 2008 

JM work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 6x5 (2 blue 1 purple)
Double Kb Bent over row 5x5 (88s)
Barbell Deadlift 3x3 360lbs

February 20, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

Sledgehammer work 12x15 each side (16lb hammer)
CLubbell Swipes 1x15 (25lb clubs)

February 21, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Early afternoon workout

Hindu pushups (feet elevated) 2x15
CLubbell Swipes 7x15 (25lb clubs)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 blue and 1 purple cable, medium stance) 6x3
Barbell Deadlift 5x3 (360lbs)

February 22, 2008 

JM work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

Double KB Mil Press 5x3 (80s)
Sternum Pull-up 5x5

February 24, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

Sledgehammer Work 16lb hammer and 10x15 each side

February 25, 2008 

February 26, 2008 

JM work in the morning

Early afternoon training

One-arm KB Snatch 5x5 each side (88lb bell)

Exercise breaks

TNT cable Mil press (2 blue and 1 purple) 5x3
Barbell Deadlift 365lbs 3x3

February 27, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 2 yellow, 1 blue 5x3
Renegade Row 105lb bells 5x5 each side

February 29, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Double Clubbell Swipes 10x15 (25lb clubs and 30 second breaks between sets)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press (2 yellow and 1 blue cable) 5x3

March 1, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow and 1 blue cable)
Barbell Deadlift 3x3 (365lbs)

March 3, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Sledgehammer workout 10x40 (16lb hammer)

March 5, 2008 

Yesterday

JM Work in the morning

10 100 yard sprints

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3 (2 yellow and 1 blue band)
Sternum Pull-ups 5x5

March 10, 2008 

Did a KB Workshop on Sat. Went well and I had it filmed to make into a new DVD.

Wiped out yesterday but feeling pretty good today:

JM Work in the morning

Clubbell Work (25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x6 each side
Double Shoulder Cast 3x6
Double Pendulum 3x6
Double Arm-pit cast 3x10

Double Swipes 1x50

March 11, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Elevated Hindu Pushup 1x30
Bent Press 2x5 each side (105lb bell)
One-arm Bent-over Row 2x5 each side (105lb bell)
Two-arm Swing 2x10 (105lb bell)

March 14, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Clubbell Work (25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x8 each side
Double Shoulder Cast 3x8
Double Pendulum 3x6
Double Clean and Arm-pit cast 3x10

Sledgehammer strikes 3x25 each side (16lb hammer)

Exercise Breaks

TNT Cable (2 yellow and 1 blue) 6x3

March 15, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

Double Clubbell Mil Press 3x5 (25lb clubs)
One-arm Clubbell Clean 3x5 each side (45lb club)
Double Shoulder Cast 3x5
Alternating Shoulder Cast 3x5
Double Pendulum 3x5
Alternating Arm-pit Cast 3x10

Double Swipes 6x25 and 1x20

March 17, 2008 

JM Work In The Morning

Afternoon Workout

KB Side Press 3x4 each side (105lb bell)
Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 each side (88s)

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 315lbs (reps done as fast as possible and 45 second breaks between sets)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x5 (2 yellow and 1 blue)
Sternum Pull-up 5x5

March 18, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Workout

Double Clubbell Mil Press 3x5 (25lb clubs)
Alternating Shoulder Cast 3x5
Double Pendulum 3x5
Double Shoulder Cast 3x5
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10

Sledgehammer Strikes 5x25 each side (16lb hammer)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3
Sternum Pull-up 5x5

March 19, 2008 

JM work in the morning

Workout

Side Press (105lb KB) 3x4 each side
Alternaitng Renegade Row 4x5 each side (97 and 105 switched with each set)
Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (315lbs)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 5x3
Sternum Pull-up 5x5

March 20, 2008 

JM Work in the morning

Clubbell Work (25lb clubs)

Alternating Shield Cast 3x6 each side
Double Shoulder Cast 3x6
Double Pendulum 3x6
Alternating Arm-pit cast 3x10 each side

Double Swipes 1x75

March 22, 2008 

JM work in the morning

Workout

One-arm Kickstart Press (105lb KB) 3x5 each side (Not a strict mil press or a full push press. Just a little momentum to get the bell moving)
Double Bent-over row 2x5 (97 and 105)
Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (315lbs)

KB Jump Squats 3x15 (53s)

Exercise breaks

TNT Cable Mil Press 3x3

March 25, 2008 

Saturday

JM Work

Clubbell work (2 25s)

Clubbell Mil Press 3x5
Alternating Shield Cast 3x6 each side
Double shoulder cast 3x5
One-arm Clean 3x5 each side (45lb club)
Double Arm-pit Cast 3x10

Double KB Swing 6x5 (70s)

March 26, 2008 

March 28, 2008 

JM Work

Workout

Pushups with Power Pushup (2 red cables) 3x8
Double KB Bent over row 3x8 (88s)

barbell deadlift 10x3 (320lbs)

Double KB Jump Squats 3x15 (70s)

March 29, 2008 

JM Work

Clubbell work (2 25s)

Clubbell Mil Press 3x6
One-arm Clean 3x6 each side (45lb club and no swing)
Alternating Shield Cast 3x6 each side
Double shoulder cast 3x5
Pendulum 3x6 (45lb club)
Arm Pit Cast 3x12 (45lb club)

Sledgehammer Strikes 10x10 each side (16lb hammer)

Double KB Swing 3x10 (53s outside of the feet)

April 1, 2008 

JM Work

Afternoon workout

One-arm KB Push Press 3x5 each side (105lb bell)
Renegade Row 3x5 Each side (105 and 97lb bell)

Pushups with LL Power Pushup 2 3x8

Barbell Deadlift 10x3 (325lbs)

Double KB Swing to head level 2x10 (53s outside the feet)

April 2, 2008 

Clubbell work (2 25s)

Clubbell Mil Press 3x6
One-arm Clean 3x8 each side (45 with a swing)
Shield cast 3x10 with 16lb Sledgehammer
Double shoulder cast 3x6
Double Pendulum 3x5
Double Arm Pit Cast 3x10


Double KB Swing 10x5 (70s outside of the feet to head level. I love this version of the double swing. Much more comfortable than swinging between the feet. I am able to get much more leg power) 

 

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2007 Goals

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• Clean and Mil Press 105s

• Double Push press 97s 10 times
• Double Clean And Press 70s 30 times (Hit 19 reps on May 27, 06)
• Pull-up with 105lb bell

• Weighted Dips with 200lbs of resistance

• Double Swing 97s 20 times

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2007 Training

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December 14, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Behind Neck Press 3x5 110lbs
• A-2: Behind Neck Pull-up 3x5
• Barbell Clean 1x5x135, 1x5x155, 1x5x175
• Hindu Squat 1x50

December 13, 3007

• A-1: Alternating Hang Clean and Mil Press 3x4 each side (70s)
• A-2:Alternating renegade Row 3x7 each side (70s)
• Windmill 3x5 each side (70)
• B-1: Double Swing to face level 3x7 (70s)
• B-2: Kickstand Lunge 3x7 each side (88s)

December 9, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 3x5 (135lbs)
• A-2: Chin-up 3x6
• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 (315)
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

December 8, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Relaxed Mil Press 3x3 (70s)
• A-2: Double Bent over Row 3x5 (88s)
• B-1: Double Swing to face level 3x6 (70s)
• B-2: Kickstand Lunge 3x6 each side (88s)
• Windmill 3x5 each side (70)

December 6, 2007

• A-1: Behind The Neck press 3x6 (110lbs)
• A-2: Behind the neck pull-up 3x6
• One-arm Snatch 1x10 each side (70)
• Hindu Squat with focus on deep breathing 1x100
• Hindu Pushup with focus on deep breathing 1x25

December 5, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Hang Clean and Mil Press 3x3 (70s)
• A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 (70s)
• Windmill 3x5 each side (70)
• B-1: Double Swing to face level 3x5 (70s)
• B-2: Kickstand Lunge 3x5 each side (70s)

November 27, 2007

• A-1: behind the neck press 5x5 100lbs (Barbell snatch at the beginning of each set)
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 3x5, 1x4, 1x3
• Hindu Squat 100 reps
• Hindu Pushup 25 reps

November 24, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 355
• Hindu Squat 1x60

November 23, 2007 

• A-1: behind the neck press 8x3 125lbs (Barbell snatch before each rep)
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 8x3
• One-arm Snatch 1x18 each side (70) (paused in the lockout position on each rep)

November 20, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 350lbs
• One-arm KB Jerk 2x6 right, 1x6, 1x4 left (105)
• Hindu Squat 50 reps (emphasized keeping my back upright to ensure the focus is on the quads)

November 19, 2007 

• A-1: behind the neck press 8x3 120lbs ( I do a barbell snatch at the beginning of each set to get the barbell in place overhead to lower behind the head)
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 5x4, 2x5, 1x4
• One-arm Snatch 1x17 each side (70) (paused in the lockout position on each rep)

Waited too long after my pre-workout meal to train. Usually when I work out 2 hours after the meal, my energy and workouts are great. Today I worked out 4 hours after the meal which was way too long. Regardless, a good workout and I will make sure to time the pre-workout meal better as I will need it for deadlifts.

November 18, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 345lbs
• One-arm KB Jerk 2x5 each side (105)
• Hindu Squat 50 reps (emphasized keeping my back upright to ensure the focus is on the quads)

November 15, 2007 

• A-1: behind the neck press 8x3 115lbs ( I do a barbell snatch at the beginning of each set to get the barbell in place overhead to lower behind the head. I really like this exercise and my shoulders have never felt better)
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 5x4, 3x5
• One-arm Snatch 1x16 each side (70) (paused in the lockout position on each rep)

November 13, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 340lbs
• One-arm Jerk 1x10 each side (97) (right side felt great, last rep was as easy as the first. Left side was much better but anything beyond 10 reps with have been with poor form)
• Hindu Squat 50 reps (emphasized keeping my back upright to ensure the focus is on the quads)

November 12, 2007 

• A-1: barbell behind the neck press 8x3 110lbs
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 7x4, 1x5
• One-arm Snatch 1x15 each side (70) (paused in the lockout position on each rep and worked on relaxing as much as possible. Starting to come along slowly but surely. I am used to doing snatch sets as fast as possible to get it over with as quickly as possible).

November 10, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 335lbs
• One-arm Jerk 2x9 each side (97)
• One-arm Snatch 1x13 each side (70lb bell)
• Hindu Squat 50 reps

November 9, 2007 

• A-1: barbell behind the neck press 8x3 105lbs
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 8x4
• One-arm Snatch 1x12 each side (70)

November 8, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 330lbs
• One-arm Snatch 3x10 each side (70lb bell)
• Hindu Squat 100 reps

November 6, 2007 

• A-1: barbell behind the neck press 8x3 100lbs
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 8x4
• One-arm KB Jerk 3x8 each side (97lb bell)

November 3, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 325lbs
• Hindu Squat 100 reps in 2 minutes

November 1, 2007 

• A-1: barbell behind the neck press 8x3 95lbs
• A-2: behind the neck pull-up 8x3
• One-arm KB Jerk 3x7 each side (97lb bell)

October 30, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 320lbs
• Hindu Squat 100 reps in 2 minutes

October 28, 2007 

• A-1: Behind the Neck Barbell Press 8x3 (90lbs)
• A-2: Wide Grip Behind the Neck Pull-up 8x3
• One-arm KB Jerk 3x6 each side (97lb bell. held in the rack and overhead for a few seconds on each rep)

October 26, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 315lbs
• Hindu Squat 100 reps

October 25, 2007 

• A-1: Behind the Neck Barbell Press 8x3 (85lbs)
• A-2: Wide Grip Behind the Neck Pull-up 8x3
• One-arm KB Jerk 3x5 each side (97lb bell. held in the rack and overhead for a few seconds on each rep)

October 8, 2007 

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 375lbs
• Double Kb Swing 3x6 (88s)
• LL Standing Ab wheel roll out 2x6

October 5, 2007 

• A-1: Double Mil Press (79s) 2x2 and 6x3
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 2x3, 6x4
• B-1: Weighted Dip 2x6 (88lb bell)
• B-2: Double KB Bent over Row 2x7 (97s)

October 4, 2007

• A-1: Double Mil Press (79s) 2x2 and 6x3
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 2x3, 6x4

• B-1: Weighted Dip 2x6 (88lb bell)
• B-2: Double KB Bent over Row 2x7 (97s)

October 2, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 365 7x3, 1x5
• Double KB Clean 3x6 (88s)
• Hanging Leg Raise 2x10

October 1, 2007

• A-1; Double Mil Press (79s) 3x2 and 5x3
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x3, 5x4

• B-1: Weighted Dip 3x8 (79lb bell)
• B-2: Double KB Bent over Row 3x6 (97s)

September 28, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 (355lbs)
• Double KB Clean 3x6 (88s)

September 27, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Military Press 4x2, 4x3 (79s)
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 4x3, 4x4

• B-1: weighted Dips 3x6 (62lb bell)
• B-2: KB Bent over row 3x6 (97s)

September 25, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 (345lbs)
• Double KB Swing 3x8 (88s)

September 24, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Military Press 5x2, 3x3 (79s)
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 5x3, 3x4

• B-1: weighted Dips 1x8, 1x6, 1x4 (62lb bell)
• B-2: KB Bent over row 1x8, 1x6, 1x4 (97s)

September 23, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 7x3, 1x5 335lbs
• Double Swing 3x10 (97s)

September 22, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Military Press 6x2, 2x3 (79s)
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 6x3, 2x4

• B-1: Dips 3x20
• B-2: KB Bent over row 3x10 (79s)

September 20, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 325lbs
• Double Swing 3x8 (79s)

September 19, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Military Press 7x2, 1x3 (79s)
• A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 7x4, 1x5 (97s)

• B-1: Pull-up 3x8
• B-2: Dips 3x10

September 12, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Front Squat 7x4 (79s)
• A-2: Double KB Swing 7x4 (88s)

• Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x5

September 11, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Military Press 8x2 (79s)
• A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 8x3 (97s)

• B-1: Pull-up 3x8
• B-2: Dips 3x10

September 8, 2007

• Barbell Deadlift 8x3 (315)
• Two-arm KB Swing 3x10 (97)

September 7, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 8x3 (155)
• A-2: Pull-up 8x3

• B-1: Chin-up 3x8
• B-2: Dips 3x8

September 5, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Front Squat 8x3 (79s)
• A-2: Double KB Swing 8x3 (88s)

• Barbell Deadlift 3x8 (225)
• Standing Power Wheel Roll Out 3x5

September 4, 2007

Got back from a great vacation in Napa Valley and started the Hepburn workout yesterday:

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 8x3 (70s)
• A-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 8x3 (88s)

• B-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x8 (62s)
• B-2: Double KB Bent-over Row 3x8 (70s)

Going to do a barbell version of the above on Thursday. Today is a legs focused day.

August 23, 2007

GTG

• Double KB Mil Press (79s) 3x4

Workout

• Two-arm KB Snatch Pull (97) 2x5

• A-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 375
• A-2: LL Standing Ab Wheel Roll Out 3x5

• Two-arm Swing 3x10 (97)

August 20, 2007

Did GTG on presses Friday-Sat-Sun at 6x4 with the 70s

• no pressing today

GTG

• Sternum pull-up 3x6

Workout

• two-arm KB swing 3x5 to above head level (97)

• A-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 (370lbs)
• A-2: LL standing ab wheel roll out 3x5

• Two-arm KB Swing 3x15 (chest level) (97)

August 16, 2007

GTG

• Double KB Mil Press (79s) 5x3

Workout

• Two-arm Swing 3x5 (97)

• A-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 (365lbs)
• A-2: LL Ab wheel roll out 3x5

• Two-arm Swing 3x12 (97)
• Bosu Sit-up 1x25

August 14, 2007

GTG

• Double KB Mil Press (79s) 6x3

Workout

• Two-arm Swing 3x5 (97)

• A-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 (360lbs)
• A-2: LL Ab wheel roll out 3x6

• Pull-up 1x10
• Hindu Squat 1x50
• Two-arm Swing 1x10 (97)

August 15, 2007

GTG

• Double KB Mil press (79s) 6x3

Workout

• Heavy bag work 10 3-minute rounds with one minute breaks.

August 9, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x3 (79s)
• A-2: Sternum chin-up 3x5

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 355lbs
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

• Two-arm Swing 3x10 (97)

August 8, 2007

• One-arm KB Jerk 3x10 l,r (97)
• One-arm Snatch 1x10 l,r 70
• Hindu Squat 100 reps

August 7, 2007

• A-1: Double Mil Press (5 second lockout holds on each rep) 3x5 (70s)
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x6

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 350lbs
• B-2: LL standing ab wheel roll out 3x5

• Two-arm Swing 3x10 (70)

July 31, 2007

Took last week off from training and it was nice to jump back in today:

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 135lbs 1x13, 1x11, 1x7
• A-2: Double KB Bent over Row 3x15 (70s)

• Double KB Swing 3x15 (70s)
• Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

July 19, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 3x5 165lbs
• A-2: One-arm Barbell Bent-over Row 3x3 l,r 165lbs

• B-1: Double Swing to chest level 1x6, 1x8, 1x10 80lb bells
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

• Hindu Squat 1x50

July 17, 2007

• A-1: Double Clean and Mil Press 2x7, 1x6
• A-2: Wide Grip Pull-up 3x7

• B-1: Barbell Deadift 3x6 325lbs
• B-2: LL ab wheel roll out 3x6

July 13, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (80s)
• A-2: Weight Vest Chin-up 3x4

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 2x8, 1x10 315lbs
• B-2: LL Ab wheel roll out 3x8

July 11, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 3x6 160lbs
• A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x6 l,r (97s)

• B-1: Double KB Swing 97s 3x6
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

• Bosu Squat 1x30

July 10, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Clean and Press 3x6 (80s)
• A-2: Wide Grip Sternum Pull-up 3x6

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x7 315lbs
• B-2: LL power wheel roll out 3x7

July 6, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 3x6 155lbs
• A-2: Close grip sternum Chin-up 3x6

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x6 315lbs
• B-2: Lifeline Power Wheel Roll out 3x8

• Bosu sit-up to squat 1x25

July 3, 2007

GTG

• Double Kb Mil Press (80s) 5x5

Workout

• A-1: Pull-up 2x8
• A-2: Barbell Bent over Row 2x5 (225lbs)

• Barbell Deadlift 3x5 (315lbs)
• Bosu Sit-up to squat 1x50

June 29, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press (80s) 1x6, 2x5
• A-2: Double KB Bent over Row 3x6 (97s)

• Barbell Deadlift 3x3 400lbs (still out of the groove and not as strong as last week. Going to lower the weight next week and add more volume and frequency to work on form)

• Hanging Leg Raise 3x10
• One-arm Snatch 1x12 l,r (97lb bell)

June 26, 2007

Did not eat enough yesterday or today and training was off as a result. Decided to hold off on deadlifts and do it on Wednesday instead:

• A-1: One-arm KB Mil Press 3x5 each side (88)
• A-2: Pull-up 3x7

• B-1: Double KB Clean 3x7 (97s)
• B-2: LL power wheel roll out 3x7

June 22, 2007

• A-1: One-arm KB Military Press 3x5 R and 3x1 L
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x6

• One-arm Snatch 3x5 l,r (97lb bell)
• Bosu Sit-up 1x50

June 20, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Military Press 3x5 155lbs
• A-2: One-arm Barbell Bent-over Row 3x3 l,r 155lbs

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 2x6 400lbs (felt good and this is all the weight I have right now. Rather than purchase more plates I am going to work up to 2x10 over the next several weeks and then ramp up the weight)
• B-2: Lifeline Power Wheel Roll out 2x10

June 15, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Behind the next press 3x5 135lbs
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x5

• Barbell Snatch 3x5 135lbs (fun exercise and form starting getting pretty good by the third set. Going to work on this one for a while)
• Bosu Squat with 40lb vest 1x40
• Sit-up with 40lb vest 1x30

June 14, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Behind the next press 3x5 135lbs
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x5

• Barbell Snatch 3x5 135lbs (fun exercise and form starting getting pretty good by the third set. Going to work on this one for a while)

• Bosu Squat with 40lb vest 1x40

• Sit-up with 40lb vest 1x30

June 12, 2007

Brief but solid workout today:

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x5 (80s)
• A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x6 each side (97s)

• One-arm Snatch 3x10 each side (80)

June 11, 2007

Pretty good workout today:

• A-1: One-arm KB Mil Press
  R: 1x7, 1x6
  L: 1x2, 1x3
• A-2: Weight Vest Chin-up 2x5

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 2x5 400lbs
• B-2: Lifeline Ab wheel roll out 2x6

• Bosu Squat 1x75
• Bosu Sit-up 1x75

June 5, 2007

• One-arm KB Push Press 3x6 each side (105)

• Sternum pull-up 2x5

• Double KB Swing 3x5 (88s)

• Bosu Squat 1x50

• Bosu Sit-up 1x50

June 4, 2007

• A-1: One-arm Kb Mil Press
  R 3x6 97lb bell
  L 3x6 88lb bell
• A-2: Wide Grip Pull-up (40lb vest) 3x3

• B-1: barbell deadlift 3x3 (400lbs)
• B-2: LL ab wheel roll out 3x6

• Bosu Squat 1x50
• Bosu Sit-up 1x30

June 1, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Close Grip Mil Press 2x5, 1x5 170lbs
• A-2: X-vest chin-up (40lbs) 2x5, 1x5

• Double KB Clean 3x6 (97s)

• Xvest Hindu Squat 1x50 (40lbs)

• Bosu Sit-up 1x30

May 31, 2007

• One-arm KB Push press 3x5 l,r (105lb bell)

• Barbell Medium pull 3x5 225lbs

• Hindu Squat with X-vest 1x60 (40lbs)

• Bosu Sit-up 1x50

May 30, 2007

Getting hot as hell out here in vegas and learned the hard way not leave kettlebells out in the back yard in the sun! Nothing like getting a first degree burn via kettlebells. Okay not that bad but not far from it. I think I will be moving to indoor workouts very soon.

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (80s)
• A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x3 250lbs

Pulling felt good today, pressing was okay.

• B-1: Double Swing 2x7 (97s)
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 2x7

• Hindu Squat with 40lb vest 1x50

• Bosu Sit-up 1x60

May 28, 2007

• A-1: One-arm KB Mil Press
  R 3x5 97lb bell
  L 3x5 88lb bell
• A-2: Weighted Pull-up 2x5, 1x4 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x5 390lbs
• B-2: LL ab wheel roll out 3x6

May 24, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Close grip Mil Press 170lbs 2x4, 1x5
• A-2: Weight Vest Chin-up 2x5, 1x4 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x7 (370lbs)
• B-2: Lifeline USA: Standing Ab wheel roll out 3x7

May 22, 2007

• A-1: Double KB Mil Press 3x6 (80s)
• A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 2x3, 1x4 245lbs

• B-1: Double Kb Swing 3x6 (97s)
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

May 21, 2007

Took last week off and good to be back into it:

• A-1: One-arm KB Mil Press:
  right arm: 97lb bell: 1x3, 1x4, 1x5
  left arm: 88lb bell 1x3, 1x4, 1x5
• A-2: Weight Vest Pull-up 2x4, 1x4 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x6 (370lbs)
• B-2: Lifeline USA: Standing Ab wheel roll out 3x6

May 10, 2007

• A-1: Alternating KB Mil Press 2x7, 1x5 (80s)
• A-2: Barbell Bent-over row 3x5 (235lbs)

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x6 (370lbs)
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

May 7, 2007

• A-1: Medium Grip Barbell Military Press 3x5 165lbs
• A-2: Weighted Pull-up 1x5, 1x4, 1x3

• B-1: Double KB Swing (97s) 2x7, 1x10
• B-2: Standing Power Wheel Rollout 3x10

• Hindu Squat with 40lb vest 1x60

May 4, 2007

• A-1: Close grip Barbell Military Press 3x3 180lbs
• A-2: Weighted Chin-up 3x5 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Double KB Clean (97s) 2x8, 1x10
• B-2: Standing Power Wheel Rollout 3x10

May 2, 2007

• A-1: Alternating KB Military Press 3x6 each side (80s)
• A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 3x6 225lbs

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 3x6 360lbs
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

• Hindu Squat 25 reps

April 30, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Military Press (wide grip) 3x5 160lbs
• A-2: Sternum Pull-up 3x6

• B-1: Double Swing 3x6 (chest level) 97s
• B-2: Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll Out 2x6, 1x10

• Hindu Squat 50 reps

April 27, 2007

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 165lbs (close grip) 1x3, 1x5, 1x6
• A-2: Weighted Pull-up 3x4 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 355lbs 3x6
• B-2: Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll out 3x6

April 24, 2007

• A-1: Alternating Mil Press 3x5 (80s) each side
• A-2: Weighted Chin-up 3x5 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Double Clean 3x6 (97s)
• B-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

April 23, 2007

GTG

• Weighted Pull-up 3x5 (20lb vest)

Workout

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 155 for 3x5
• A-2: Alternating KB Renegade Row 3x6 l,r

• B-1: Barbell Deadlift 335 for 3x6
• B-2: Lifeline USA Power Wheel Roll out 3x6

• Hindu Squat 1x50

April 19, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press (80s) 6x6
• Sternum Pull-up 6x6

Workout

• Barbell Bent-over Row (underhand row) 225 3x3

• Barbell Deadlift 3x6 (315lbs)

• Double Swing 3x5 (80s)

• Hanging Leg Raise 1x10
• Bosu Sit-up 1x30

April 17, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press (80s) 6x6
• Sternum Pull-up 6x6

Workout

• Barbell Bent-over Row 225 3x3

• Barbell Deadlift:
  225x5, 245x5, 255x5, 265x5, 270x5

(It has been a while so I am just working on form. Need to get more plates though so I can do some sets with 315-375. Will gradually work back up to 500lbs and beyond. Fun exercise that I am glad to have back in my program.)

• Two-arm Swing 1x10 (97lb bell)

• Hindu Squat (40lb vest) 1x60

• Lifeline USA Ab wheel roll out 2x10

April 16, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press (80s) 4x6
• Sternum Pull-up 4x6

Workout

Picked up a barbell and some plates today. It has been a long time and great to have the variety back.

• A-1: Barbell Mil Press 135 3x10
• A-2: Barbell Bent-over Row 135 3x15

• One-arm Suitcase Barbell Deadlift 135 3x5 l,r

• Barbell Curl 2x5 135lbs

• Double KB Swing 3x5 (88s)

• Body Squat (40lb vest) 4x10, 1x15

April 13, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press (80s) 5x5
• Sternum Pull-up 5x5

• A-1: Double Ballistic Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s)
• A-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

• Double Swing (88s) 5x5 to head level

• Hindu Squat 1x50 (40lb vest)

April 7, 2007

• A-1: Double Relaxed Mil Press (88s) 3x4
• A-2: Weighted Pull-up (40lb vest) 3x3

• B-1: Double Swing 3x10 (88s)
• B-2: Hindu Squat 2x5 (40lb vest)

• Hanging Leg Raise 3x10

April 6, 2007

Yesterday

• A-1: Double Relaxed Mil Press (88s) 3x3
• A-2: Alternating Renegade Row (97s) 3x5

• Double Swing 5x5 (97s to chest level)

• Hindu Squat 100 reps in two minutes

• Lifeline Ab Wheel roll out 3x6
• Bosu Sit-up 1x25

• KB arm bar one stretch left and right with 70lb bell

April 2, 2007

• A-1: Double Relaxed Mil Press 2x3 (88s)
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row 2x5 (97s)

• Pull-up 1x6
• Ab Wheel Roll out 1x6

• Bodyweight Squat 1x100

Carol gave me a great sports massage over the weekend and I should have trained light today (70s). Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

March 31, 2007

• A-1: Double Relaxed Mil Press (88s) 2x3, 1x4 (starting to get the hang of this)
• A-2: Alternating Renegade Row (97s) 3x6 each side

• B-1: Hanging Leg Raise 2x10
• B-2: One-arm Side Bend 2x5 l,r (97)

• Double Clean 3x5 (97s)

• Hindu Squat 100 reps as fast as possible

• Bosu Sit-up 50 reps

March 29, 2007

• A-1: Double Clean and Press (80s) 3x5
• A-2: Sternum Pull-ups 3x6 (pause at the top and bottom)

• B-1: Double Swing 3x10 (97s)
• B-2: Weight Vest Hindu Squat 3x40 (40b vest)

• Bosu Sit-up 3x25

March 26, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press 5x6 (80s)
• Bodyweight Sternum Pull-up 5x7

Workout

• A-1: Double Swing with 40lb Vest (97s) 2x8, 1x10
• A-2: Hindu Squat with 40lb vest 3x30

• B-1: Double bent over row with 40lb vest 3x8 (97s)
• B-2: Bosu Sit-up 3x10 (40lb vest)

March 25, 2007

GTG

• Double Relaxed Mil Press 5x5 (80s) 88s 1x3

Workout

• A-1: Weighted Pull-up (40lb vest) 3x3
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row (97s) 3x6

• B-1: Double swing with weight vest on (40lbs and 97lb bell) 2x6, 1x8
• B-2: Weight Vest Hindu Squat 2x25, 1x30

• C-1: Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll out 3x6
• C-2: Bosu Sit-up 3x10

March 22, 2007

GTG

• Double Mil Press (80s) 5x5 (88s) 3x3
• Pull-up Weight vest 2x5 (40lb vest)

• One mile walk with 40lb vest

March 21, 2007

• A-1: Clean and Mil Press 1x9, 2x5 (80s)
• A-2: Pull-up 3x10

• Kb Deadlift (97s and 40lb vest) 5x10 30 second breaks

• Hanging Leg Raise 2x10

• Finisher: 1 mile walk with 40lb vest on.

March 19, 2007

Took last week off from training. M-F did a one hour session each day of hyperbaric Chamber treatment. Great stuff that I am going to continue to do 2x per week.

• A-1: Double Relaxed Mil Press 3x5 (80s)
• A-2: sternum Pull-ups 3x5

• B-1: Suitcase Kickstand Lunge (40lb vest) 97s 3x10 l,r
• B-2: Double Swing (40lb vest) 97s 3x5

• C-1: Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll out 2x6
• C-2: Double Bent-over Row 2x6 (97s)

March 8, 2007

Fighting a mild flu this week. Spent an hour in a hyperbaric chamber yesterday and feel much much better. Plan on doing this once a week as a recovery technique. Nice oxygen high when you get out ;-)

Wave training on Double Clean and Press

Wave 1:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx1
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 2:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx1
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 3:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx1
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

• Weighted Chin-up 1x4 2x3 (40lb vest)

• Double Swing 5x5 (97s)

• A-1: Hanging Leg raise 3x10
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s)

Finisher:

• Weighted Vest Push-up (40lbs) 1x30
• Weighted Vest Hindu Squat (40lbs) 1x30

Taking tomorrow off as I have a busy weekend of workshops ahead.

March 2, 2007

Wave training on Double Clean and Press

Wave 1:

• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x3
• 1x97sx1

Wave 2:

• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x3
• 1x97sx1

Wave 3:

• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x2
• 1x97sx1

• Weighted Chin-up 3x3 (40lb vest)

• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s and 40lb vest)

• Hanging Leg raise 3x7

• Double Swing 3x5 (97s)

• Pushups 50 reps

March 1, 2007

Was in LA to do a workshop this past weekend. Took a few days off to recover. Had a great workout today.

• A-1: Clean and Mil Press 3x7 (80s)
• A-2: Weighted Pull-up 3x3 (40lb vest)

• B-1: Double Bent-over Row 3x5 (97s)
• B-2: Ab Power Wheel Standing roll out 3x6

• Double Clean 3x5 (97s)

• Finisher: Weighted Hindu Squat (40lb vest) 1x50

February 22, 2007

Wave traning on Double Clean and Press

Wave 1:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 2:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 3:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

• Weighted Pull-up 3x4 (40lb vest)

• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s and 40lb vest)

• A-1: Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 l,r (97s)
• A-2: Power Wheel Standing Roll Out 3x6

• Double Swing 3x5 (97s)

• Double Mil Press 1x30 (35s)

February 20

• A-1: Double Clean and Mi Press 3x6 (80s)
• A-2: Chin-up 3x6 (3 second hang on each rep)

• B-1: Double Swing 3x6 (80s)
• B-2: Hanging Leg raise 3x6

• Hindu Squat (40lb vest) 1x80

• Double Mil Press 1x30 (35s)

February 19

• A-1: Double Mil Press 3x5 (80s)
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row 2x6, 1x8 (97s)

• Double Lunge (97s and 40lb vest) 3x6 l,r

• Double Clean 3x5 (97s)

• Power Wheel Standing Ab Roll out 3x6

• One-arm curl 1x6 l,r (53)
• Double Curl 1x15 (35s)

February 17

Wave training on Double Clean and Press

Wave 1:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 2:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

Wave 3:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1

• Weighted chin-up 1x4, 2x3 (40lb vest)

• A-1: Double Swing to chest level 3x5 (97s)
• A-2: Hanging Leg Raise 3x6

• Double Bent-over Row 1x6 (97s)

Finisher: Hindu Squat (40lb vest) 1x75

February 15

Wave traning on Double Clean and Press

Wave 1:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88sx1
• 1x97sx1 (PR and went up easy, fuck ya!) (Bodyweight is 196)

Wave 2:

• 1x70sx3
• 1x80sx3
• 1x88x1
• 1x97sx1 (went up easy again, stict press and no sticking point)

• Weighted Pull-up 3x3 (40lb vest)
• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s and 40lb vest)

• A-1: Double Swing to head level 3x5 (80s)
• A-2: Power Wheel Standing Roll Out 3x5

Finisher: Double Mil press 1x30 (35s)

February 14

• A-1: Clean and Mil Press 3x5 (80s)
• A-2: Double Ballistic Bent over Row 3x6 (97s)

• B-1: Double Swing 3x5 (97s)
• B-2: Weighted Pull-up (40lb vest) 3x3

• C-1: Ab Power Wheel Standing roll out 3x6
• C-2: Double KB Curl 3x10 (35s)

Finisher: Weighted Hindu Squat (40lb vest) 1x60

February 13

• A-1: Double Mil Press (fast negative) 2x3, 1x5 (80s)
• A-2: Pull-up 3x3 (fast reps)

• Double Suitcase Kickstand Lunge (97s and 40lb vest) 3x5 l,r
• Double Clean 3x3 (97s)

• B-1 Hanging Leg Raise 3x5
• B-2: Double Bent Over Row 3x5 (80s, fast reps)

February 8

Finally done with all of the footage for my new fat loss DVD and I can get back to regular training. I am having so much fun training now and being at home that I may have to cancel all my 2007 workshops ;-)

Wave loading clean and Mil pressing: three rounds of 1x3x80s, 1x3x88s did a set three on pull-ups in between each set. Worked on speed and power. Noticed that the more anxious i was on pressing the weaker I felt. Once I slowed down on the clean to press the weights felt much lighter and I was able to move faster.

• Double Suitcase kickstand Lunge (97s and 40lb weight vest) 3x10 l,r

• A-1: Lifeline Power Wheel Roll Out 3x6
• A-2: Double Ballistic Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s)

February 6

• A-1: Double Mil Press (fast negative) 2x3, 1x6 (80s)
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row 2x5, 1x8 (97s)

• Hindu Squat with 40lb Xvest 50 reps

• B-1: Hanging Leg Raise 3x10
• B-2: Double Swing 3x10 (80s)

• Double Mil Press 1x20 (35s)

February 5

Wave loading for Double Clean and Mil Press:

• Wave 1: 70sx3, 80sx3, 88sx4
• Wave 2: 70sx3, 80sx3, 88sx3
• Wave 3: 70sx3, 80sx3, 88sx3

• Weigted Chin-up (40lb Xvest) 3x3
• Bodyweight Chin-up 2x5

• Double Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x6 l,r (40lb Xvest as well)
• DOuble Swing 5x6 (97s)

• Lifeline Power Wheel Roll out from feet 3x6

Finisher

• Double Mil press (35s) 1x30
• Double Curl (35s) 1x20

February 4

Steve Cotter was in town yesterday and was nice enough to invite me to attend a meeting with Randy Couture. Steve showed Randy some great stuff and Randy was clearly impressed. I showed him a few moves and he was happy to see the Lifeline USa bells as he is already good friends with the president of Lifeline and a fan of their products.

Randy is a very cool guy and I plan on doing my March Vegas workshops at his new gym.

New DVD is in the editing stage. Three hours of material and I cannot wait to release it. rested up today and look forward to jumping back into training regularly this week.

February 1

Took Tuesday and Wednesday off to shoot my new DVD today. Got most of it in today and will do the rest tomorrow. Do the following:

• Hand to hand Clean and press (70s)
• Double Clean and Press (88s)
• Double Hang Clean and Press (70s)

• Ballistic Bent over rows (88s)
• One-arm Ballistic Bent over Row (88)
• Alternating Bent Over Row (88s)

• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge (70s)
• Double Rack Kickstand Lunge (70s)
• Suitcase Squat (88s)

• Double Clean and Front Squat (70s)
• Double Swing (70s)
• Double Clean (88s)

• One-arm Side Bend (88)
• Slow and controlled Sit-up

• Hindu Squat
• Jumper Squat

January 29

• A-1: Double Clean and Mil Press 2x3 and 1x9 (80s) Worked on being relaxed on each rep. Amazing how much easier it makes it. One the last set I decided to rep out. Think I could have done 12 reps to failure. Reps 1x7 were nice and relaxed. Tensed up more on rep 8 and too much on rep 9. Will get better with practice I am going to use the 80s for my light day starting next week and add the 88s back to my program for the heavy day. Want to work up to repping out with the 97s soon (sets of 3-5)
• A-2: Weighted Chin-up 3x3 (40lb Xvest on)

• B-1: Double Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s)
• B-2: Standing Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll out 3x6

• C-1: Double Bent-over Row 3x8 (80s)
• C-2: Double Swing 3x10 (80s)

• Finisher: Dips: 1x20

January 27

• A-1: Double Mil Press (fast negative) 4x5 (80s)
• A-2: Pull-up 4x5

• B-1: Double Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x6 (97s and a 40lb xvest)
• B-2: Double Clean: (97s) 1x6, 1x8, 1x10

• Hanging Leg Raise 3x8
• Double Kb Curl (35s) 1x15
• Dips: 1x20

January 25

• A-1: One-arm Push Press 3x5 l,r (105)
• A-2: Double Swing 3x5 (97s)

• B-1: Chin-up 3x6 (long hang on each rep)
• B-2: Double Kickstand Lunge 3x8 l,r (80s)

• C-1: Lifeline Ab Wheel roll out 3x6
• C-2: Ballistic Double Bent-over Row 3x5 (80s)

Now it is time to relax and get ready for the Slayer concert later tonight!

January 24

Felt tired today and strong at the same time. Interesting combo!

• A-1: Double Clean and Mi Press 3x7 (80s)
• A-2: DOuble Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s)

• B-1: Hanging Leg Raise 3x7
• B-2: DOuble Kickstand Lunge 3x6 l,r (97s)

• C-1: Bodyweight Dips 3x10
• C-2: Double KB Swing (head level) 3x5 (80s)

• Double KB Curl 3x10 (35s)

January 22

• A-1: Double Speed Mil Press 3x5 (70s)
• A-2: Double Ballistic Bent over row 3x5 (80s)

• Double Push Press (97s) 1x3 and 1x2 (weak on these today and will try again another day at the beginning of the workout)
• Chin-ups 3x5 (3 second hold at the top)
• Double Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (80s)
• Double Swing 1x20 (70s)

• Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll Out 3x6
• One-arm Mil Press 1x20 l,r (53. High rep recovery set from as recommended by Garm!)

January 21

• A-1: Double Speed Mil Press (80s) 3x3 (drop from the top like a GS jerk and then fast press to the top. Love this version of the mil press)
• A-2: Explosive Pull-ups 3x3

• B-1: Double Bent-over Row 3x3 (97s)
• B-2: Bodyweight Dips 3x5

• C-1: Hanging Leg Raise 3x7
• C-2: Double Swing 3x5 (97s)

• One-arm Mil Press 1x1 (97) 1x1 (105 strict press)
• Roundhouse Kicks on heavy bag 5x10 l,r (fun stuff)
• Double KB Curls (35s) 2x15

January 19

• A-1: Double Speed Mil Press 3x5 (70s and drop from overhead to rack)
• A-2: Double Ballistic Bent-over Row 3x5 (80s)

• B-1: DOuble Push Press 3x3 (97s)
• B-2: Ballistic Pull-up 3x3 (controlled concentric and drop for negative)

• Double Clean 3x5 (97s)

• C-1: Lifeline Standing Ab Wheel Roll Out 3x5
• C-2: One-arm Curl 3x3 l,r (70lb bell with a little momentum to get it going)

Carol and I got engaged today! Very excited about this and was on a high all day despite very little sleep last night!

January 18

Great workout today. I think my pressing strength is finally back to where it was at my peak last year. Time to push forward:

• A-1: Double Clean and Mil Press 3x6 (80s, felt light)
• A-2: Double Bent-over Row 3x6 (97s, felt light as well)

• Hanging leg raise 3x6

• B-1: Suitcase Double Kickstand Lunge 3x5 (97s l,r)
• B-2: Double Swing 3x5 (80s to head level)

• One-arm Curl 2x5 l,r (53lb bell)

Tomorrow it will be more fun with push presses and heavy double swings.

January 16

• A-1: Double Clean and Press 3x3 (80s) fast reps
• A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 2x6, 1x7 l,r (97s)

• One-arm Push Press 3x3 l,r (105 and left is getting much better)

• Suitacase Kickstand Lunge 3x5 l,r (97s, pause at the bottom of each rep and crush grip during the entire set)

• B-1: Chin-ups 3x5
• B-2: Double Swing 3x5 (97s)

• Lifeline Ab Wheel Roll Out 3x5

January 15

GTG

• pull-ups 3x7

Workout

• Double Hang Clean and Mil Press (no pre-swing at all. Basically jump shrung into clean) (70s) 5x3
• Ballistic Bent-over Row 3x5 (97s)
• Double Push Press 3x3 (97s) These felt great and is quickly becoming one of my favorite exercises. Gotta get lifeline to make some 110s for me!
• Double Snatch 5x3 (70s, no drop to the shoulders, straight up and down)
• Hanging Leg raise 3x5
• Roundhouse kicks on heavy bag 3x10 l,r
• Ballistic One-arm Curl 3x5 l,r (53lb bell)

Pre workout supplements

• 1 lean and fit and one power and speed
• 3 grams of DMG
• 3 grams of ribose
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
• 5 Vitalzym caps

January 13

• Double Speed Mil Press 6x3 (70s) Fast concentric rep and no negative. Drop it to the rack as fast as possible and press back up.

• Ballistic Bent-over Row 6x5 (70s)

• Double Push Press (97s) 1x2
• One-arm Push Press (105s) 3x3 l,r

• Kickstand Lunge (bells in rack position) 3x5 l,r (70s)
• Double Clean 3x3 (97s)
• One-arm Ballistic Curl 3x5 l,r (44)

• Lifeline Power Wheel Roll out: 3x5

January 12, 2007

Great training today. Finally got my pull-up bar/dip station. Also got my heavy bag set up. Looking forward to using it.

Workout

• Double Clean and Push press 6x1 (97s) more of a kick start Mil press. Basically use the legs to get the bells past head level and them Mil press to lockout. Great drill

• Pull-up 3x6 (2 second hang at the bottom)
• Dip 3x6 (4 second pause at the bottom)

Good news is I have a pull-up bar, bad new is my pull-up strength sucks! I doubt I could do more than 12 BW reps. Once I get this strength up it will not doubt improve OH presses.

• Ballistic Double Bent-over Row 5x3 (97s)
• Hanging Leg Raise 3x6
• Double Swing 5x5 (97s)

January 11, 2007

Great workout today!

• A-1: Double clean and Mil press 3x5 (80s) felt very light!
• A-2: Alternating Renegade Row 3x5 (97s)

• Ballistic one-arm curl 2x5 l,r (44lb bell. curl up and drop to starting position. Picked it up from Jay Schroeder)

• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s)
• Double Swing 3x5 (80s head level)

• Lifeline Ab wheel roll out 3x5

January 10, 2007

• One-arm Push press 3x3 l,r (105lb bell)
• One-arm Mil Press 1x1 r 105lb bell
• One-arm Mil press with sit-back 1x2 r (97lb bell)
• Double Clean 5x3 (97s)
• Ballistic Bent-over Row (97s) 5x3. No negative. Pull the bells up, drop them catch at the bottom repeat. Very cool drill

• Standing Ab Wheel roll out 3x5

Pre workout nutrition:

• 2oz wheatgrass juice
• 1 cap Lean and fit
• 1 cap Power and speed
• 3grams DMG, 1 gram creatine, 3 grams Ribose with apple cider vinegar.

January 9, 2007

• Power wheel roll out 3x5

• Hang Clean and Speed Mil Press 6x3 (70s)
• Ballistic Double Bent-over Row 3x10 (70s: ballistic meaning I throw the weights up and catch them at the top then drop them and catch them at the bottom. Picked this up from Jay Schroeder who trained NFL player Adam Archuleta)

• One-arm one count push press 3x3 l,r (97s, picked this up from Steve Cotter. Basically, let the bell drop on the negative, catch with bent knees and jam back up. Done properly third rep is easier than first)

• Suitcase Kickstand Lunge 3x10 l,r (97s)

• Double Swing (70s) 1x25

January 8, 2007

Wave loading today:

Double Clean and Mil Press:

• 70s: 1x3
• 80s: 1x3
• 70s: 1x3
• 80s: 1x3
• 70s: 1x3
• 80s: 1x2 (hit failure here)

Double bent over row (drop sets)

did three rounds of

• 1x3 (97s)
• 1x3 (80s)
• 1x3( 70s)

Double Swing (drop sets)

did three rounds of:

• 1x5 (97s)
• 1x5 (80s)
• 1x5 (70s)

January 7, 2007

• One-arm Clean and Mil Press (97) 3x1 l,r

• Double Clean and rack walk (100 feet) (97s) and 4 rounds
• Overhead rack walk (80s) 100 feet and three rounds
• Alternating Renegade Row 3x6 l,r (97s)
• Double Swing 5x5 (97s)
• Standing ab Wheel roll out 3x5

January 6, 2007

• Double Clean and Mil press (80s) 3x3 (fast reps)
• Double Bent-ever Row (97s) 3x5

• Double Clean 5x5 (97s)

• Standing Power wheel roll out 3x5

Off to see Zumanity tonight with Carol! Seen it before and it was bad ass.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mike

January 4, 2007

Great training today. Really working on the "sit back" for increasing pressing. Still awkward but I am starting to develop some great lower back flexibility. Feels like doing a standing back bridge.

• Double Clean and Press (70s) 3x5 (sit back for five seconds before each press) 3x2 (10 second sit back before each press)

• Double bent-over Row (outside of feet) and more upright to get the focus on the lats 3x10

• Double Clean and Sit-back (97s) 5x1 (10 second sit back on each rep, and 20 second sit-back on the last rep)

• Double Swing 3x10 (70s) to waist level to get some blood in my lower back.

• Lifeline Standing Ab roll out 3x6.

All in all a great workout and I certainly need to keep working on the sit-back to get better at pressing. Great start.

Took some advice from Marty Gallagher and had a protein shake during my workout with some maple syrup. Did not notice anything at first, but half way through my workout, I got a nice second wind. I will add this for the next few workouts and report back.

For pre-workout, I had

• 1 cap of "lean and fit" and 1 cap of "power and speed" great non stimulant energy boost. You can read more about both at: Aggressive Strength Supplement Recommendations.
• Also had 3 grams of DMG, 3 grams of creatine, and 3 grams of ribose with some apple cider vinegar 20 minutes before the workout.

After the workout I had 10 caps of vitalzym, 2 potassum/magnesium caps, 3 grams of ribose, 30mg of zinc.

January 2, 2007

Standing Ab wheel roll out 3x5 (more control and focus on tension)

• Double Clean and Mil Press (80s) 2x3
• Alternating Renegade Row (97s) 2x5 l,r

• Double Swing (80s) 2x5 (above head level)

Testosterone levels feel high right now and energy was great for the workout. However, my CNS was sluggish which was all too apparent on presses. My choices were to skip it or not be a pussy and push through. Took the latter choice and pushed through with my muscles. Actually got a great pump and it was a nice mental toughness session. Swings felt good but that is not a CNS drill so no surprise there. Heavy presses rely on CNS strength a great deal.

Right now I am training to my limit at least once a week. Sometimes two. Always living one rep in the bank is good most of the time. However, it is not good for mental toughness and brute strength. If you are only strong when your CNS is perfect, then do you not have real strength. Being strong when your CNS is rocked is a worthy goal.

I have trained six days in a row and will rest up tomorrow. I took some PowerDrive after my workout today as a CNS recovery drink. Took some extra enzymes as well and put some "Doctor's Testosterone Gel" on my shoulders. Taking some DHEA cream as well which I will increase before I go to bed tonight. May have my Doc prescribe some DHEA lozenges to take before workouts. Dhea is great for adrenal health. Problem is most DHEA pills on the market have horrible absorption rates and more often convert to Estogen! The creams are a good option.

January 1, 2007

Alright 07 is going to be a great year! Feeling very strong and business is doing great.

One-arm Mil Press, 3x1 r (97lb bell) felt good and bodyweight is low at 188. BF is going down big time. Need to get ripped for my next DVD.

Workout

• Double Bent-over Row 3x5 (97s)
• Double Clean and Press 3x3 (80s)

• Double Clean and Rack Walk (100 feet and used 97s) 5 rounds

• Double Swing 2x5 and 1x10 (97s)