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Bench Press 3RM, Increased Squat Volume, Supplements, Hugh Jackman, Legs and Lose 40 lb of Fat

January 27, 2013 — Leave a comment

Let's see how my training went this past week:

Squat

Decided to add a couple of sets of low bar squat to Monday's already high volume squat workout, and it was quite challenging. Maybe it's my lack of conditioning, but I had to lie down on a bench with my feet elevated during the later sets. I have never done this before.

I did 2 sets of 5 after 5x3 of low bar squats. My low back muscles felt extremely pumped after the sets of 5, and may have made the high bar squats more difficult than it should have been. I think I'll try adding the 2x5 low bar squats after 5x5 high bar squat to see how it feels.

Surprisingly, I did not experience much DOMS in my legs or lower back the next day, and I could walk up and down the stairs just fine.

Maybe, because my body proportion is similar to that of Wolverine, I have similar healing powers too! I definitely do not have the body hair though.

OHP

For overhead presses, I missed again (twice!) at 260 lb even though I didn't bench as much on Monday (3x5 instead of the usual 5x5), allowing my triceps to be "more fresh" on OHP day.

Maybe it has to do with my grip width, and how it affects my upper body position. I find that with a wider grip, I can stand more erect, but with a narrower grip, I need to lean back a little so that the bar is over the center of my body. I used a narrow grip, and I'm pretty sure I was standing more erect than leaning back, because the bar felt a little too forward as I tried to press the weight up.

Or maybe, I'm just not strong enough to OHP 260 lb. Yet.

I did get a body weight (200 lb) 7 rep max, and I'm hoping for 225 x 5 for the next session.

Bench Press

Out of all the lifts that I do with a barbell, I think I'm making the most progress with my bench press.

I hit a new 3RM at 330 lb. Previous my 3 rep personal best was 320 lb a little over a month ago. +10 lb increase is not too bad!

I think this weight would be a good opener for the bench press in a powerlifting competition.

Also, I think I finally (and accidentally) figured out how to utilize my lats to drive the bar up during the bench. I'll need to experiment more though.

Anyway, check out some of the articles I wrote this past week:

And take a look these:

Dude, So and So Got SO Fucking Jacked For That Movie: Hugh Jackman by Jamie Lewis
Maximal Leg Development by Mike Robertson
How to Lose 40 lb of Fat in 63 days by Marty Gallagher

In Weekly Review Bench Press, food, hugh jackman, jamie lewis, leg development, lose fat, low bar squat, Marty Gallagher, mike robertson, ohp, Squat, supplements, whey protein

Training Updates, My 1st Guest Post, 360 lb Bench Press, Pork Bulgogi Recipe, Slipping and OHP

January 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

Some training updates and notes from this past week, mainly for myself to clarify exactly what the hell I'm doing (or about to do), and for those who might be interested in my workouts.

Squat

For the squat, I'm increasing the volume on both volume day and intensity day.

For volume day, it will be:

Low bar squat: 5x3
High bar squat: 5x5

So that's 40 total squat reps (generally Texas Method is 25 total squat reps, and I've done 30 in the past). I'm playing with the idea of adding a couple of low bar squat back off sets of 2x5. Not sure yet.

And intensity day:

Low bar squat: 3x3
High bar squat: 2x5

Normally for intensity day for the Texas Method is 1x5.

We'll see how this works out.

I haven't squatted 500 lb or more in a long time. In fact, my squat has gotten weaker after making some changes to my programming. I have a feeling this increased volume, along with performing low bar and high bar squats in the same workout, will build a solid foundation and get me back on track.

My short term goal is to finally get a high bar squat of 500 lb or more (current max is 495 lb, missed on 500 lb a few times), and to break my overall squat (which is a low bar squat) PR of 510 lb.

Overhead Press

I missed a 260 lb overhead press on Wednesday, but did get some repetition PRs (225x4 and 200x6).

My triceps always feel a little fatigue and sore on Wednesday from Monday's bench workout. I suspect that if I decrease my bench press from 5x5 to 3x5 on Monday, I'll press 260 lb on Wednesday. We shall see.

Bench Press

My first bench press PR of the year! 360 lb with a reverse grip:

Everything felt smooth for the most part. I did feel the bar move forward towards my head by a fraction of a nanometer (normally on the descent, it goes down until the bar touches a point below my sternum), but I managed to control it and press it up.

I think I'll hit some repetition PR's before tackling a 1 rep max again.

Deadlift

I'll be trying out some added volume for deadlifts at 5x5. Basically, I'll work up to a heavy single (500 lb) with a hook grip to keep my pain tolerance high and to ensure I can deadlift 500 lb anytime, and then hit 5x5 for my work sets. I'm starting with 320 lb and will probably be adding 5 lb or so per week.

I was thinking of doing rack pulls again and gradually decrease the height of the bar over time, but changing the sabre style safeties in my power rack is a bit of a pain in the ass. Maybe I'll come back to this in the future.

L-Sit Chin Ups

Lastly, I also posted a video of me doing some L-sit chin ups, which I believe helps in the OHP (see my article below) and keeps me from looking like a Centaur.

Anyway, here are some blog posts I wrote this past week that you might have missed:

Pressure Cooker Pork Bulgogi Recipe - This is yummy.
How To Prevent Your Back From Slipping & Sliding During The Bench Press - This $1 item helped increase my bench press.

And check out these articles about the overhead press:

3 Ways To Increase Your Overhead Pressing Strength by John Phung (hey, that's me!)

I wrote a guest post for AllThingsGym.com at the request of the site owner. I write about some things that has helped me with my overhead press. I have a still have a few tricks up my sleeves, so maybe there will be a part II in the future 😉

Pimpin' Ain't Easy #4- Let's get Down to The Finish (NSFW) by Jamie Lewis

Another article about the overhead press, detailing different methods by guys like Tommy Kono and Bill March, who both had a similar body weight as me in the past, but pressed well over 300 lb over their heads.

In Weekly Review Bench Press, ChAoS and PAIN, deadlift, jamie lewis, john phung, l-sit chin ups, ohp, overhead press, Squat, Texas method, training updates

Passed The NCSA-CPT Exam, Knowing Squat, Why Charles Stanley Trains and Forums

January 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

Well, I found out this past week that I passed the NCSA-CPT (National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer) exam!

I wrote it in December and just got the results via email after submitting my CPR/AED card. They'll be mailing the certificate to me in the next few weeks.

As for the exam itself, it was really a pain in the ass to write. The exam location, which was York University, was in another city, and the time started at 9:00 AM ending at 12:00 PM. Meaning, to make sure that I could make it on time, I had to stay overnight at a hotel to write this exam.

The desks were tiny, probably the smallest desks I've ever used as an adult. The width of the writing surface of the desk was probably as wide as a single sheet of paper. Sitting in a chair made of wood for 3 hours was literally a pain in the butt, and having my head down looking at test for 3 hours was a pain in the neck. I train my neck on a regular basis, but this was tough, even for me! My neck was sore after, and I'm pretty sure I had a neck pump after the exam.

As for the test itself, it was challenging. It was a 150 question multiple choice test, with about 35 questions that required you to watch a video before answering the question from the exam booklet. There is no practical component like the Can-Fit-Pro Personal Training Specialist, or PTS test (I was required to train a mock client in front of another trainer).

Unless I'm mistaken, the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) exam is the same way (all multiple choice with no practical component), meaning just about anybody who is a good text book reader and test taker can obtain these certifications, with the exception that the CSCS has a requirement of a bachelor's degree in any subject.

This would be the second training certification I've obtained in the past 10 years. The first one was Can-Fit-Pro PTS. I let that one expire because of a career change. I really should have kept up with it though.

I also obtained a 3M National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) many moons ago during the dot-com bubble in 1999. Yes, I am probably older than you think 😉

As far as my opinion on certifications go, in the end, they're really just a piece of paper saying that someone has paid the appropriate fees and have managed to pass a multiple choice test (or whatever the test format and requirements happens to be) that is based off of the textbook and other materials provided by the certifying agency. It doesn't mean that they actually ~~workout~~ train themselves on a regular basis, or have worked with clients in the past (unless those happen to be required for the certification).

It is what it is.

Now I have to keep up with these CEU (continuing education units) that ~~continue to make money for the certifying agencies~~ will...err...continue my education.

However, I suspect that most of my "education" in the future will come from under a heavy barbell, and coaching others.

Anyways, check out these articles!

Knowing Squat About Squats by Alex Schuld, Howard Hensen and Ryan Atkins
Why I Train by Charles Staley
Fuck Your Forum by Paul Carter

In Weekly Review Alex Schuld, Charles Stanley, CSCS, forum, Howard Hensen and Ryan Atkins, National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer, NCSA-CPT, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, paul carter, squats

Programmable Pressure Cooker, Mikhail Koklyaev Interview And Detox

January 6, 2013 — 2 Comments

Not much to report in this week as far as training goes. Caught a cold last week which took it's toll this week, but I was still able to get in all my main training sessions.

I tried Zercher squats on Wednesday and I don't think I'll be sticking with it. It's a pain in the ~~ass~~ arms. I'll reincorporate paused squats on recovery day instead.

I missed a 360 lb bench press on Friday, probably due to my back slipping on the bench again. Try again next week!

Lastly, I've been using a slow cooker for a couple of years, and have recently upgraded to a programmable pressure cooker. It's like a super fast version of a slow cooker (cooking in ~1 hour instead of 9 hours), and moonlights as a rice cooker, slow cooker along with a few other functions as well. Solid investment to save time and cook large quantities of delicious food.

Anyway, here are a couple of must read articles to check out:

"Mikhail Koklyaev Interview on Olympics, Breaking Plateaus and Recovering from Inflamed Elbows" at All Things Gym
- A lot of real world wisdom from one of the strongest men on the planet.
"The Detox Delusion" by Scott Gavura
- I've heard the word "detox" used for a lot of snake oil treatments. Don't be fooled!