Weekly Review | John PhungWeekly Review Archives - Page 25 of 26

Weekly Review: Shoulder Impingement, Strength Training, Gym Equipment, 1.M.R. & PR’s

August 20, 2011 — 1 Comment

Pain in the Ass..err...Shoulder

What started out as a crappy week actually ended up pretty good.

For some reason I was feeling gassed and light headed after 5x5 squats that I ended up skipping out on the overhead press on Sunday (volume day).

On Tuesday (recovery day) I didn't warm up my shoulders properly before power cleans. Ended up with pain shooting from both of my shoulders right down my arms, and I decided it probably wans't a good idea to do bench press that day.

However Thursday (intensity day) was different. For squats, what felt unusually heavy last week felt quite easy this week.

Also for overhead press, I'm inching closer to 3 reps with 205lbs at a bodyweight of around 190lbs. I'm aiming to hit a 225lbs 1RM by the end of the year.

Anyways, a few things I've come across this week that are good to read:

Eric Cassey tells us "The Truth About Shoulder Impingement"
Kelsey@LivetheFitLife explains a few random facts about strength training that people should know
Jason Ferruggia showswhat equipment you need for a new gym (great ideas for a home gym too!)
Rob King reveals that the pre-workout supplement 1.M.R is now banned in Canada (dammit, never got a chance to try it out!)
Steve Reed explains how a towel can help you set new personal records via http://heyjoob.com/2011/08/19/recent-good-reads/

Keep lifting, keep progressing & have a great weekend!

-JP

In Weekly Review 1mr, 1mr banned, gym equipment, impingement, shoulder pain, strength training, Texas method, towel training

Weekly Review: Cleaning The Bar, Powerlifting, Improving Your Squat, Whey Protein & Gym Etiquette

August 13, 2011 — Leave a comment

I experimented with power cleaning the bar for over head press and front squats this week.

I felt way more explosive doing the press & front squat AFTER I cleaned the bar as opposed to lifting it off the rack. It actually felt a lot easier. And for a couple of days, my traps were sore as hell.

I got this idea from Zach Even-Esh's blog. He wrote:

I remember when I trained at Diamond Gym & began power cleaning the bar from the ground before every set of military presses and my back, traps, shoulders and arms got seriously THICK in a very short time period.

That sound's like a pretty damn good idea! It also seems like a manlier way to lift weights.

Cleaning the Bar for the Front Squat

Elbows Pointed Forward

For the front squat, getting the bar in position is the same as a regular power clean. ie. the bar will be racked on your front deltoids with your elbows raised & pointed forward.

Cleaning the Bar for the Over Head Press

Elbows Pointed Down

Cleaning the bar for the over head press is different compared to cleaning the bar for the front squat (at least for me). My press my grip is wider than I normally use for power cleans, so I needed to clean the bar with a wider grip.

Also, because I'm pressing it up, I don't rack with my elbows up. I rack it with my elbows down, and I'm in a position where I'm ready to press the bar over my head.

It looks something like this (note this is not me; it's some strong dude from Singapore):

I won't be cleaning the bar for overhead presses during intensity days (where I try to hit a 1,2 or 3 rep max). But for volume (5x5) & recover days (3x5) I will.

Anyways, enough about cleaning and check out these links:

Christine aka "thecookiemonster" gives her thoughts on powerlifting
Charles Poliquin explains how to increase your squat, and gives me some more reasons to consider (finally) taking whey protein
Brent Contreras shares 50 commandments that should be obeyed in the gym: http://bretcontreras.com/2011/08/50-commandments-commercial-gym-etiquette/

Keep lifting, keep progressing & have a great weekend!

-JP

In Weekly Review cleaning the bar, commercial gym, front squats, increase squat, military press, overhead press, power clean, powerlifting, traps, whey protein

Weekly Review: Setting Goals, KISS, Women Should Lift Weights, Rest Periods, Bench Press & Success by Schwarzenegger

August 6, 2011 — Leave a comment

Setting Goals

I have found that setting goals allow you to stay on track. On track for what? On track to hitting your goals of course!

Setting goals in my experience have also:

kept me motivated
keeps me focused on the process of reaching the goal (in this case, weight training)
always monitoring & tweaking the plan to reach my goals
progress faster because I'm working towards something
gives me a reason why to go to the gym and train

I have also found if I don't set goals, then...

I'm not as motivated
I feel lost
experience less improvement, and
since there's no target to move towards, often times I find myself doing the same thing over and over again and not improving

Since I've already broken my previous goals, I've decided to set some new ones today!

Here they are:

Squat: 500lbs (current 1RM is 423.5lbs)

Deadlift: 600lbs (current 1RM is 500.5lbs)

Bench Press: 400lbs (current 1RM is 319lbs)

Press: 300lbs (current 1RM is 214.5lbs)

Power Clean: 315lbs (current 1RM is 225.5lbs)

Deadline: My birthday (April 3rd, 2012)

Weight Loss

I've lost weight since moving back to Canada. I was 195lbs, but it's now hovering around 190lbs since 2 weeks ago. Which is great because if and when I do compete in powerlifting competitions, I would probably go for the 82.5Kg class (181.5lbs).

I'm also finding that my gut sticks out a lot less, and it's a lot easier putting on my weight lifting belt!

How did I lose 5 pounds in less than 1 month? It's probably because I'm not eating out all the time, and I'm rarely eating any junk food. On top of that, I'm kicking the heavy bag twice a week (which sure beats any cardio machine) and I walk to and back from the gym (about a 15 minute walk each way).

Good Reads Around The Interwebz

Want to get stronger? Keep it simple, (stupid!)
Talk to me Johnnie clarifies how long you should rest in between sets is dependent on what you're trying to achieve
Women: more reasons why to lift weights. Men: more reasons why to get your girlfriend/wife to lift weights: http://www.niashanks.com/blog/strong-and-feminine
Old school muscle man Marvin Eder is a beast
And just when you thought you knew everything about the bench press, Mike Robertson takes you to school again: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/bench-press/
Last but not least, here's a video where Arnold speaks about his 6 secrets to success (via http://rosstraining.com/blog/2011/08/04/success-by-arnold-schwarzenegger/)

In Weekly Review Bench Press, goal setting, rest periods, strong is beautiful, success video by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Weekly Review: Bruised Shins, Commercial Gyms, Obe$ity, Powerlifting Moms, Squat Variations & Hitler Loses Members to CrossFit

July 30, 2011 — 1 Comment

My stamina is building back up and I've finally hit 5x5 on squats after a week layoff. The jetlag is pretty much gone, but my sleeping times are still abnormal (sleep around 6PM and wake up at 12AM). It's not ideal, but I'm awake when the gym is open so I'm happy.

I've also started doing hitting the heavy bag twice a week. I consider it my "cardio" training (pretty damn manly cardio if you ask me). It also gives me an opportunity to practice my kicks and punches. The bottom of the bag is very hard, evidenced by my bruised shins below:

Anyway, check this out:

Glenn Pendlay joins a commercial gym. All cliches hold true...
Being obese is damn expensive. Too many people make the excuse that they don't have time to exercise. After reading this, I'm sure many are saying they don't have the money to be obese!
Even if you're a mom or over 40 years old, it's never too late to start power lifting
The squat is a staple exercise in any program. But did you know there are over 50 ways to squat??
Hilarious video titled "Hitler Loses Members to CrossFit" (via thecookiemonster)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z2b2x6C5o0

Keep lifting, keep progressing & have a great weekend!

-JP

In Weekly Review bruised shins, commercial gyms, financial cost of obesity, moms, over 40, powerlifting, squats

Weekly Review: Lats & Presses, Lift Like A Girl, Best Supplements, Squats & Olympic Lifts

July 23, 2011 — 1 Comment

YES! Finally joined a gym! Pretty awesome since it's not very busy, has 3 power racks that aren't used often (from what I've seen), mature members, even has a heavy bag that's really hard at the bottom (good for shin conditioning) and the staff members are nice (I got a free gym bag). Now I don't need to worry about where to train, and can focus on getting stronger.

My only complaint is that there's maybe not enough 45lbs plates. Feels like I'm hogging the 45's while I'm doing deadlifts lol.

Anyway, here's some good articles I've come across this week:

Boris from Squat Rx explains how to engage the lats and triceps into your press
Nia Shanks correctly observes what it means to "Lift like a man" (and how she lifts like a girl instead):

"Most guys in here bench press every day and then spend an entire hour working on their biceps. And the closest thing to a 'leg exercise' they perform is walking to the water fountain. So you see; I don’t train like a man."
John Leyva from The Psychology of Fitness lists the best supplements that anyone should take
Nick Horton from The Iron Samurai gives an analysis about the back squat, and whether or not they are necessary for your training. He also gives me good reasons why I should add front squats during recovery days while on on the Texas Method (thanks Nick!)
Nick also offers some tips on Olympic lifting. I don't do any real Olympic lifts, but I'm sure these tips will come in handy during power cleans.