Road To 1200

[daniel reinard]

Bummer about the back again. But like you said it's good to jump on the right track now rather than later. I haven't hurt my back as bad as yours sounds but I do the same thing. An occasional pull here and there. Often it's because my back gets tight easily and then boom. So I stretch it like a mofo and have been able to avoid a lot of injuries. Been doing the eating thing myself. I look fowrard to seeing what and how you do so I can rob some ideas for myself.

Also looking forward to a PL meet with you. I have to look over the info you gave me but it looks like a go bro.

[KRC]

Cheers, guys.

Way to kick ass on your #3 lately, Chez! I won't open up a discussion about the organization, but suffice it to say that I'm not surprised a company like IronMind sent the response they did to someone who can CCS a 151lb #3 "easily." You'll get it soon!

Yeah Daniel, I can't wait, either. It's ironic, I opened up that page yesterday to finally register for the April 22nd meet and found that it met capacity the day before... But provided this "injury" doesn't last too long I should be good to go for another on May 19th at the same location as the one in September which is fantastic b/c the set up/location of a meet can throw you off pretty good. Knowing what goes where and how the USPA runs meets in that location will help us both in September. Where are your lifts at now?

[daniel reinard]

Haha, weird how that works. Which event are you doing, the CA Raw? It's a full meet I suspect, squats, deads, bench, with no gear and drug free? That's the one I'd be doing. So far deads is still at 455 sumo since i've been doing conventional lately. Squats is 315 also with zero gear, no belt. Bench i'll test next week but a BW will be a max effort, if I can do that much lol. By september I may be around a 400 squat and 500 dead so that will be what i'm after anyways. My bench is laughable and probably always will be, but i'm still doing lots of work to help that out. A 250 bench would have me quite happy.

What would be your Sept goals?

Edited March 14, 2012 by daniel reinard

[KRC]

Yeah, the Sierra Nevada Cup on Sept. 8. You should check the USPA rule book to see what kind of apparel/gear is allowed because it's VERY specific. http://www.uspla.org/sites/default/files/downloads/forms/2011_USPA_Rules.pdf I should also mention that last time I checked the USPA did not do drug testing.

Provided my training goes well and no injuries lasting more than a week, I should be at ~1120 by mid may (395/295/425) and then hopefully around 1230 for the September meet, something like 435/320/475. That's best case scenario, so anything in shooting distance of 1200 and i'll be happy.

Now I just have to lose about 40 pounds and we can be competitive with each other

[KRC]

3.18.12

Back was feeling good sooner than expected so I went in just to get some blood flowing. One or two more of these kinds of workouts than I'll start barbell squatting again and hope to be back at 300+ for working sets within 7-10 days.

Reverse Hyper: 5x20 @ BW <-- these felt AMAZING on the back.

Face Pulls: 2x20, 2x15 @ 50

Back Extensions: 3x10 @ BW <-- these didn't feel so amazing on the back

Leg Press: 5x20 @ 90 + apparatus weight <-- first time leg pressing since... the 90's

Pull Downs: 3x10 @ 110

Bench: 3x10 @ 135

Bi's: 1x10 @ 55

Tri's: 1x10 @ 55

BW Squats: 2x10 <-- felt fine

All this high rep stuff took the wind out of me like I didn't expect at all, lol. I guess that's what happens when you don't go over 5 reps... ever... even if the weight is minimal. Had a huge omelet at a new place across the street from the gym right after and I'm feeling pretty good right now. Back is doing fine.

[daniel reinard]

Awesome man. Glad to see you're back at it so quick.

I'll tell you what, you drop 20# and i'll gain 20# so we can go at it in sept. Lol, whatcha say?

[KRC]

haha what's your BW now? 248 - 20 = 228 ... doable I suppose . Is 228 good with you? That would put us both in the 242 division , though I suppose cutting for a weigh-in for the 220's is a possibility too. Whaddya say?

[daniel reinard]

Haha, 195 now, so 215? I'm aiming for 220 anyways. Not even sure what the classes are, I guess 100kg (220)?

[KRC]

Yeah as far as I know they are sticking iwth the "old" classes of 90, followed by 100, followed by 110kg.

I gotta be honest I don't think 215 is gonna happen haha. Maybe later down the road, but dropping 30 pounds would kill my strength gains in what is still a pretty early stage of my lifting career (i.e. fastest gains). Who knows though; I'm gonna lift in the May meet at 242 (or slightly higher) and start working toward 220-something in the summer anyway. By July/August I'll know whether 220's are possible and we can go from there, I suppose. May meet to September meet is 14 training weeks so between 1 to 2 pounds a week doesn't sound unreasonable at all.

If your game we can go ahead and try to meet in the 200-somethings as close as possible, sound good?

[daniel reinard]

Of course bro. Dropping weight and not strength has to happen slow. We can try and get our weight around the same. I know 220 was a goal so that'll be the number I'll shoot for for now, then see where to go from there. If you're dropping you can pick a number you like. I honestly think adding another 20# will be very hard for me. The first 30 was easyish, but it's only gonna get tougher.My goal was by years end so that's the time frame I originally thought. Let's see how good we did with our goal by the September PL meet. The one who did better gets bragging rights.

[KRC]

3.19.12

V2 RH: 20/18/15/20 @ Level 9

V2 LH: 20/15/10/18 @ Level 8

3.20.12

2HP: 4x1 @ 130

1x10 @ 87.5 w/"light" bands attached + 16 second hold at top after 10th rep. I AM OUT OF SHAPE, lol. Had plenty more but was gassed :. Back felt good, gonna put a bar on my back tomorrow.

Formulator WC: 5x10 @ 10lbs

Formulator Reverse WC: 5x10 @ 5lbs

I honestly think adding another 20# will be very hard for me.

Squats and Milk. I was in high 180's when I started sqautting... three years later... 248... but I pretty much said "anything goes" diet wise. Plus the body "changes" from 27-30, lol.

I'm sure you'll hit 20 at least and fairly cleanly.

[KRC]

3.21.12

Extended warm up

Band Pull Aparts: 3x10 Medium bands

Reverse Hypers: 5x20

Face Pulls: 5x10 @ 50

Squat: 3x5 @ 225

Bench: 3x5 @ 185

Really hyper-exaggerated glute involvement in the squat (something I've never done before) and everything felt fine. Not 100% but close. By far the most I've gotten out of a squat workout in my glutes ever. Maybe slowly increase to the working weight I was at over the next week and a half.

I wasn't expecting to squat more than an empty bar today so this is a small victory.

[daniel reinard]

Great stuff Kevin! Coming back from an injury sucks but those unexpected fast recoveries feel good.

BTW, bought a 20, 30 and 40 lb blob to have nice steps up to 50 lbs. Should make for a better medley. Also you can borrow them if you want. They should arrive before 4/7.

[KRC]

Great stuff Kevin! Coming back from an injury sucks but those unexpected fast recoveries feel good.

BTW, bought a 20, 30 and 40 lb blob to have nice steps up to 50 lbs. Should make for a better medley. Also you can borrow them if you want. They should arrive before 4/7.

haha I literally just sent a PM to the guy selling all the blobs in the for sale forum asking for prices on a 30, 35 and 40. I'll see what he comes back with and figure out what to do from there. I figure I should have some sort of blob pulling in my training. I"m also considering Strongergrip's loadable blob. Any experience with that?

[daniel reinard]

lol, funny timing eh. Maybe get the tweener sizes, 35 and 45 unless you want to own that range. I only bought them for a future comp and have no use for them. I've never tried a loadable blob. Personally I enjoy real blobs alot. One can lift normal, reverse (thumb on other side), facelift, add weight via a string, toss and catch etc. Some of those things are hard to do with a loadable. But loadable is the right size for a 50 so may be better to work the weight up to that size pinch width.

[KRC]

So you now have a 30, 35 and 40? I might just buy a 50 from him just to have one as a long-term goal and maybe you and I can work something out to loan the easier blobs from time to time?

[KRC]

3.22.12

2HP: 5x1 @ 130

1x 15 @ 90 w/light band speed pulls w/18s hold at lockout last rep

Formulator:

WC: 1x15, 4x10 @ 10

RWC: 1x15, 4x10 @ 5

Neck Harness:

Rear: 3x20 @ 20

Right: 3x20 @ 10

Left: 3x20 @ 10

[daniel reinard]

So you now have a 30, 35 and 40? I might just buy a 50 from him just to have one as a long-term goal and maybe you and I can work something out to loan the easier blobs from time to time?

It's a 20, 30, and 40. They will probably arrive next week. I figured those are good jumps to have up to 50 for a contest. Feel free to borrow what you want.

[KRC]

Oh I guess I assumed that 35 at the comp was yours meaning you owned a 30, 35 and 40. Regardless, thanks for the offer and maybe we can work something out as we get close to our training day in 2 weeks.

3.22.12

Warm Up:

Reverse Hyper: 5x15 @ 40

Face Pulls: 5x12 @ 50

Squat: 3x3 @ 255

OHP: 2x5 @ 115

Back is not ready to jump right back up to where I was. Again, only pain in the lockout position which I find weird.

I need to change something up regardless of how the recovery goes. Getting kind of sick of being close to topping out the novice gains and then getting injured and having to make my way back up. This has happened now four times I think over the last 2 years. I figure I'm good for 325, 240 and 365 work sets in squat, bench and deadlift respectively, but not really married to any numbers before I change programning (90% certain I'm gonna move to the Hepburn Method after I finish what I'm doing now). Diet is going well, as is conditioning so maybe with some ab work, continued conditioning and diet changes and extra mobility I'll finish off LP before a May 19th meet without incident and call it a day.

Grippers:

4x1 Negatives @ BBGM RH <-- Third attempt before the negative with the BBGMwas @ 2 maybe 3mm which I am really happy with. Gonna go down out at Daniel's, soon, if not sooner.

4x1 Negatives @ BBM 5/8"LH <--Got to 3mm with the 125lb BBM 5/8" which is really surprising and encouraging.

4x1 OC @ Filed IM 2 RH

4x1 OC @ BBM LH

[KRC]

Also did some Fat Gripz singles from a few inches short of lockout as pulling from the floor wasn't happening.

Got singles up to 225, failed at 230. Iso hold at 185 for 5 seconds (lol) and 135 for 20 something seconds at the end.

[KRC]

3.26.12

Squat: 3x5 @ 245

Bench: 3x5 @ 205

Deadlift: 1x2 @ 275

V2 RH: 8/12/12 @ Level 11 <-- was supposed to be Level 10

V2 LH: 10/6/3 @ Level 10 <-- was supposed to be Level 9

Setting was real tough for some reason last night. The palm side handle was WAY back in my hand. Back feels good but still a little stiff, which is why I cut the deadlifts short.

3.27.12

15 minute walk with 12.5lbs weighted vest w/dog this morning. Bought the vest like I was thinking about and it is a really solid piece of equipment. I'm gonna slowly increase distance, frequency and weight week by week which, combined with a better diet, should get me where I want to be weight (and body comp) wise for September. Pinch workout after work today.

[daniel reinard]

Setting was real tough for some reason last night. The palm side handle was WAY back in my hand.

Pinch workout after work today.

Chest work sometimes affects my setting ability, particularly on the big, tough to set grippers. And some days the technique is just wack.

Hit that pinch brotha! I'll be doing some squats pre work then 2HP post work. Gotta love grip. It's easy to fit in whenever.

[KRC]

Gotta love grip. It's easy to fit in whenever.

Absolutely, man. Super convenient and even augmented by other lifts; so long as I can help it I won't squeeze another gripper again without squatting heavy before. The difference is huge.

3.27.12

Band Pull Aparts: 105

2HP:

7x1 @ 130

1x12 @ 95 Light Band w/13 second hold at top

Formulator:

WC: 2x15, 3x10 @ 10lbs

RWC: 2x15, 3x10 @ 5lbs

Neck:

3x25 "Yes/No"

3x25 side to side

Both unweighted.

Pinches were fast and easy. Looking forward to singles with 135.

[KRC]

3.28.12

Squat: 3x5 @ 255

OHP: 3x5 @ 120

BBR: 1x2 @ 95

Dyn TSG (between squat sets): 5x2 @ 1.5 RH / BBSA 5/8" LH

FG DL: 1x5 @ 170

Rev Hyp: 5x10 @ 50

Side Planks: 3x15s

Gotta warm up the PC for squatting better. Was tight throughout the whole set. Loosened up A LOT after the set of RH's. Barbell Rows are not happening yet. In fact I might replace them with power cleans. I did a fair amount of cleaning a few years ago. Not sure why I bailed on them but I'll give 'em a shot next week. OHP doesn't affect the back at all.

[KRC]

Little update on my yearly goals:

I broke the year down into quarters and set goals for each quarter. For grip, I wanted to be at the following numbers by April 1:

TSG - 140

2HP - 160

Axle - 265

Actuals are:

TSG - 132.5 (VERY close to 140)

2HP - 146 (comp in Feb, haven't maxed since)

Axle - 235 (same as above)

I plan on hitting the 140 gripper close next weekend, and will hit some pinch and axle maxes, too. I have trouble with a real 2HP device versus my own wood block set up, so the pinch level is possible but improbably. Axle could fall though, as my FG work has been pretty consistent. Will learn a lot about the carry over from FG to the IM Axle on April 7th.

For lifting, these were my April 1 goals:

Squat - 335

Bench - 260

DL - 355

Now I haven't maxed out in a LONG time, but these goals were all within 5 lbs of my previous PR's from last year. I hit them with 5RM's of 280 Squat, 225 Bench and 315 DL. My actual 5RM's as of early March (still rehabbing the back) are:

Squat - 300

Bench - 225

DL - 335

So by my calculations these are all beyond the 1RM April 1st goals, with the exception of bench which could be close. I am sending in the entry form for the May 19th meet later today, so I'll have a very clear picture of where I stand for July 1 goals, but I'll count all 3 April 1st PL goals as met for now.

July 1 Goals:

Grip:

TSG - 150 (assuming my GHP 7 is around there)

2HP - 175

Axle - 285

Lifting:

Squat - 385

Bench - 290

Deadlift - 405

All these goals are attainable by summer, especially the lifting goals (my May meet goals are within a few pounds of these numbers). The Pinch and Axle numbers are doable too if I continue good training for them.