[winterkill]

So, life over hte last 3 weeks has been incredibly hectic. Studying for finals took up all my training time, so all I can say is I damn well better pass. Back into it this week.

Muay Thai - 1hr

Drilled leg checks for basically the entire hour, Can't remember it all now... Ended with 2 x 2 min pad rounds, with last 30s of 1st round doing RH kicks for power, and last 30s of 2nd round doing knees from the clinch. Totally destroyed.

[winterkill]

1 hr XC mountain biking
Bit of cardio here. Took it fairly easy. Rode about 11km. Will probably do this again on Friday as the gym is closed for MT sparring because there's a BJJ seminar with John Will.

Front Squat
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 2 (warmup)
25 x 3 x 2 (warmup)
32.5 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

Dropped the weight down since I've had 3 weeks off. Felt pretty good. Form was a bit wonky though, so I'll stick with this weight for the next session and concentrate on form some more.

Overhead Press
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

Was planning on adding more weight, but I decided to concentrate on form since I was having trouble with this lift before my layoff. The position you're supposed to rack the bar is slightly ahead of the clavicle, right? I don't seem to be very flexible in this position..

Deadlift
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
75 x 5 x 1 (work set)

This was harder than I expected, teach me to stop training.



Tomorrow, I start BJJ, yay!

[winterkill]

BJJ - ~30 min

Did my BJJ intro today, so I can join the class proper next time. That will be next Monday. Covered Mount, Side-mount, Guard, two chokes and an arm bar. It's just so I have some idea of what the trainers are talking about in my first class, not expected to really remember anything.

Muay Thai - 1hr

Started off doing neck crunches - 30 straight up and down, 30 side to side, 30 circling left and 30 circling right. Ow. Then we proceeded to spend the whole night on clinch work. We covered two entries into the clinch, circular and straight knees from the clinch, one clinch escape from standing (lacing arms) and one from the ropes.

To finish up we did:
* 30 seconds of these press up things (not sure what they're called -- you've got one arm on a med ball and one on the ground, you do a press up and push yourself over in the air so your opposite arm is on the med ball, then repeat)
* 30 seconds sit-ups with punches at the top
* 30 seconds squat-to-jump-tucks
* 30 seconds sitting in a squat against the wall
* 5 jumping-squat-roundhouse kick things on either leg.

After class I did a couple sets of 25 situps. I think I need to come up with some more structured finishers for after class. Any recommendations?

[winterkill]

Oh yeah, does anyone know if/how I can edit the thread title (the one that gets shown as the link from the subforum page)?

[winterkill]

Front Squat
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 2 (warmup)
30 x 3 x 1 (warmup)
32.5 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

Better form today. I'll add some weight next time.

Bench Press
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 1 (warmup)
30 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

A little harder than I remember these being last time, but not too bad.

(Towel) Pullups
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
0 x 4 x 1, 0 x 3 x 2 (work sets)

Actually, old-pair-of-jeans pullups. Man, these really work the grip, my hands/forearms are munted.


Was feeling a bit rundown today, no energy to speak of, especially during warmup. But once I started lifting I started feeling better, Now, time to EAT!

[winterkill]

XC Mountain Biking
Did a spot of cardio. Rode the same 11km as last time, in 35 minutes. Found my legs feeling pretty weak on the uphills and sprint sections. Guess they're just fatigued from squatting.

[winterkill]

Front Squat
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 2 (warmup)
25 x 3 x 2 (warmup)
35 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

Was reasonably easy. Took some video of my form to get a better idea where I'm going wrong. Looks like my lower back rounds out a bit at the very bottom of the squat. Not sure what I can do about it really. I concentrate on keeping my chest up, but it rounds out all the same. Any other tall guys here have the same problem?

Overhead Press
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
15 x 5 x 1 (warmup)
15 x 3 x 1 (warmup)
17.5 x 5 x 5 (work sets)

I think I have the form down better than I used to. I'm finding the weakest/hardest part of the lift is right at the very bottom. We'll see how fast I can progress on this over the next few weeks...

Deadlift
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
80 x 5 x 1 (work set)

My form was not the best on this, but not too bad. Calluses were causing me a bit of pain.


I'm totally going to go eat a steak and a baked potato now. Awesome.

[liquid!]

Originally Posted by winterkill

Oh yeah, does anyone know if/how I can edit the thread title (the one that gets shown as the link from the subforum page)?

PM a mod and they will change the title for you. I've bugged Standard for the same thing recently.

Originally Posted by winterkill

Looks like my lower back rounds out a bit at the very bottom of the squat. Not sure what I can do about it really. I concentrate on keeping my chest up, but it rounds out all the same. Any other tall guys here have the same problem?

Concentrate on keeping everything tight (visualize some holding an ice cube on your lower back), and don't relax at the bottom of the lift.

The Squat Rx series is great, watch them all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq8CW...eature=related

Check your form with some body weight squats. You'll see where your pelvis wants to "turn under." Spread your chest, shoulders back, relax, and sink deeper between your hips. Repeat this process and you'll find you can get yourself to sit much lower in a squat. Dan John has a good video seminar which he describes this process...I'll try and find it.

Rotate in some other squats. If you can't back squat try some zercher squats or overhead squats, give yourself a little reprieve from front squats three times a week.

Originally Posted by winterkill

(Towel) Pullups
Wgt. x Reps x Sets
0 x 4 x 1, 0 x 3 x 2 (work sets)

Actually, old-pair-of-jeans pullups. Man, these really work the grip, my hands/forearms are munted.

Good idea. I've ripped many workout towels, but cutting up some old jeans would be a good idea. You can never have enough jean shorts right?

Originally Posted by winterkill

Grr. I dunno what's going on here. I'm really not sure about my form on this. If I rack the weight high up on my shoulders with my elbows up (like I think it's supposed to be) then I can't get the lift started. My left shoulder gives out (maybe related to RSI?), and my triceps just can't get it moving, If I drop my elbows so they're more directly underneath the bar then it's sweet...

I hold the bar in clean position (elbows up) when I walk out and return the weight to the rack. When your ready to lift, drop the elbows. Some people hold the weight in the position, letting their elbows rest on their side.

When pressing keep your forearms perpendicular to the ground. I've found a narrower grip works best for overhead pressing while a wider grip is better for benching. Experiment and see what's most successful for you.



Any luck finding a whey protien isolate to try?

[winterkill]

Thanks for the reply, liquid!

Originally Posted by liquid!

PM a mod and they will change the title for you. I've bugged Standard for the same thing recently.

Ah, the gods provide.

Originally Posted by liquid!

Concentrate on keeping everything tight (visualize some holding an ice cube on your lower back), and don't relax at the bottom of the lift.

The Squat Rx series is great, watch them all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq8CW...eature=related

Check your form with some body weight squats. You'll see where your pelvis wants to "turn under." Spread your chest, shoulders back, relax, and sink deeper between your hips. Repeat this process and you'll find you can get yourself to sit much lower in a squat. Dan John has a good video seminar which he describes this process...I'll try and find it.

Rotate in some other squats. If you can't back squat try some zercher squats or overhead squats, give yourself a little reprieve from front squats three times a week.

Thanks for the link. I've been thinking about mixing the squats up a little recently, but I didn't want to screw with the format of the program too much. I think I'll start throwing in some Zerchers, though, as my knees have been a little sore the last 2 days (I think it's from bouncing at the bottom of the hole, and my knees coming forward too far.)

Originally Posted by liquid!

Good idea. I've ripped many workout towels, but cutting up some old jeans would be a good idea. You can never have enough jean shorts right?

Unfortunately it's usually the crotch of my jeans that wears out first, so making them into shorts ain't really an option. Gotta keep the mouse in the house

Originally Posted by liquid!

I hold the bar in clean position (elbows up) when I walk out and return the weight to the rack. When your ready to lift, drop the elbows. Some people hold the weight in the position, letting their elbows rest on their side.

When pressing keep your forearms perpendicular to the ground. I've found a narrower grip works best for overhead pressing while a wider grip is better for benching. Experiment and see what's most successful for you.

Yeah, I've had a little more luck recently with these, I think I was holding the bar in the wrong starting position. I'm now holding the bar in front of my clavicles and more on the front of my shoulders to start. I'm definitely feeling the tension more in my shoulders now, and less in my triceps.

Originally Posted by liquid!

Any luck finding a whey protien isolate to try?

Unfortunately, no. There's a company up north that does pasteurised egg whites and egg protein powder which I think I'll try. It's $55 for a kg of powder (about 40 servings, 22.6g protein per 25g serving) which actually looks cheaper than the whey protein isolate I've seen on local web sites. And apparently egg protein is more complete than whey. Have you had any experience with egg protein?

[liquid!]

I just switched my anytime/bedtime protein blend to get a different protein profile: 1/3 whey isolate, 1/3 casein, 1/3 egg protein. Its vanilla flavored and tastes like cake batter. Mmmmmm. The only downside is the sulfurous farts.