Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I guess that is a bet. If I do not compete this march this there is a big contest in early summer I could do too.
As for setting PRs in competition, its hard to say. I have only done 1 bench only local comp and normal meet,which was also very local. It was weird, I hit my bench numbers than bombed out hard going for new weights. For the deadlift I hit a 40 pound PR and the squat I bombed out on also.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I didn't mean to infer it would be easy. :p :dance:

Don't think of it as a bet ... think of it as motivation, a reward for a job well done. :ze And your doing well is motivation for *me* to try a little harder, too. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Just back from a leg day. Things are a little cloudy right now, which is good I guess. :D Was planning to rep out 225 again; but something came over me and I got curious. I just started back on squats a couple of weeks ago after a 2-2.5 month hiatus because of my shoulder injury. Before I got hurt, my 1RM was 315. So today went something like this (though I can't be positive about the details -- cloudy):

135 x 10
185 x 8
225 x 7
275 x 3
285 x 2
295 x 2
315 x F (dropped to my knees ... big crash :r)
315 x F (got under it, stood there, knew I just didn't have it ... the intensity wasn't there)

The first 315 attempt was *very* close. I think I can hit it soon. It's clear from this, though, that there are 2 things I need to work on:

1. Explosiveness out of the hole (that's where I barely failed out on attempt #1)
2. Core stability (315 is harder for me to just hold up than it used to be)

Followed the squats up with several sets of stiff-legged deadlifts. Went to do some leg presses and my energy was simply shot -- 8 pies was a struggle (and that's my warmup weight). It had been over an hour at this point; so I called it a day. I'll probably take tomorrow "off" (just cardio).

So Dave, Frank, Gerry, and Tom (and others): what are your two favorite support lifts for getting out of the hole? :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

You ever have one of those nights where you come home from work and just crash? I fell asleep last night at about 9 and didn't wake till about 730 today...Dead tired..maybe the running + gym is catching up to me?


Dokk,
It looks like you had fun at the gym :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yes ... it was fun. :tu :dance:

I've totally had days like that, too. The body needs rest to repair from your workouts. If you're not getting enough, your body will eventually tell you to eff off :fu (like yours did last night). :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Box Squats. A lot of them. Also with the heavier weight your form tends to crap out first.
Putting 315 on your back is just as good as squatting it sometimes. I know when I start to get into the uncharted weight range I usually try to stand out of the rack with it a week or two before I actually try to squat it. That way I am less concerned about how heavy it feels and more concerned about squatting with proper form.
I would replace leg presses with box squats after squatting. Lighter weights focus more on explosiveness out on the bottom. And ditch any hamstring work on leg day.

I get like that a lot. If you feel like its catching up with you I would recommend a few things. 1-2 times per week try to have a high calorie day. With your new level of activity you are probably not taking in the amount of nutrients that you should be. This is the most common thing I always see. Guys take on a new routine or start pushing themselves but continue to eat next to nothing, or still practice poor nutrition. Or take a week off and rest. Also some extra sleep doesnt ever hurt. The thing to watch is how you feel in the gym. If you are getting stronger or performing better every week than you are fine. Watch for signs of overtraining.

note - it could be the weather too, personally during the winter I have trouble staying up past 8.

Here are some articles on overtraining.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/o.../aa062499a.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fawnia33.htm

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:D

Besides that fiasco Sunday AM...I'm getting stronger each week. My legs feel fine from the running/training too..maybe I just needed rest.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah -- I was planning on both of those things. When you do box squats, do you do 65%? 75%? 85%? Below, at, or above parallel?

In terms of getting under the weight, one thing I was going to do was add standing smith machine calf raises back in. That gets me under 315+ in a working kind of way. The smith will take out some stabilizers, though; so maybe I should just get under it on the rack and lift off, step back, re-rack, and repeat. My calves don't really need to get any bigger, anyway. :r

Rest and, like Frank said, consume more calories. :dr

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Well I like this idea but my problem is making sure it's calories and not just fat! Oh how I love the fatty foods.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I do them right at parallel. I havent been using %'s when box squatting. Its usually 225-315-365-405. But I would work around 60-70%.

Eat out twice a week problem solved. Nothing better than on the way home from leg day to pop in taco bell!!! :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Add in lean proteins and complex carbs. I know it's easier said than done. But what about eating some well-made jerky (ideally a turkey jerky that hasn't been soaked in sugar; but beef would be good too given the amount of exercise you're doing)? What about adding some whole grains in (oats post-workout, brown rice with lunch, etc.)?

I hear you on the love for fatty foods, though. :dr That's why I have a keg rather than a six-pack. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

When you box squat, do you do high sets, low reps (westside style; e.g., 10 sets of 2)?

Mmmmm ... Taco Bell. Now I'm craving a sack of soft tacos. :dr

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

He could just add in some peanuts, peanut butter or almonds with a couple of meals. Hell thats an easy and healthy 500 calories a day.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

No its more high rep right now. The program I am using at the moment has box squats as a strictly assistance exercise. So it's reps of 10.

burrito supremes!!!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I hate you both!!! Stop pushing me to find the closest Taco Bell!

I have oatmeal in the AM with a banana..lunch is random (bad food from local sub shops)..Dinner is usually breaded chicken fillets or something with rice..

I'll see if last night was just a once a week thing. I can deal with extra rest once a week.:tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I think that your problem is right there. Ya need to eat more bro. Def try to get some protein down in the morning. Also adding another meal / snack would be ideal. Also pack a lunch!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I've never been accused of not eating enough. :r When I wrote this down though it does seem like I don't eat enough..come to think of it, why the F am I not losing any weight then? It's been about a month and I don't feel like I've trimmed any fat off.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Absolutely take it off the rack, Dokk. Big difference in having a weight on your back out of the rack at opposed to being under it in the Smith machine. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Gotta eat more often to drop the weight biggest mistake Im sure most guys here see. People at less in an effort to lose weight. Eat more, just worry more about quality and content. You would be surprised. You can eat 6-7 times a day very healthy and drop a ton of fat.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

first day of practice tonight.... wish I didn't hit legs so hard yesterday haha

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I like the way you are thinking, but worry about actually walking the weight out off the hooks. thats where things get dangerous


I've never done this but heard it done by a lot of high level elite track athletes...

Set the hooks, pins whatever you squat off of at a height that makes your hamstrings parallel. Tighten up get ready and just do Rack squats. Stand up with the weight then return to hooks. Easy way to do Heavy loading minus the safety of actually going down etc.

I saw above people talking about box squats....When I do mine I use about 50% of max. I work on squatting onto the box then exploding off it. I try and bend the bar by driving up so fast, most times I actually will drive up off my heels, which gives my calfs a nice workout too:ze (all while maintaining good technique of course)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Phuuuuuuuuuuuk ... I LOVE burrito supremes. Damn you ... I'm gonna have to make a run for the border. I'm effin hungry now! LoL!

I'll give the high rep box squat a run next leg day. :tu

:tpd:

You are as wise as you are monstrously strong, Admiral. :salute:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I'm a lightweight. :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah ... and I'm skinny. :rolleyes:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Let's ride bikes! :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I'm not sure I entirely understand. So you're starting in the hole and exploding up, right? But you have to go back down again, don't you? Or are you saying to set the power rack safety arms up high and just stand up and down with maybe a 4-6" range of motion? :confused:

Interesting. I like the imagery. How many sets/reps at 50% do you do?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Ya. I thought that would be hard to understand after I read it......

You do it with 4-6 inchs ROM

I like to do between 6-9 sets of 2/3 reps....A lot has to do with how I am feeling. If I am feeling good and moving the weight I will keep going upto 9 sets. If I am moving like a dinosaur I will just work the 6 sets

Hope that helps

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

It does. Thanks. One more/final point of clarification: the 4-6in ROM is from an almost standing position, right? Or are you talking about starting from down in the hole/parallel?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

If you are more than about 500cal/day less that what you are using, your body goes into starvation mode and stores everything. Don't forget to add in calories from any protein shakes/bar or other supplements you may be taking to that total.

You can find some good resources here to determine how many calories YOU should be consuming on a daily basis to maintain your weight. Nutrition calculators are listed about halfway down the page. You can adjust from there whether you want to gain or lose. You should check in with that figure regularly during big changes in body composition and/or activity.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

We call em dead stops. Havent done them in awhile.

Heres a video if I am thinking about what you are
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkM4Do6a4V8

When u box squat are you coming to a dead stop?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

3 Miles one the treadmill tonite...I actually was cruising and comfortable :tu

time to eat...:dance:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Today was back....

Wide grip pull-ups....started with a set of 19, and kept going until I could only get 8 for a set.

T-Bar Rows.....from 4 plates to 6 plates for reps.

Cable Rows.....300 for reps.

One Arm Rows....135s up to 180s.

I think I earned a cigar after work tonight.

Keep on sweating, Gents! :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

decline bench with a wide grip is KILLER. Almost no range of motion for me, but it destroys my pecs. I love it!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I love how your one arm rows are heavier than a lot of folks' bbell rows. :ze

You're a monster, Admiral ... and I mean that in the absolutely BEST of way. :tu

Tomorrow is an off day. If I'm feeling up to it, though, I'll probably do some ab work ... and maybe some grip work. We'll see.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Enjoy the day off, Dokk!

Tomorrow is a leg day for me, but I think I will stick to the presses tomorrow, and maybe throw in some shoulder work.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah, about that whole "off" thing. Um ... I kind of, uh, er ... I "trained intuitively." And today, my intuition told me after I did some back stretches to work abs. Hard. :D

Cable rope crunches: 200lbs, 4 sets to failure (20-15-10-12)
Landmines: 35lb plate, 4 sets to failure (10-9-9-10)
Knee raises (on a captain's chair): 3 sets to failure (20, 15, 11)
Pull-down abs: 105lbs, 2 or 3 sets to failure (can't remember; failure = 9ish today).

I thought about doing some cardio after this; but I was feeling like I got punched in the stomach and might lose my White Flood, so I stopped. Felt good to get in there and tear up my gut. It always makes me smile, too, because I've got pretty strong abs compared to a lot of the mirror boys in my gym ... mine just takes the form of a keg rather than a 6-pack. :dance: :r

first time doing landmines today. That's a mean-assed exercise that really hits your obliques and gives your lats and even delts a nice stretch. It's definitely going to get a regular spot in my rotation. :ze

Lift well today, Admiral and all!!!!!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yes I am coming to a dead stop. Pausing then really exploding of the box. Great for working the same thing as your "dead stops" power out of the hole. I like them too because you dont need to mass load to gain huge power output

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Landmines? Is that like the alligator crawl?

I think I ate to faster after my run last night...It feels like the turkey club is stuck just above my stomach and won't move! :pu

I see a lot of guys at the gym carry around a gallon of water..necessary..if so then why?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Good to drink water during the workout, especially if you supplement before hand...though I think a gallon is huge overkill, Bao. If I need more water I just head to the drinking fountain and refill my 20 oz bottle.

Nice job wailin' on the abs today, Dokk. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Here's a landmine: http://youtube.com/watch?v=TG0mgmuuIiY

As for the water thing, I just go to the fountain regularly between sets. Sometimes I bring Gatorade (on leg day and sometimes back day for the carbs); but otherwise, I just make sure to drink probably about a gallon of water over the course of the day. I use a Nalgene bottle, which is 1 quart. 4 of those a day does me right. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

So ... is the video that Frank posted the exercise you were telling me to do? I'm still confused Dave. :confused: For a Dokk, I'm not very smart. :dance:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

That looks awesome!!! yaay...new exercise added!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Do both! hah:r I have seen them done both ways

other times where they set the pins to a certain range of motion


Either way is good, but you will have to find out which one you like better and which one suits your gym better.

I like to think about being more dynamic in everything I do just because being dynamic is much much more sport specific for what I do.

For being a grad student, im not very smart:cool2:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Bao, here is what I chug my workout mix in.
This picture is the 20 oz one, they sell a 32 ounce one. Check your local store, preferably not WalMart.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4350/chugdk1.th.jpg

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:r Thanks for the clarification, Bro. One of these days, I need to come to SC and have you show me a thing or two in person. I'd love to train for a day at your Sorinex gym. :tu

Today was another high-intensity day for me. Not sure what the deal is this week. I've just felt more focused, driven, etc. Maybe it's the new music, maybe it's being back in my regular routine finally, maybe it's just a combination of various factors.

Today was a back day, with focus on explosiveness and speed. I almost puked a few different times ... probably in part because of my ab day yesterday. :pu After some stretches and warmups, I got started on my 1-hour session....

Close natural grip T-bar: 1p x 10, 2p x 10, 3p x 8, 3p x 8, 3p x 8
Medium natural grip T-bar: 2p x 10, 2 p x 9
Wide grip T-bar: 2p x 10

Barbell rows: 135 x 12, 10, 12

1-arm dbell rows: 70 x 8, 8, 8

Deadlifts: 225 x 10, 8, 8, 10

Snatch-grip deads: 135 x 10, 10, 10

Not even close to heaviest weight for me, but it was an intense session focused on speed, explosiveness, and form. I feel wasted. :ze

Probably just cardio tomorrow. I really do need a rest day. Saturday and Sunday will be totally off, too, since I'll be in OH without a place to lift. Do some extra reps for me this weekend, please.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Great workout, Dokk!

I am off today, but I have your reps covered over the weekend. ;)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Thanks, Brother. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Just got back into the gym this passed week after almost 4months away due to a shoulder and neck injury. First week back SUCKS!!!!! :cFirst day back working chest on the wire machine and I was only able to get 30 pounds on each arm putting me about 90 pounds per arm off where I was. Going to be a long slow trip back. Worked legs for the first time since I was out 2 nights ago and they are still screaming at me. Not even close to the sets I was doing 4 months ago, only got to 900 lbs. on the leg press before my legs turned to jello. :c Not to mention the weight I put on while sitting home on my couch for a month. Well I guess I will just need to get back in a little more often.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

2nd day of no activity...my stomach is killing me! My Dr. buddy says it might be reflux and to let it pass. I need to gym it up soon. :fl