Justin Matney Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I thought I had a log here at some point, but I guess not. This is a fresh start anyway, and now that I have some concrete goals this seems like a good idea. I've been lifting off and on since 1992. Did powerlifting and football in high school, though I was always a better lifter than football player. I didn't really think about programming in high school, as a very strict and quite good program was presented by our coach. It was called Bigger, Faster, Stronger. A mix of powerlifting, plyometrics, and conditioning. Once I graduated and began the early-mid 20s drift, I lifted infrequently, and really lost all semblance of a program. I'd go to the Y and do bench, leg press, and curls, but without goals or frequency. Triceps extensions were also involved. I had abandoned 2/3 of the bread and butter lifts that defined my adolescence: squat and deadlift. And I excelled in these lifts, exceeding 500lbs in each by the end of high school. It takes guts to get under a loaded bar though, and that's what I lacked. Much easier to load the leg press machine and remain in denial. I discovered grip and bending in 2011, and got back in the weigh room early 2012 as a direct result. I started squatting and deadlifting again, and long story short, life happened, and a wife and 2 kids later I'm back to square 1. I'm currently doing Rippetoe's Starting Strength as a general strength building program, and my current focus is certing the IronMind Red Nail. I wholeheartedly believe I have a Red Nail cert in me, and I'm dedicated to putting in the work necessary to achieve this goal. My original goal was a #3 cert, but honestly, seeing EJ cert the MM1 solely from bending carryover, I was a believer. Bending is the master discipline, and I'm a disciple. You can't argue with the results. And the majority of the top grip guys are also big time benders. Anyway, sorry for the essay. Here goes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) 10/2/2015 Squat 310x3x5 Bench 245x3x5 Double underhand bending Bent 8 7"x1/4" CRS bars 1/4" is melting like butter these days, and isn't really giving significant resistance. Gonna check with Grainger next week and see if they carry drill rod. Eased into a 7"x5/16" HRS bar just to test the waters. Maybe 80% effort to identify specific weak points. Got it kinked in IronMind pads: That was about it though. No protractor, but it looks to be a bit under 45 degrees. Wrists are definitely the weak link, followed by shoulders. More of an imbalance (left), and it shows through on my 3rd set of bench presses lately too. You can see the imbalance in the bend. Edited October 2, 2015 by jmatney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccos1 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I'll definitely check this out! Keeping a log has helped me a lot over the past couple of years. On those rough days, when everything is going crazy, maintaining a log is sometimes just enough to give that extra push to get done what needs to be done. EJ is a beast. I think he would excel in anything he tries. I have had to focus on grippers to make progress. Even at the top of my bending game, I got no carryover with grippers, and I was doing DO, DU, shoes and braced. But I have been able to train both, and make gains in different areas. Drill rod is awesome! I wish I would have known about it when I was starting out and training for the Red. If you're training with drill rod, then switch over to CRS (or test on the Red), it is night-and-day, and the CRS stock will seem like a joke. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 Thanks for checking it out. Your stuff is inspiring to say the least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 10/5/2015 Squat 315x3x5 Standing Overhead Press 150x3x5 Deadlift 330x1x5 Double underhand bending 7"x1/4" CRS x9 Also did some rear sledgehammer levering with an 8 pounder throughout. Squats felt great. Shoulder flexibility has always been an issue for me with low bar position, but I'm loosening up. Overhead presses still feel good. Deadlifts were performed with a traditional stance and a mixed grip. Felt kinda bad, probably due to the levering and bending throughout my workout. Gonna have to tweak that program wise. As far as bending, I did the kink DU and finished it DO on the first 6, then went DU throughout on the last 3. Still dialing in the movement. Wrists felt weak from last bending session, no surprise. Thumb webs were screaming for mercy. I called them pussies and carried on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 10/10/2015 Squat 320x3x5 Bench 250x1x5, x4 Grippers Trainer x10, both hands COC#2 x4, both hands GHP 5 x4, left hand COC#3 x2x1, right hand Very abbreviated workout today. I intended to work out yesterday, but let the day get away from me due to remodeling the house. Just enough time for supper and getting the kids to bed. Would have completed the workout today, but we have to leave for my sister's baby shower soon and I don't want to piss off the Mrs. Burning the candle at both ends lately with work, life, and remodeling this house. Friday Saturday and Sunday are pretty open, but the rest of the time is a flurry of cables, wires, and blinking lights. Personal enjoyment always seems to find its way to the back burner. Squats felt great. I've really dialed in my form and cadence lately, and things are going well. It was ingrained in me very early on that you squat first, PERIOD, and if you only have time for one exercise, SQUAT. I knew benching would suffer (time wise) if I went all in on squats, and I was right. No matter. Bench felt good too. Slight pain in right elbow and shoulder, but the weight went up with no problem. I'd like to hit 315 for a single some time in the coming year. Basically just testing the water on grippers. Nothing crazy. Been a few weeks since I touched them. Hadn't touched my #3 since my MM0 in April, and was please to slam out 2 strong singles with my right hand, the first from parallel and the second from 30mm I would guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) 10/12/2015 Squat 325x3x5 Standing OHP 155x3x5 Deadlift 335x1x5 Double underhand bending 7"x1/4" CRS x4 (ran out of stock) Forced a 7"x5/16" HRS from 45 degrees to about 70, then finished it easily double overhand. Everything felt awesome today. I feel like I'm dialing in my technique and programming better than ever, and it's paying off. After reading the sumo vs traditional DL thread, and seeing that some guys with lower back pain have used the sumo style to train around these issues, I decided to give it a try. I think this is going to be the key in moving my deadlift forward. With a traditional stance, it felt like my lumbar spine was going to burst at any moment. I'm not a powerlifter. I'm not an athlete at all. Just a fat, weak guy trying to get strong and less fat. So I'm gonna move forward with the sumo stance. Thanks to all who contributed to that thread. Edit: did the Ironmind extensor bands every other day this past week, and plan on doing so regularly (at least until the rest of them snap). Here are my 1RM goals for the coming year: Squat: 405 Bench: 315 Deadlift: 450 OHP: 200 Power clean: 225 And by years end I'd like to break into the 1000lb club with my 3 set 5 rep workouts in the squat, bench, and deadlift. Sitting at 910 now, so it shouldn't be an issue. Edited October 12, 2015 by jmatney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccos1 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I switched to sumo when I had some back issues years back and it made a world of difference. It didn't take too long either for my sumo numbers to surpass my conventional. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 10/16/2015 Squat 330x3x5 Bench 250x3 255x3x3 Grippers MMS Trainer x2x10 both hands COC 2 x4 both hands Ghp6 x1 both hands Ghp7 x1 right hand BB Elite 2x1 right hand First off, huge gripper PRs both right and left handed. I have been chasing that elite for about 3 years now. I hadn't initially planned on even trying anything harder than the GHP 7, but the GHP 7 closed so easily that I knew it would be a mistake not to go back in the house and get the elite. Funny how the mental aspect factors in. I knew the elite was going down, I just had to go get it. The 2nd single was quite strict with a pause, and would've passed mash monster standards IMO. Squats felt great, but by the time I got around to benching I had burned/psyched myself out with the gripper work. Got my reps in though, quality reps at that. Bring on the MM1. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrassMaine89 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 big gripper closes...MM1 should be scared 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandsofStone Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Nice work on that Elite!! Do you know what it RGC'd at? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Nice work on that Elite!! Do you know what it RGC'd at?Thanks!I would say in the 165 range. I'd be surprised if it was much more than that. I bought it in 2012 back when the average was 165, not 180+ like it is now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Ironmind extensor bands and Armaid earlier today. The elbow has felt worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 10/16/2015 Squat 330x3x5 Bench 250x3 255x3x3 Grippers MMS Trainer x2x10 both hands COC 2 x4 both hands Ghp6 x1 both hands Ghp7 x1 right hand BB Elite 2x1 right hand First off, huge gripper PRs both right and left handed. I have been chasing that elite for about 3 years now. I hadn't initially planned on even trying anything harder than the GHP 7, but the GHP 7 closed so easily that I knew it would be a mistake not to go back in the house and get the elite. Funny how the mental aspect factors in. I knew the elite was going down, I just had to go get it. The 2nd single was quite strict with a pause, and would've passed mash monster standards IMO. Squats felt great, but by the time I got around to benching I had burned/psyched myself out with the gripper work. Got my reps in though, quality reps at that. Bring on the MM1. Fantastic job on closing your Elite! That is pretty cool that you have been wanting to close it for 3 years and kind of out of the blue you close it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 10/19/2015 Squat 335x3x5 Standing OHP 160x3x5 Deadlift 340x1x5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 10/24/2015 Squat 340x3x5 Bench 255x3x5 Grippers CoC Trainer x2x10 TNS both hands GHP 5 x3x5 left hand CoC 2 x2x5 LH GHP 7 x1x2 RH CoC 3 x2x1 RH GHP 6 (old batch ~135 range) x2x5 RH Been working on getting into better squat position, things felt good. Bench has bed faltering a bit lately at the mercy of squats and grippers. Priorities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 11/13/2015 Squat: 345x3x5 Standing OHP: 160x3x5 Deadlift: 350x1x5 Didn't plan on messing with grippers, but my Heavy Grips were in the garage so what the hell. Managed to tns my 300, which feels in the 140 range. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Didn't plan on messing with grippers, but my Heavy Grips were in the garage so what the hell. Managed to tns my 300, which feels in the 140 range. Dang, that's a solid TNS close! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Didn't plan on messing with grippers, but my Heavy Grips were in the garage so what the hell. Managed to tns my 300, which feels in the 140 range. Dang, that's a solid TNS close! Thanks Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 11/15/2015 Squat: 350x3x5 Bench: 255x3x5 Kroc Rows*: 90x1x15, x1x10 *These probably aren't Kroc rows yet. I think 90lbs is merely a dumbbell row, but I added them due to the fact that my deadlift is suffering big time. No reason why I shouldn't be at 400+ by now. I read an article by Kroc where he says that his deads suffered when he quit the heavy, high rep dumbbell rows. I was doing Pendlay rows before, and my deadlift was skyrocketing. Squat and bench both felt great. I've been really dialing in my squat form lately due to lower back pain. Really fighting for that neutral spine. It has made a world of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Didn't plan on messing with grippers, but my Heavy Grips were in the garage so what the hell. Managed to tns my 300, which feels in the 140 range. Dang, that's a solid TNS close! Upon further review, this was technically a FNS or Futon No Set close. Lol, I'm kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 11/21/2015 Squat: 355x3x5 OHP: 165x3x5 Deadlift: 355x1x5 Squats are still going up like butter. Last few OHP sessions have been grinders, in a good way. I'd like to work up to 205 for a single by years end, may be good for it now. Don't max out much though. Continually tweaking deadlift form for longevity and the sake of my lumbar spine. I've found a hybrid between traditional and sumo to be pretty productive (read about it on T-Nation). Cleaning the grippers tonight and putting them in storage for a while. The golfer's elbow that flared up in February is worse than ever. Turned out to be a hell of a nasty case. Pretty frustrating, but I've researched it enough to understand why it happened and different ways to deal with it. Taxing my flexors to an extreme degree (trying to go right back to closing #3) while neglecting overall strength. Huge imbalance. No worries. I'm very happy to be getting back to my powerlifting roots, and quite satisfied with the gym I've built in my garage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 11/23/2015 Squat: 275x3x5 Bench: 260x3x5 Went light on squats today. Not feeling it. Focused on perfect form. Bench went well. Didn't expect to get all 15 reps with 260. Last few reps were sloppy. Tried out my slingshot on a warm-up set and I love it. Don't need it just yet for working sets though. Didn't have time for rows. Overslept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 11/27/2015 Squat: 360x3x5 OHP: 170x2x4, 2x3 Deadlift: 360x1x5 Felt really weak warming up today, but those squats went up like a joke. Going light on Monday was a good idea after all. Finally stalling on standing OHP. More or less got my reps in, but couldn't manage more than 4 reps in any given set. Felt HEAVY. Deadlifts felt surprisingly great. All warm-up and working sets performed double overhand with a traditional stance. Big surprise of the day: gave my 42.3# blob a go as I was walking out of the garage, and I'll be damned, I lifted the thing to full lockout with my right hand, and partially (uncontrolled) with my left. Never even came close before. Unsure as to what type of blob it actually was, but I got it from Nathaniel Brous a few months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Matney Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 It is a 42.3# fatman blob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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