Training Recap

As I mentioned in my blog post today, things are going really well. My body comp is improving, my strength is getting better, and orthopedically I feel really good (knocks on wood). Here's a brief rundown of the past four sessions:

Today - 9/30

Inside-Out warm-up

Reverse Band Bench (green band), 5x275, 285, 295

While I have no intentions of doing a meet soon, I figure it's a good idea to get some heavy weights in my hands. My warm-ups and first set felt terrible, though. The reason? Shitty plates. Some of the 45's that we have in the gym must be 5 pounds off - seriously. Once I switched out the offending 45, the second two sets felt much better.

DB Rows, 3x5 w/90#

Face Pulls, 3x8 w/70#

Bi's, Tri's and Dead Bugs, 3x8

Good workout overall. I was late getting to the gym so no energy system work.


Saturday 9/27

This wasn't a bad workout, but it wasn't a great one either. I was resting (aka coaching) too much, so I didn't get as much volume in as I would've liked.

Speed Pulls, 3x1 w/365

Felt like a ton of bricks - I was hoping to go heavier but bagged it for another day.

Trap Bar Deads, 5x245, 295, 335

This was only the second time I've done these, but they felt much better than before. Now that I have a point of reference I'm going to push them for the next 3-4 weeks.

Glute-Hams (#3), 3x6


Thursday 9/25

Mini-band assisted chins, 8, 7, 5

It's amazing how much better chins feel when you're not a total fatty. Interesting.

Blast Strap Push-ups, 3x10

Face Pulls, 3x8 w/70

Skullcrushers, BB Curls, and Ab Wheel ISO Rollouts, 3x8 and 3x15 s. holds

Airdyne Sprints + MB Slams

Good workout; had the same plate issue when doing skullcrushers, though, which was disappointing. You know the weights are skewed when the bar is perfectly centered on the bench and one side is at least 2" lower than the other!


Tuesday 9/23

This was the post-Vegas workout, so I was feeling stiff from all the travel and a long day on Monday. My primary goal was to get some good mobility in and loosen things up going forward.

Plate Front Squats w/mini-band, 3x10 w/25

RDL's, 3x6 (225 then 245)

Glute-Hams, 3x6

Prowler Pushes, 4x50 yards

Tall Kneeling Pallof Press ISO, 2x30 s. w/30#

Recent training

As always, behind is my middle name - here are some updates from last week and this week.

Tuesday 9/16

Energy was low today and I had a bunch of other stuff to get done, so I geared things back considerably. More than anything my goal was to get a light sweat, get the heart rate up a bit, and get done quickly.

Inside-Out warm-up

DB Incline, 2x6 w/60#

Fat Bar Chin-ups/Pull-ups, 8, 6

Face Pulls, 2x8 w/60#'s

DB Curls, 3x6 w/35#'s

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 3x10


Friday 9/12

Had two I-FAST trainees in there at this time, so it was nice to have some other people around. Pretty good session all around.

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Speed Pulls, 5x1 w/365#

Concentric Only SSB Good Morning, 5x185, 195, 205

These are hard - that is all.

Glute-Hams, 3x6 (Hole #3)

Isometric Pallof Press, 2x30 s. with 50#'s

These were harder too - increasing the weight will do that.


Thursday

My goal was to get 225 in my hands today since I hadn't done that for a while - then I realized Eric Cressey just benched 315 for 3. I suck at life :(

Inside-Out warm-up

Bench Press, 5x205, 5x215, 4x225

I probably could've gotten a fifth but I:

A) Didn't have a hand-off
B) Didn't have a spotter
C) Didn't feel like paying me dentist for crown veneers if I missed the rep

I mean if Tony Gentilcore can bench 300 raw, I should be able to. I'm focused now - here I come Tony!!!

DB Rows, 8x70, 2x6x80

Face Pulls

Tricep Extensions

BB Curls

Split-Stance Cable Push


In other breaking news, I started back squatting again last week too. Needless to say, the DOMS in my quads from Tue-Fri was just flat out wrong. Overall, things felt pretty good - I squatted to a 15" box and while I'm weak as a kitten, the finer technical aspects seem all right. I'll continue to push things and see how they feel. I don't really have any pre-conceived notions of what my squat/bench should be at this point in time, I just know they suck and I'm going to work to get them back up to speed.

Time will tell....

MR

Training updates

I'm not even sure when the last time I posted was, so here goes...

Wednesday, 9/3

Foam rolling

M2 Drills

Glute activation work

Deadlifts, 3x1 w/405#, Single at 455#

405 felt pretty good, but 455 was slower and less technically efficient than I would've liked.

Concentric Only SSB Good Mornings, 5x165, 185, 195

This bar owns me - I really have to focus on keeping my weight shifted back on my heels and not letting my chest cave.

Tall Kneeling Cable Chop, 3x8 w/50#

Saturday, 8/30

Foam Rolling

I/O Warm-up

Bench, 5x195, 205, 215

Pec felt good and strength is coming back - still weak though :(

Blast Strap Rows, 3x10

Face Pulls, 3x10 w/60 or 70 (can't remember!)

Skullcrushers, 3x8 w/80#

Rope Cable Curls, 3x8 w/70

Ab Wheel, 3x10

That's all my puny brain can remember for now - my other low body workout last week consisted of low box plate squats, RDL's, glute-hams, etc.

I hope everyone's training is going well - good luck!

Stay strong
MR

Recent training

Here are some updates from the past couple days:

Saturday - Lower body

Foam rolling

Magnificent Mobility drills

Hip Circuit

RDL's, 5x225, 2x5w/245

Step-ups, 3x8 w/40's

Glute-Hams, 3x8

Strongman Circuit x2
15 KB Swings
15 Split Stance MB Throws
200 ft. farmers walks

Pallof Press, 40# x 30 sec.

Tueday - Upper body

SMR work

Inside-Out warm-up

BB Bench, 2x5 w/185#, 5x195#

Getting back in the groove - plus my R shoulder was a little off since I haven't had any soft-tissue work done in forever. I need to get my guy back from Beijing!

Blast Strap Rows, 3x8

Face Pulls, 3x8 w/50#

Skullcrushers, 2x8 w/70#

DB Curls, 2x8 w/35#

DB External Rotation, 2x10 w/10#

Ab Wheel, 3x10

Wow - I'm really weak right now. However, I can tell it won't take long now that things are settling down a bit with the gym/home.

Stay strong
MR

Training blog back in action...

So the training blog is back in action - because, well, I'm actually training again. Which helps ;)

Over the course of my vacation I got 2 lifts in, but was definitely quite "active" overall. Tons of walking, hiking, etc. Last week was somewhat sporadic with the move and the gym opening, but this week I've gotten back in the swing of things. Here are the workouts thus far:

Tuesday - Lower body

Deadlifts, 3x3 w/315#

Grooving some technique this week and I'll jump up next week.

Safety Bar Good Mornings, 2x5 w/90 (plus whatever that bar weighs)

I didn't like the eccentric on these, so I may do them off pins next week. It was weird, but something just felt "off."

I then played around with some single-leg stuff.

Ab Whell Rollouts, 3x8

Quick and dirty workout; felt good to move around and get back in the swing of things.

Thursday - Upper body

Mini-band assisted chin-ups, 4x5

Working on getting those low traps strong - felt pretty good.

Mini-band resisted push-ups, 3x8

Good stuff here - felt good.

Face Pulls, 8x70, 2x8 w/80

BB Curls, 3x8 w/65#

(I was told that since I'm a gym owner know I need to have some big gunz - whatever).

KB Swings, 3x10

I was going to do more here, but got caught up in watching my guy push the Prowler. It's always easier to watch someone workout than do it yourself!

Split Stance Cable Push, 2x8 w/50, 8x60

Stay strong
MR

Recent training

Saturday - Lower body pull emphasis

Deadlifts, 3x315, 1x405, 1x425, 1x455

Felt pretty good overall. I lost my lordosis a little on the 455, so I stopped for the day. Strength was better than expected, though.

Trap Bar Deadlifts, 5x225, 3x315, 5x315, 3x365, 2x405

I hadn't ever done these before, so I played around with them a bit. More than anything, I found my grip to be a limiting factor here as I wasn't sure where to grip it at. Felt pretty good though.

Glute Ham Raises, 3x8 (Hole #4)

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 3x8

I hit a ton of golf balls this night, as my wife bought me a pair of clubs for my upcoming birthday. Needless to say, I was a little sore the next day ;)



Tuesday - Lower body squat day

I didn't do a whole lot today -motivation was a little low and I had a ton of other things going on. What I did do was productive though.

Front Squats, 3x135, 3x185 (to 12" box)

Good clean reps. Hip mobility and lumbar stability are looking and feeling good.

Back Squats, 5x225, 5x275 (to 14" box)

Went an inch deeper this week and it appeared as though my back position was staying neutral. I think another inch or so and I'll be below parallel, so things are coming around here. It's taken a little while, but I think the reward will be worth it (i.e. better hip mobility and a healthy low back over the long haul!)

Step-ups, 2x8 with 50's

Tall Kneeling Cable Chop, 2x8 with 50#

It was short and sweet, but I'm really encouraged by my squat patterns overall. If I can clean up a little lagging L-R asymmetry, I should be doing really well.

Stay strong
MR

This week's workouts

Tuesday

Lower body squat session

Foam rolling

Magnificent Mobility Drills

Hip pre-hab/activation circuit

Back Squats to 15" box, 5x225, 5x275

Working on getting things symmetrical and smooth here. Since I'm typing this two days later, I can tell I'm getting better quad activation on the left side, which is definitely a good thing.

RDL's, 5x245, 5x265

DB Reverse Lunges, 2x8 w/50's

Glute-Ham Raises, 2x8

Tall Kneeling Lift, 3x8

KB Swings, 2x15 w/24 kg. KB

Pretty good workout overall. I'm trying to develop a base and get my lifts smoothed out before I leave on vacation. I'm also finding I have a ton of soft-tissue stuff going on in my left plantar fascia/lower leg; some extra work on these areas has started to relieve that nerve injury I was dealing with. Perhaps it was a mild nerve entrapment? Who knows...

Wednesday

1 hour Krav maga class

Thursday

Upper body day

I/O Warm-up

Barbell Bench, 5x185, 195, and 205

Wow, I'm still really weak on this. I think getting a hand-off in a few weeks when the gym opens will make a big difference though. Pecs feel great, though, so it's time to start pushing a bit.

Inverted Rows w/feet on physioball, 3x10

Face Pulls, 8x80. 2x8 w/90

Skullcrushers, 2x10 w/70

DB Curls, 6x40, 8x35

Split Stance Cable Push, 3x10 w/50

Prone Low Trap Y, 2x12

Overall things are going well. Other than being weak and having poor work capacity, I'm in a good position to start moving forward. Like I said - develop a training base and some connective tissue strength now, and hopefully when I get back I can start to crank things up.

Stay tuned...

MR

Training 6/25

Upper Body

Inside-Out Warm-up

Fat Boy Pull-ups, 3x10

Mini-band resisted push-ups, 3x10

Face Pulls, 3x10 (60, 70, 80?)

Rope Pressdowns, 15x70, 12x80, 12x90

Prone Low Trap Y's, 3x10

Split Stance Push, 3x10 w/40#

Good workout overall. Body is feeling reasonably good, and I like having the cable crossover in the gym. If nothing else, it gives me another option for weighted core work.

Stay strong
MR

Training 6/23

A little behind with all these, but last week was crazy. Here's today's workout:

Foam Rolling, Stick and tennis ball work - Entire lower body

M2 Warm-up

Hip Circuit

Front Squats, 3x135, 3x185

Back Squats, 5x225, 5x275

RDL's, 2x5 w/245

DB Reverse Lunges, 2x8 w/50's

Tall Kneeling Cable Chop, 3x8 w/ 40

KB Swings, 2x15

Today was a really good workout overall. Movement quality was where I wanted it to be.

Stay strong
MR

I've been slacking...

On my training blog lately - sorry!

Last week wasn't too exciting, and I can't remember all my weights off the top of my head. The general structure looked like this:

Tuesday - Lower body
Wednesday - Upper body
Thursday - Krav Maga bag class
Saturday - Speed pulls, good mornings etc.

This week has been a little scattered, too, especially with my buddy coming in to town from LA on Friday.

Here's yesterday's workout:

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Intrinsic hip circuit

Front Squat warm-up to 12" box, 135x5, 185x3

Back Squats to 16" box, 2x5 w/225, 315x1

I'm going to start incorporating front squats in as a warm-up to help maintain good hip mobility and trunk stiffness.

The back squats didn't feel bad, just heavy. I need to get used to having some heavy iron on my back.

RDL's, 2x5 w/225

Low back was a little stiff so I didn't push this too much.

Bulgarian Split Squat EQI, 30 seconds each side

Here's my tenative game plan for the rest of the week:

Thursday - Upper body workout (AM) and Krav bag class (PM)
Friday - 18 holes of golfing fun
Saturday - Mixed upper/lower workout

Stay strong
MR

Training 6/6

Lower body workout

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Speed Pulls, 3x1 w/365

Commerical gym workout with a nasty bar and no chalk. Technique was good but had to really focus on the grip.

Good Mornings, 5x225, 5x245

Felt really good - will go up again this week.

Bulgarian Split Squats, 2x6 w/40's

Needed to get in and out fast, so this did the trick.

Worked on the gym all day Saturday, so no 2nd upper body session this week. I'll hit a Krav Maga class tonight, then squat day tomorrow. This best day for me this week will be when I cancel my membership to the commerical gym - woo hoo!

Stay strong
MR

Training 6/4

Upper body workout

Inside-Out Warm-up

DB Incline, 6x75's, 80's, and 85's

Getting stronger here, but I think I'm done w/the incline bench for a while.

Supine Rows, 2x6, 5x190

Ditto here - I'm done with this exercise for a bit.

Close Grip Bench, 2x5@185

Getting back in the groove here and want to start getting some lockout strength back.

Cable Curls, 2x8@50

After this week no more cables for a while - figured I would enjoy it while I could!

Overall a good workout. Bodyweight is staying steady around 205/206 even with the re-introduction of more carbs back into the diet. Feeling good.

Stay strong
MR

Training from 5-30 to 6-3

Training has been sporadic with the new gym coming together and trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends. Here's what I've done this past couple of days:

Friday 5/30 - Lower body workout

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Speed Pulls, 3x2@315

Good Mornings, 2x5@225

Bulgarian Split Squats, 3x6@30's or 35's (can't remember!)

Dead Bugs, 3x8


Monday 6/2 - Krav Maga class

Beat the sh*t out of my forearms blocking strikes - my left arm is still swollen!


Tuesday 6/3 - Lower body workout

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Box Squats to 16 or 17" box, 2x5@225

These felt pretty good - I'm working on sitting back more, forcing my chest out, and not allowing any movement at the lumbar spine/sacrum. I'll slowly work my way down like I did with the front squats.

RDL's, 6@225, 6@245

DB Lunges, 2x8@40

I hate the commercial gym - we take possession of our gym this Friday, so I'm ready to get going!!!

Stay strong
MR

Training 5/28

Wednesday 5/28
Upper body session and Krav Maga class

Due to my crazy schedule, I had to place these back to back yesterday. I was fine until we had to do a bunch of single-arm stance stuff :(

Inside-Out warm-up

DB Incline, 3x8@70

Supine Row, 8, 7, 6 @185

Face Pulls, 3x8@60

Ab Rollouts, 3x8

No push-ups today as I knew that would be taken care of as part of the class "warm-up" ;)

Stay strong
MR

Training 5/21

Upper body workout

Inside-Out warm-up

Barbell Incline, 8x135, 145, 155

I was supposed to hit DB work instead, but every clown in the gym was using an incline bench. Not surprisingly, everyone was using it for something OTHER than incline or military pressing.

These didn't feel great at the start as that pec isn't 110% yet, but it got stronger as I went. I'm ok with this for now.

Supine Rows, 1x8, 2x7 @180

It helps when you start at the right weight. Last week the first two sets were easy, today was much more difficult.

Face Pulls, 2x10@60?

Feet Elevated Push-ups, 2x10

Ab Wheel, 3x8

DB Fly EQI, 10# for 60 seconds

Good workout overall. Bodyweight was around 205ish today, so only a few pounds to go.

Stay strong
MR

EDIT: The new automatic save here is pretty sweet. Blogger crashed and I thought I was going to have to re-type it all again. Woo-hoo!

Past couple sessions

It's been a crazy couple of weeks with the seminar last weekend and signing the lease for our new gym! Anyway, here's the training updates:

Thursday 5/15

Krav Maga bag class - 1 hour

Not too bad, and I feel like I'm getting in better shape overall.

Friday 5/16

M2 Warm-up

Intrinsic hip circuit

KB Swings, 10x10 on the minute

I need something quick and dirty today. I was in and out in approximately 20 minutes, so this was perfect. I was swamped.

Tuesday 5/20

M2 Warm-up

Intrinsic hip circuit and TKE's

Box Squats, 5x135, 5x225 (to either a 16 or 17" box, not sure)

Felt good - I wanted to switch back to my Chucks and see how they felt. Overall this felt really good.

Speed Pulls, 2x3@315

Again, in Chucks. First couple sets felt REALLY good.

Glute-Ham Raise, 2x5 at hole #3

Light band tibialis work, 2x10

This was more of a confidence workout than anything else. With the nerve injury from a few weeks ago, I didn't want to push things too much, too soon. We'll see how things progress in the next couple of weeks.

Stay strong
MR

Wednesday 5/14

Upper body session

Inside-Out Warm-up

DB Incline, 8x65, 2x8@70

First time I've done any sort of incline in at least two years. Felt good to do something different, though. I'll probably run this for 3-4 weeks.

Supine Pulldowns, 10x140, 8x160, 8x180

Need to start heavier on these next week. Essentially it's a lat pulldown where you're laying all the way back, so it's technically more of a row.

Face Pulls, 10x42.5, 10x50

Feet Elevated Push-ups, 2x8

Ab Wheel, 2x8
Pallof Presses, 30 sec. with 20#'s

Pretty good workout overall. I needed to get in and out quickly as yesterday was packed! Big updates coming soon...

Tonight I'll hit my Krav Maga bag class, then hit a lower body session tomorrow. I think Bill found the issue in my lower leg; both my lateral gastroc and biceps femoris where they overlap where adhered and probably impinging on my peroneal nerve. A few passes cleaned it right up, and definitely helped improve my knee extension mobility.

I weighed in this morning at 205, so the Warp Speed diet is definitely doing it's job. The goal is to get into the low 200's or hit 200 itself. I don't really have any need or desire to get lower than that.

Stay strong
MR

Training 5/12

I've continued to give the knee a few days off, and it's feeling close to 100% again. However, over the weekend I was starting to wonder if it was really a knee issue, or if I'd somehow compressed/irritated my politeal nerve. While I was getting some weird sensations in the lateral knee, I was also getting some coldness/tingling in the little toe on that leg. Anyway, I've done my best to stay out of deep knee flexion for a few days and it appears to be healing right up.

I hit the Krav Maga class last night, but this week is going to be somewhat sporadic. I have a massage with a new masseur today, so that's pretty much wiped today's training. The goal for the rest of the week looks like this:

Wed: Upper body
Thu: Lower body/Krav Maga
Fri: Anything I can find time for!

I forgot how crazy things get the week before a seminar. It's probably worse this time, too, because I'm not only presenting but hosting the thing! Regardless, I'm really looking forward to it. After I finish this one up, I hope it won't feel like I'm reinventing the wheel in the future.

Stay strong
MR

EDIT: Almost forgot to add this...I went on the Warp Speed diet a few weeks ago and dropped from 220 to 210 in two weeks. I'm going to run it again this week and next to see if I can get down to the low 200's. The only day I plan to stray up until then is Saturday night; after the seminar, I'm eating a damn steak! I'll keep you posted on the diet progress as well. - MR

Wednesday 5/7

Wednesday 5/7

Upper body horizontal push/pull

Inside-Out Warm-up

Bench Press, 3x5@205

Still weak, but getting stronger. I also have to remember that I'm using a much narrower grip than before. I used to use a pointer finger on the power ring grip, now I'm using a pinky on the power ring grip. Much different than before.

DB Rows, 3x5@100

I think I've just about peaked out on these for now. New exercise next week.

Feet Elevated Push-ups, 2x10

I've been getting a lot of push-ups in at Krav Maga, so I'm gearing back a bit here.

Face Pulls, 3x8@50

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 3x8

Anterior core is getting much stronger. Lose a little bit more body fat = more abs.

If I could get a tan, that would help, too ;)

Stay strong
MR

Saturday 5/3 and Monday 5/5

Saturday 5/3

Vertical push/pull workout

Inside-Out Warm-up

Band assisted chins, 3x6

Didn't really feel like pushing these today. Plus, I get better depression when using the bands versus bodyweight. I can't wait until these get easier!!!

BB Military, 8x110, 2x8@120

Getting stronger. Slowly.

Skullcrushers, 2x6@95

Bent Over Face Pulls, 2x10@25

In and out in about 30 minutes. This is quickly becoming my favorite workout for that reason alone ;)


Monday 5/5

I was supposed to do a low body workout this morning, but I've had some slight irritation in the knee so I canned it. However, this had led me to remember that almost nothing irritates my knee except for deep front squats, probably d/t the increased knee flexion and dorsiflexion at the ankle. If I would just be smart and remember this, life would be easier.

I did hit a Krav Maga class last night. Other than getting beat to hell by my partner (who obviously didn't understand the concept of "control") it was fine. My respect continues to grow for the MMA guys, as I caught a knee in the eye socket yesterday. Ouch.

Upper body session tomorrow AM.

Stay strong
MR

Training 4/30 and 5/1

Wednesday 4/30

Upper body session

Inside-Out Warm-up

Bench Press, 3x6@195

Still very weak - less weak than last week, though ;) Pec feels good.

DB Rows, 3x6@95

Feet Elevated Push-ups, 2x10

Face Pulls, 3x10

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 3x8

Good workout overall, and I'm really liking the new anterior core work. I've got some good ideas on the topic that I'll be discussing in May, too.

Thursday 5/1

Krav Maga bag class - 1 hour

Another killer. I feel like my round kicks are getting better now, though, so that's always a good thing.

I was supposed to train today but I'm feeling a little under the weather. Several early mornings in a row, not enough sleep, and a lot of things going on will do that to you. I'm going to try and get in a quick vertical push/pull workout tomorrow morning.

Stay strong
MR

Monday 4-28

Lower body day

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Front Squats, 3x135, 3x185

Just to maintain mobility and warm-up for back squats.

Back Squats, 5x135, 5x225 (18" box), 5x225 (17" box)

Trying to slow work my way down while maintaining good lumbar spine alignment.

RDL's, 2x5@255

These felt great a week or two ago, just so-so today. I didn't feel like pushing them.

DB Lunges, 2x8@50

Glute-Hams, 2x5 at Hole #3

I moved these in and they damn near killed me. 3x6 next week ;)

Krav Maga class tonight, and I'll hit my upper body session on Wednesday.

Stay strong
MR

Training week of 4/21

Monday 4/21

Feeling tired in the AM so I took it off. 1 hour Krav Maga class that night.

Wednesday 4/23

Upper body workout

Inside-Out Warm-up

BB Bench Press, 3x6@185

Wow, it's amazing how weak you get when you haven't bench pressed since August. On the bright side, though, it didn't feel too bad.

DB Rows, 3x6@90

Push-ups, 2x10

Face Pulls, 2x12

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 2x8
Tall Kneeling Lift, 2x10@25

I lowered my volume a bit and felt pretty good overall.

Thursday 4/24

1 hour Krav Maga bag class. This was absolutely brutal. My buddy thought it would be a good idea to tell the instructor he was pissed because he hadn't made him puke yet. This was the hardest hour of training I've endured in a long time. Constant movement for an hour straight will do that to you.

I have lactic acid.

Friday 4/25

Lower body day

Magnificent Mobility warm-up

Speed Pulls, 5x1@365

These felt pretty darn good. As the glute-hams keep coming around, they should get easier.

Good Mornings, 2x5@245

Felt strong - I need to go heavier, but I did these at the commercial gym so I was looking at my ugly mug in a mirror. Not used to that ;)

Bulgarian Split Squats, 2x8@30

Way too light, but this was the first time I'd done them in a while. I'll go up this week.

Ball Leg Curls, 2x12

Pallof Presses, 2x30 sec.

Saturday 4/26

Inside-Out Warm-up

Neutral Grip Chins, 2x6, 5

Still struggling with getting full scap depression as the set carries on. I may need to do more sets with fewer reps in the future.

BB Military, 8@105, 2x8@115

Better than last week. Energy was a little low, though.

Skullcrushers, 2x8@90

Bent Over Face Pulls, 2x8@25

In and out in about 30 minutes. Like I said my energy was a little low, so I just wanted to get a few lifts in and relax the rest of the day.

Stay strong
MR

Uggh...

As you can all tell, I'm a little behind on my write-ups. Here's what I've done over the course of the past week:

Tuesday - 4/15
Upper body day

Inside-Out Warm-up

Multi-grip chins (pronated, neutral, supinated) - 6 reps each position

Amazing how losing body fat makes chins a little easier ;)

BB Overhead Press, 8x95, 2x8@115

Been a while, here, but it didn't feel bad for my first day back with a BB.

DB Rows, 3x6@85

I was a little bit more tired that an expected at this point, so I didn't go all out. Nice, clean reps though.

Push-ups, 3x10

Same as above

DB Fly Eqi, 60 seconds

Pallof Presses, 2x30 sec. w/20#

I was surprised by the Pallof Presses - they don't look that bad, but I was sore for 3 days afterwards!

Krav Maga class that night, 1 hour

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, April 17th
Lower body day


M2 Warm-up

Intrinsic Hip Circuit

Speed Pulls, 3x3@315

Nothing too special here, just getting back in the groove.

Good Mornings, 5@225, 5@245

These felt surprisingly good. I will go up again this week.

DB Lunges, 3x8@50#'s

Single Leg RDL's, 2x8@50#'s

1 hour Krav Maga class that night.

Even though I didn't get my fourth strength training session in this week, I was down to 207 bodyweight and got in 5 training sessions in four days. Overall, I was quite pleased.

The unfortunate down side to this was that I put on a few pounds over the weekend, and missed my Monday lower body workout d/t sheer exhaustion. I was totally wiped out after the weekend, and took the morning off. I did hit my Krav Maga class last night, and I'll get in my upper body session tomorrow.

Stay strong
MR

Last week and Monday 4/14

Last week was kind of a wash; my energy was down and everything felt heavier than it should. I took that as a sign, and unloaded from the heavy iron last week.

On the bright side, I did get two sessions in at the Krav Maga facility, so I got four total sessions in last week. This week I'm shooting for five, even with the short week.

Here was today's training session:

Lower body day

M2 Warm-up

Intrinsic hip circuit

Front Squats, 195x2, 225x3

Just keeping these in the program to maintain mobility and good technique. Not bad, but felt heavy.

Back Squats to 18" box, 225x5, 275x3

Not too bad technique wise, but it's a long way down to below parallel. I haven't had this much weight on my back in a while, so it felt good. A LONG way from my heaviest weights, but I need this to regain my technique and mobility in this lift.

RDL's, 225x5, 275x5

Glute-Hams, 3x8 w/5#

Dead Bugs, 2x8

I also did some patellar taping today, but I need to crank way harder for the effect to set in on the heavier deep squatting.

Tomorrow I have an upper body day and Krav maga in the evening. I'll be back....

Stay strong
MR

Friday 4/4

Lower body day

M2 Warm-up

Intrinsic hip circuit

Speed Pulls, 3x1@405

Not as fast I would've liked, but only because the sh*tty bar I was using didn't have any knurling. Couple that with no chalk and you have "not so fast" speed pulls.

DB Lunges, 3x8@45's

Single-Leg RDL's, 2x8@45

I need to move up on these next time. Even the R side (which is generally less stable and the GMed not firing as well) was pretty spot on.

Swiss Ball Leg Curls, 2x12 superset with
Ab Wheel Rollouts, 2x8

Good session overall.

Stay strong
MR

Tuesday 4/1 and Thursday 4/3

Tuesday - 1 hour Krav Maga L-1 class

So I did something completely impulsive this past week and joined a Krav Maga facility here in Indy. The thinking was two-fold:

1 - I hate cardio, and anything that gets me near lactic acid build-up. So, I decided at least if I was going to be pissed off I could take it out on a pad, heavy bag, etc.

2 - Self-defense skillz probably aren't a bad thing ;)

So I took the class and thought I was going to black out within 20 minutes. Seriously. I'm so ATP-CP dominant it's ridiculous. I made it through with only a few minors scrapes and bruises, though, so I consider it a success.

Thursday - Upper body

Good workout today - feeling strong and starting to lean out a bit too. Pretty cool.

I switched up the exercises a bit so some of the weights are a little screwy; I had to figure out where I was at first and foremost.

I/O Warm-up

Supinated grip lat pulldown, 6x170, 2x6@180 superset with
DB Overhead press, 8x40, 45, 50

The OHP felt suprisingly good. Weak, but no pain and starting to get a groove back.

DB Rows, 6x70, 80, 90 superset with
Push-up plus, 3x10

Started off way to light on rows, but I was feeling it by the 3rd set. Serratus was feeling the pluses today!

Decline skullcrushers, 2x10@80 superset with
Preacher curls, 2x6@70

Yes, I did preacher curls. You can only do db curls for so long ;)

Overall, a really good workout. I feel like the body is coming around and I'm gaining momentum towards achieving my goals. Feels good.

Stay strong
MR

Saturday 3/29 and Monday 3/31

I was going to pull on Friday, but I woke up with a pretty stiff back and decided against it. Did some mobility work instead, and had a massage later in the day. I felt immeasurably better afterwards.

Saturday - Upper body

Inside-Out Warm-up

Band-assisted chins, 2x6, 1x5

Bench Press, 2x5@185
Pathetically weak, I know. This was the first time I've had more than 135 on the bar since August, though, and it felt ok. The pec is getting better, although I'm tempted to run a cycle in the 3x8-12 range to re-develop the connective tissue. We'll see how things progress.

Inverted Rows, 2x10, 1x9

Blue band pressdowns, 3x25

DB Bicep Curls, 2x8@40

Monday 3/31

Best workout in a long time; I really feel like I'm making progress with my movement quality in the lower body. Here's the workout:

M2 Warm-up

Hip activation circuit

Front Squats, 3x185, 205 and 225

I've totally re-worked my squat pattern and it feels much better. The weights aren't where they need to be, but they will come. The most important thing right now is that I'm moving in a pain-free and efficient manner. That's definitely the case.

RDL's, 6@245, 6@265

These felt good today

DB Step-ups, 3x8@50

Glute-Hams, 3x8

These are coming around as well - I need to start moving the plate in and see where I'm really at, though.

All in all, really good workouts. The diet isn't going poorly, either; I'll give an update later this week.

Stay strong
MR

Diet Updates 3/26 and 3/27

The diet goes on, and things are going pretty well.

So far, I've lost 7.5 pounds, but I'm assumming most of that is water weight. I lost 3#'s the first day, 3#'s the second, and another 1.5# today. I'll be interested to see how this continues moving forward, as I've really been kicking up my water intake to boot.

Overall, it hasn't been too hard to stick to. The only meal that's really tough is dinner as Jess gets to eat "real" food for dinner, while I eat a salad. I've also made an executive decision and decided that at least one time per week I'm going to go out to dinner with Jess. I'll stay as close to the diet as I can (no starches, desserts, etc), but I think it's important to have at least a small degree of normalcy within my life. We're used to doing that at least once per weekend, so I think that will help with regards to long term adherence.

One final note: The only meal I really didn't like was a salad I created on day 2. It included tuna, romaine, EVOO and cheddar cheese. I think it would've been fine had I used chicken, but the tuna was not good. I have come up with some pretty tasty salad creations, so stay tuned and I'll post those at a later date.

Back to the iron work tomorrow and Saturday - deadlifts tomorrow and upper body on Saturday.

Stay strong
MR

Tuesday 3/25

Upper body day

Inside-Out Warm-up

Lat Pulldowns, 3x6 +
DB Shoulder Press, 2x8

Cable Row, 3x6 +
Push-ups, 2x10

Decline Skullcrushers, 2x8 +
Curls 4 Da Gurls, 2x6 +
Decline Reverse Crunch, 2x8

Moderate intensity cardio, 10 minutes (5 bike and 5 treadmill)

Good workout overall. I added in some cardio and tried to keep all rest periods under 90 seconds.

Day 1 of the diet is in the record books; 20 days to go! I took some "Before" pics last night, but those won't be revealed until there are some solid "After" pics to go with them ;)

Stay strong
MR

Thursday - 3/21 and Monday 3/24

Two good workouts; here goes.

Friday 3/21 - Upper/lower mix

I had a business meeting on Saturday morning with Bill Hartman and Pat Rigsby so I had to combine these two workouts. Here's what I did:

Sumo speed pulls, 5x1@315, 1@365

Good speed overall; technique improved as the session went on.

Inverted Rows, 3x10 superset with
DB Lunges, 3x8

Flat Bench, 2x10 superset with
Supine Ball Leg Curl, 2x10

Ab Wheel Rollouts, 3x8

I trained with my MMA guy today, so the rest periods weren't quite like I would like. Overall, a good session though.

Monday 3/24 - Squat lower body

Today was my best lower body training session in quite some time. The hips are moving the way I want, now I just need to get the upper body on par as well so I can back squat the way I'd like.

Front squat to 12" box, 3x3
Front squat w/o box, 1x3

I'm squatting below parallel with a nice arch and no compensatory movement at the lumbar spine. This is the first time in quite a while I've been able to do this. I'm going to switch up now and do all my front squatting without a box, as I got a lot better left quad recruitment on that final set.

RDL's, 2x6

DB Step-ups, 3x8

I've been playing around with my propulsion point on this as I outlined in my Bulletproof Knees manual, and I've found I need to drive through the mid/forefoot on the left leg and through the heel on the right. I think my hips are starting to square up nicely and the leg development is becoming more balanced.

Glute-Hams, 3x8

Total session time was around an hour.

I also started the diet today; so far, so good. I'll keep everyone posted on that as we go ;)

Stay strong
MR

3/19 and 3/20 - Off

I'm taking these two days off. Tomorrow will be my 2nd leg training day (I hope to train w/one of my MMA clients), and then again Saturday morning with my boy Justin.

Yesterday, I did some stretching and today I'll get in some Z and foam rolling.

I also got all the diet information from Mike Roussell last night, so I'll be starting in on the diet Monday morning. Should be interesting, to say the least ;)

Stay strong
MR

Tuesday - 3/18

Upper body day

Inside-Out Warm-up

Lat Pulldowns, 3x5 - superset with
DB Shoulder Press, 2x8

Not feeling too bad here. I still feel the pec a bit with almost any press, but I increased the weight today and it felt pretty good.

Neutral Grip Cable Row, 3x5 - superset with
Push-ups, 2x8

Again, continuing to feel better here. I need to have Bill or someone watch my scaps on the push-ups and see how the serratus is coming around.

Skullcrushers, 2x8
Curls, 2x8
Decline reverse crunch, 2x6

Half-kneeling cable push, 2x8

DB Fly EQI, 60 sec.
ISO Prone Y, ~40 sec.

Overall, a pretty good workout. Work capacity still sucks but it will take a few weeks to get it back. The cold is still lingering a bit, but I think even that is getting better.

Stay strong
MR

PS Last night I got some low-load, long duration stretches in. They included:

Hip Rotators
Pecs
Knee extension

Monday - 3/17

Good workout overall. I still haven't licked this mutant cold of mine, so the total volume is pretty low. As I start to come around, though, look for that to go up.

Magnificent Mobility warm-up
Intrinsic Hip Circuit (bridging, psoas holds, external rotation work, etc.)

Front Squats to 13" box, 2x3
RDL's, 2x6
Glute-Ham Raise, 2x6
Step-ups, 2x8

For those of you unaware, I have some lingering crepitation in the left knee. The odd thing is, the crepitation is medial, while the surgery was on the lateral side. Therefore, I've really been working hard on getting full extension/hyperextension back. So far, the crepitation has decreased and quad activation/recruitment has increased, so I think I'm on the right track here. Time will tell...

Stay strong
MR

Saturday - 3/15

Upper body day today. Still feeling the effects of the head cold, so training is slow to get back up to speed. Not a bad day overall, though.

Inside-Out Warm-up

Prehab
Y and T - 10 each

Push-ups, 3x10 - No pec pain whatsoever and serratus is firing much better. Things are getting back to normal here...

Neutral Grip Chins, 3x5 - Working on full scap depression at mid-point. I'd be good for a lot more reps if it wasn't for that last 3-4 inches!

Bent-Over Face Pulls, 3x10 - These are getting easier; I need to find a way to load more weight.

Street pump superset
Blue Band Pressdowns, 3x20
DB Hammer Curls, 2x8

As I said, nothing too interesting today. Hopefully I'll be close to 100% by Monday.

Stay strong
MR

The Training Blog is up and running!

As many of you already know I've been hard at work trying to revamp my website in the recent months. In that same time period I've also started working for myself full time, gone to Australia and Nashville, and contracted the nastiest cold of my entire life!

Needless to say, training has been a little sporadic, and this blog should help keep me motivated.

Without any further ado, here are some of my short term training goals:

- Keep improving my movement quality.

I've been working really hard to re-train my squat and deadlift motor patterns, and both are starting to feel quite good. The stiffness in my lumbar spine is coming around, while the stiffness in the hips is decreasing every so slightly. I need to have that healthy balance if I want to squat and move the way that I know I can. Loosening up the pecs/lats is the next big project so that I can back squat properly.

- Lean out

There's a high likelihood that I'll be working with Mike Roussell in the near future. Quite simply, I have enough on plate without worrying about my diet - so I'm going to bring Mike on to take care of that for me for a while. He's done some great things with Bill and I'm really looking forward to this.

- Get as healthy as possible

A pec strain a few months ago set my upper body training back a bit. As well, I'm working on getting those last few degrees of knee extension back so that the knees are moving symmetrically. This has been an ongoing process but overall I feel like I'm moving as well as I ever have in a lot of regards.

My goal is to update this blog a few times per week - it may be more, it may be less. Regardless, I hope you all can take something away from it.

Stay strong
MR