The Transformation of Caterpillars into Wolverines (STRENGTH/MMA/GPP)

easy tiger · 05:25 PM

My training partner and I have begun a new style of strength training meant to supplement our combat training (Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). We are guinea pigs to the method as we have not seen it attempted in this manner before - it may bring about positive results or may fail miserably in doing so. That's why we're here. Possibly due to our ignorance, we are aware we may overtrain (As we do combat training multiple times a week) but are going to make the attempt to avoid this. If not possible, many changes to our current training method will be made and the operation will continue.

Subject I - Height/Weight: 5'8.25'' 161 lbs. Age: 18
Subject II - Height/Weight: 5'5.25'' 162 lbs. Age: 18

Below is the template for the repeating 2 week training schedule we've devised.

Monday - Absolute Strength Lower Body & Grip and Weighted Abs
Squat 6 x 3
Rack Pulls 4 x 4
RDL 3 x 6
Sledge Levers 4 x 2 Per Hand
Overcrushes or Negatives 4 x 2 Per Hand
Rotational Levers 2 x 4 Per Hand
Plate Pinches 3 timed holds per hand
Heavy Dumbbell Holds 3 timed holds per hand
2" Wrist Roller – 3 Roll Ups
Weighted Decline Situps or Weighted Leg Raises – 3 x 10
Landmines or Russian Twists – 3 x 10
Suitcase Deadlifts – 3 timed holds per side

Tuesday - Speed Strength Upper Body

Hang Cleans 3 x 8
Bench 10 x 3 45-50 % 1RM
Platform Clap Pushups 3 x 8
Vertical Interchangable Explosive Throwing 3 x 8

Thursday - Speed Strength Lower Body & Grip and Explosive abs
Box Squats 10 x 3 45-50 % 1RM
Box Jumps 3 x 8
Depth Jumps 3 x 8
Sledge Levers 4 x 2 Per Hand
Overcrushes or Negatives 4 x 2 Per Hand
Rotational Levers 2 x 4 Per Hand
Plate Pinches 3 timed holds per hand
Heavy Dumbbell Holds 3 timed holds per hand
2" Wrist Roller – 3 Roll Ups
Med Ball Throw Decline Situps – 2 x 10
Med Ball Throw Decline Twists – 3 x 8 (Alternate sides each set)
Seated Med Ball Person to Person Overhead Throws – 3 x 10 (One set middle, one set left, one set right)

Friday - Absolute Strength Upper Body
Incline Bench 6 x 3
Barbell Rows 4 x 4
Push Press 3 x 5
Close Grip Bench 3 x 4

Week 2

Monday - Absolute Strength Lower Body & Grip and Weighted Abs
Deadlift 6 x 3
Lunges 4 x 4
ATG Squats 3 x 5
Sledge Levers 4 x 2 Per Hand
Overcrushes or Negatives 4 x 2 Per Hand
Rotational Levers 2 x 4 Per Hand
Plate Pinches 3 timed holds per hand
Heavy Dumbbell Holds 3 timed holds per hand
2" Wrist Roller – 3 Roll Ups
Weighted Decline Situps or Weighted Leg Raises – 3 x 10
Landmines or Russian Twists – 3 x 10
Suitcase Deadlifts – 3 timed holds per side

Tuesday - Speed Strength Upper Body
Barbell Rows 10 x 3 45-50 % 1RM
Platform Clap Pushups 3 x 8
Vertical Interchangable Explosive Throwing 3 x 8

Thursday - Speed Strength Lower Body
High Pulls 12 x 2 45-50 % 1RM
Tuck Jumps 3 x 8
Two Footed Hops 3 x 8
Pistols 2 x 6 Per Leg

Friday - Absolute Strength Upper Body & Grip and Explosive Abs
Standing Military Press 6 x 3
Weighted Chinups 2 x 6
Bench Press 3 x 4
Shrugs - 3 x 6
Sledge Levers 4 x 2 Per Hand
Overcrushes or Negatives 4 x 2 Per Hand
Rotational Levers 2 x 4 Per Hand
Plate Pinches 3 timed holds per hand
Heavy Dumbbell Holds 3 timed holds per hand
2" Wrist Roller – 3 Roll Ups
Med Ball Throw Decline Situps – 2 x 10
Med Ball Throw Decline Twists – 3 x 8 (Alternate sides each set)
Seated Med Ball Person to Person Overhead Throws – 3 x 10 (One set middle, one set left, one set right)

Equipment: Thai pads, Kick shield, Jumpropes, Resistance tubes, 2'' PVC wrist roller, 100-150 Lb. Sandbags, Captains of Crush #1-3, 10 Lb. Sledgehammers, Boxing gloves, Focus mitts, Heavy bag, Free weights, and the almighty Tiger Balm.

Things to Test (Previous statistics measured no longer applicable):

40 Yard Dash:
Vertical Jump:
Max Bench:
Max Squat:
Max Deadlift:
Max Reps Bench (135):
Max Reps Squat (185):
Max Reps Dead (185):

Record how F2's practices turn out. If not as intense as proposed (4 practices a week), add 2 to 3 conditioning workouts (Thai pads, Sandbag workouts, Focus Mitt workouts, Grappling workouts, Skipping, Etc.).

Let the operation commence.

easy tiger · 09-06-2006, 03:40 PM

Tests being conducted throughout the first week of the operation. Measure intensity. Tweak program accordingly.

Mission A: Measure maximum repetitions of 2 movements. Subject I chose Bench and Squat. Subject II chose Bench and Deadlift.

Remaining powerlifting movement to be conducted for maximum repetitions later in the week. Maximum one repetition movements of all three powerlifts are to be conducted throughout the week as well. 40 yard dash and vertical jump to be measured as well. In doing so at the beginning and conclusion of the operation, the effectiveness of the program towards numerous physiological aspects can be measured.

Subject I:

I came into the gym today ready to lift. Max reps is an oddity for myself as I very rarely go over 5 reps a set when doing weighted exercises, so I was quite unsure of how the results would turn out. Somehow, I was able to find a bench to use in the gym today. I warmed up with a quick few reps of 135 and decided to test the max reps immediately due to my impatience. Regardless, I completed 20 reps of 135. I'm not quite certain how many more I could have done had I warmed up differently. Whatever. I'm not looking forward to max repping the deadlift, seeing as how I don't think it's really meant to be quite so high rep.

Don't think that I was going to make a trip to the gym without running into something ridiculous. I got to have a nice little break waiting for a power rack, as 3 of the 5 were taken for barbell curls ("Dude, they're so much better than chins"). Anyways, I squatted 185 23 times. Livable. Once I reracked it, the vultures returned to curl the iron carcass once again.

I did some grip work which was much better. I did some pinches of 25 lb. plates, some #2 overcrushes and a few wrist rollers with 35 pounds on. Did a 200m sprint to get me the fuck out of the atrocity of a gym as quickly as possible.

What I was really excited for was going to grappling today to see how things operated around here. Well fuck, it was cancelled. I had no one to use the thai pads or mitts with (my roommate knows how to use them, so I can do that whenever he's around), so I did 4 3-minute rounds of shadowboxing with one minute breaks in between with Bas Rutten saying "Sprawl!" reverberating in my head. After that, I did some punches, knees, elbows, and simulated judo throws using the mini-band as resistance. I did what I could today, but Muay Thai on Thursday is really what I'm waiting for.

Subject II:

Today I was excited to hit up the gym and tell people "no this isn't a bicep exercise, they are called Deadlifts." Since today was max reps day I decided to Deadlift before I benched. Another reason I did it first was because I had to wait for kids to get off the bench and stop grunting after they were bounce pressing 3 plates.

I was unhappy with how the day went though. Mostly, I was unhappy with my own performance. I hit ten reps of 185 and just stopped. Just stopped. I could have kept going for a couple more, but I just stopped and this put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. So after that fucking travesty I stood and waited 20 minutes for kids to stop benching.

After having to wait to use an olympic bar because some kid was doing shrugs in the power rack and having to wait for more kids to stop doing 10 sets of bench, I was finally on a bench, ready to go. I did a nice little warmup of 10 reps and gave myself a little rest before my attempt of max reps on 135. Little did I know, I was going to suck massive chode doing that. I got just 14 reps of 135. 14. Fucking pathetic. I was thoroughly unimpressed with my performance and head out to go shower before first day on the mat again.

When I got back to where I was going to shower, I saw that I had literally 30 minutes to do about 40 minutes of walking because I had left my shoes at my offcampus apartment. So I finally arrived at practice, shoes in hand, as they were done warming up and streching. I warmed up and mixed in. God damn it felt good to get on the mat again, and it felt even better that the coach paired me up with some major scrubs. I cleaned house all day, which wasn't too cool to me. A kid from my region last year in high school was here and I plan on wrestling him as soon as possible. Other than the fact that I was entirely dead after practice, it was a great practice and I'm looking forward to Thursday's practice.

easy tiger · 03:04 PM

Subject I – After a week-long hiatus after destroying my right foot via 45 pound plate, I'm back. My gi is in from home so I'll be starting Judo next week as well (5 hours a week) as some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu here hopefully (If I can find anyone that is doing it while I'm not in class). I'm doing Muay Thai on weekends as well. Regardless, back to the iron.

Week 1

Day 1 – DE Upper Body/Strength Abs/Grip

Speed Bench: 3 x 3 (135), 4 x 3 (145 ), 3 x 3 (135)
Platform Clap Pushups: 3 x 8 (8 In.)
Vertical Medicine Ball Throws: 3 x 8 (12)
Wrist Rollups – 1 x 1 (70), 1 x 1 (55), 1 x 1 (45)
Plate Pinches – 2 x Time (3 10s/Hand), 2 x Time (4 10s/2 Hands)
Sledge Levers: 3 x 2/Hand (Overhead), 3 x 2/Hand (Rotational)
Weighted Decline Situps – 3 x 8 (45)
Landmines – 3 x 8 (45)
Suitcase Deadlifts – 3 x 25 sec. (100)

Day 2 – ME Lower Body

Squats: 3 x 3 (225), 1 x 3 (225 (X)), 2 x 3 (215)
Rack Pulls: 4 x 4 (315)
RDL: 3 x 6 (225)

Frodo · 09-20-2006, 03:43 PM

I love the title of this log. Cracks me up...

**mschatz** · 09-20-2006, 05:05 PM

I like it. ill be following this log closely

easy tiger · 09-21-2006, 02:27 PM

Subject I – Couldn't make it to the gym due to a scattered schedule on Wednesdays and an abundance of busy work that I had trouble with. Went to class all day and homework for every moment in between. Finished at 12 AM. Luckily, today was only endurance abs and grip. Doable at home. Forearms a little sore from my last grip encounter.

Day 3 – Endurance Abs/Grip

Sledge Levers - 3 x 2/Hand (Straight), 3 x 2/Hand (Rotational)
Static Gi Holds - 3 x 20 sec./Hand
Hand to Hand Sledge Tosses - 2 x 12
Fingertip Pushups - 3 x 12
V Situps - 3 x 40
Twisting Crunches - 3 x 20
Leg Raises - 3 x 20

The abdominal exercises were essentially circuited, with breaks of about 20-30 seconds.

easy tiger · 09-21-2006, 11:49 PM

Subject I – Ripped my nailless toe on the back of a car seat. Bloody mess. I'm having a little trouble walking. Suck it up pussy. It's time for the gym.

Day 4 - Absolute Strength Upper Body

Incline Bench - 6 x 3 (175)
Barbell Rows - 4 x 4 (145)
Push Press - 3 x 5 (145)

Judo begins next week so I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. I'd like to continue with BJJ, Judo, and Muay Thai but it all depends on their availability. Judo never conflicts with my schedule so I'd like to do that as much as possible as well as BJJ and Muay Thai when I'm able.

easy tiger · 09-24-2006, 04:28 PM

Subject I - In Tallahassee for the weekend. Gym is closed. Makeshift gym for the day.

Day 5 - DE Lower Body/Grip

Box Jumps - 3 x 9
Depth Jumps - 3 x 9
Sledgehammer One Armed Snatches - 10 x 2/Hand (12)
CoC #1 Overcrushes - 2 x 2/Hand
CoC #2 Negatives - 2 x 3/Hand
Sledgehammer Levers - 3 x 2/Hand (Straight), 3 x 2/Hand (Rotational)
Sledgehammer Plier Pinches - 3 x 3/Hand

Interesting exercise since it was all we could think of to do. The sledge snatches would've worked better with more weight but it still worked on wrist strength as well which proved to be helpful for today's routine.

easy tiger · 02:04 PM

Subject I - Did Week 1 DE Upper again accidentally, not a big deal though.

Week 2

Day 1 – DE Upper Body/Explosive Abs/Grip

Speed Bench: 10 x 3 (135)
Platform Clap Pushups: 3 x 8 (8 In.)
Vertical Medicine Ball Throws: 3 x 8 (12)
Wrist Rollups – 1 x 1 (70), 1 x 1 (60), 1 x 1 (50)
Plate Pinches – 4 x Time (3 10s/Hand)
Sledge Levers: 3 x 2/Hand (Overhead), 3 x 2/Hand (Rotational)
Med Ball Decline Throws – 2 x 8 (12)
Med Ball Decline Twist Throws - 2 x 8 (Side) (12)

easy tiger · 08:43 PM

Judo class was cancelled due to an event in the gym. Have to wait till Thursday.

Tuesday - ME Lower Body

Deadlift 6 x 3 (275)
Lunges 4 x 4 (145)
ATG Squats 3 x 5 (145)

Lunges were a little tough because of my fucked up big toe. Otherwise, everything went well.

Went swimming as well. Did 6 50's of assorted crawls. Damn that's a different energy system. Good workout.