John O'brien

[JohnOBrien]

Dumbell Power Snatch - 5x40,65,80,90,100 (each hand)

Seated Calves (done as singles) - 15x215,215,235

Standing Calves - 50xBW

Zercher Squats - 3x225

Aggrevated my right knee again on those Zerchers, so I stopped there for the day. I may have to wrap if for squats on Monday just for safety. Don't know what's wrong, just know it isn't right. Decided to do dumbell snatches instead of barbell continentals because I think the explosiveness will carry over well to WOB in October (Kirksville, MO Highland Games). I really want to get more than 14'. Worked up to the heaviest dumbells they have in the rec and could have kept going (although the reps were definitely slower).

[JohnOBrien]

Over the last two days, I finished the second week of KTA. My hands are really starting to feel the wear and tear. Either they'll heal and I'll be able to continue, or they'll keep hurting, and I'll be able to continue. Either way, I'm going to make it through at least one round of KTA!

[JohnOBrien]

Squats - 3x395,420,450,475,500 PR

1-Leg Calf Extension - 4x15xBW+65

Seated Calves - 50x135

15" Bottom Up Squats - 5x500, 5x550, 4x600 (missed 5)

GHR - 3x5xBW+10

Squats felt good today, even though my right knee is still a little "funny". I wrapped my knees on the last two sets of squats for safety (I hardly ever wrap) and got a 3 rep PR out of it, may have had a fourth rep in the tank, but didn't push too hard. Moved the pins down a notch (3") on the bottom-up squats and it made a big difference.

Edited August 30, 2004 by JohnOBrien

[JohnOBrien]

Later...

Front Squats - 5x225, 3x275, 3x315 PR

RDL - 5x225,275,315

Overhead Squats - 10xBar, 5x65, 5x95

Well, I thought my back was cooked after the morning workout! I went back over and finished it off this afternoon. Getting the feel for the front squats. I'm still not close to my limit, but I am close to my level of pain tolerance. Decided I'd play around with overhead squats and, just like everything I've read about them, it doesn't take much weight to make you feel foolish doing them. I lost my first attempt with 95# and had to re-"snatch" it. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel this in my traps and rhomboids more than I feel it anywhere else.

[JohnOBrien]

Did a light bending workout just to keep my form.

6" G2 x 2

5.5" G2 x 2

6" G5 x 1

60d Bright x 1

6" G8 x 1

All bends were fast and felt very good.

[JohnOBrien]

Bench - 3x290,310,330,350, 1x370 (missed 2nd)

Pullups/Chins - 5x5xBW+40

Dips - 5, 5, 4 x BW+100 (missed last rep)

Hammer Rows - 8x270,360,360

CG Incline - 5x225,225,245

Cheat Curls - 3x5x190

Speed Military - 6x3x135

Pretty pathetic workout today. Didn't have any energy and just wasn't "on". Struggled through anyway though.

[JohnOBrien]

Phase 1, Week 3, Day 1 KTA.

Grippers felt much better after a day off. Overcrushes were very strong and the negatives were a bit better as well. Did try my hard #2 after the workout, but couldn't quite get it with either hand. I think it's time to file a bit more off my #1.

[JohnOBrien]

Continuing on with KTA: Phase 1, Week 3, Day 2

I'm making progress, but I just don't enjoy the grippers as much as bending. It's fun to see the progress but there isn't the satisfaction of seeing a destroyed piece of steel when you get finished.

[JohnOBrien]

Bike - 15 minutes

Decline Sit-Ups - 2x10xBW+10 (behind head)

Russian Twists - 2x10xBW+10

Knee-Ups - 2x25xBW

Barbell Suitcase DL Holds - 0:20x135, 0:20x155, 0:10x185 R (0:07 x 185 L)

Pretty good workout for just messing around. Was planning on doing three rotations of ab stuff, but my abs started cramping on me so I stopped. Not much more painful than an abdominal cramp. I'm starting to like these Suitcase DL holds. I do them as a grip exercise, but I can definitely feel them all the way up the side of my body opposite the hand that's holding the weight.

[JohnOBrien]

Halved and Quartered both halves of 1 deck. Tried to rip the deck in the box, but the box ripped on me and fell apart. When I got the cards out, the deck had a good tear started in it, so I think I was pretty close. I think I'll be able to do this feat soon.

[JohnOBrien]

Phase 1, Week 3, Day 3 of KTA.

Bending

6" G2 x 1

Black 60d x 1

6" G8 x 1

Decided I'd work in some bending with the grippers today and see how it felt. Did a couple of reps w/grippers, then one bend alternating through the workout. I think that the bending actually helped get me more focused when it came time to do the grippers because I'm used to focussing in on bends. Added bonus was breaking up the monotony of just a gripper workout and there was some bent steel at the end.

Also ordered some of the FBBC 7" x 5/16" Bars to work on. I'll see where I am at when they get here and how much I need to do to get certified on these.

[JohnOBrien]

Dumbell Power Snatch - 5x70,80,90,100,100

Leg Press Calves (45 degree) - 15x610,720,800,800, 35x610

18" Deadlifts - 5x315, 2x405, 1x495, 9x1x555, 2x555

Box Squats - 6x2x275 (fast)

GHR - 3x10xBW

Very good workout today. Really like doing the dumbell power snatches. My workout partner decided he wants to experiment with deadlifts on the way to lightweight nationals and lower the pins each week. Started at 3rd pin from the floor (18") and we'll end with full pulls. Did nine sets of alternating singles with 555 (I think the contest weight is 540) and ended with a double. Lost the callous at the base of my pinky on my left hand after #6, so taped and kept going. Tough but good workout that should pay off.

[JohnOBrien]

Speed Bench - 3x3x205, 3x3x205+chains (40# at top)

Hammer Iso-Wide Chest - 3x12x270

Pull Downs - 3x10x175

Bent Rows - 3x10x225

Hammer Curls - 3x10x45's

Quick workout to try to loosen up my upper body after yesterdays deadlifts. My low back especially is very stiff. Felt good to do some high rep stuff after all the singles yesterday.

Planning on working log overheads this afternoon. Hope my cleans don't suffer too much from a stiff back.

[JohnOBrien]

Squat - 3x370,390,420,455, 5x475

Standing 1-Leg Calf Ext - 4x15xBW+65

Seated Calves - 50x135

Bottom-Up 15" Squats - 5x500,550,600

GHR - 3x5xBW+10

Good workout today. First set of warmups my right knee popped and it's feeling much better now. See how it feels in a few hours, but hopefully, it re-adjusted itself. Bottom-up squats felt much stronger today too. Missed #5 w/600 last week, got it today. That extra day of rest really helps.

-----Grippers-----

Finished week 3 of phase 1 on Sunday. Starting a back-off week this week to get some rest and let my hands heal.

Got 3 consecutive closes of my #2 during the workout. Most closes of my tough #2 I've done in one workout, so I'm definitely making progress!

[JohnOBrien]

Bench - 3x275,295,315,335,355

Chins - 3x+45, 1x+65,+75,+85

Dips - 3x15XBW

Hammer Machine Rows - 3x10x270

4" Bench Lockouts - 5x405,495,550

Barbell Curls - 3x5x135

Speed Push Press - 6x3x135

Good workout today. My workout partner wanted to max on chins and he beat me by 15#. Elbow has been bothering me a bit lately so we backed off the weight on dips and shortened the range on bench lockouts to 4" with an empty bar, probably around 2" w/550. Push presses were very explosive today (as they should be with that weight ).

-----Bending-----

G2 x 2

bright 60d x 5

G5 x 1

G8 x 1

7" Red x 1

Since I have a back off week with the grippers, I did a little bit of bending yesterday while I was stuck in lab all day. Felt good to do bend big again. G8 felt pretty good. Red felt great. Haven't done one for a few weeks, so it's good to know I haven't lost the groove. Can't wait for the FBBC stock to come in...

-----Grippers-----

Still on back-off week on gripper training. Hit 3 reps with my #2 (absolutely crushed the third rep), so I took out my HG250 and closed it with my right hand as well! Still have a bit to go on closing the #2 with my left hand, but I'm getting closer everyday.

Also finished off my 6" Red that I had kinked to about 85 degrees. The crush was tough, but crushing it cold is probably harder than crushing it hot. I'll try a fresh 6" Red next week.

[JohnOBrien]

Power Cleans - 5x155,175,185,205,225

Seated Calves (slow) - 4x15x180

Standing Calves - 50xBW

15" Deadlifts - 5x315, 2x405, 1x495,555,600(miss)+555, 2x1x555, 3x555

Box Squats - 6x2x280

Reverse Hypers (kind of) - 3x10xBW

Pretty good DL workout. Cleans felt good even though I haven't done them for awhile. Focused on pulling high and was getting to about eye level up through 205, 225 was up to about mouth level. Deads felt really good, so I thought I'd go for a PR at this height (600) and missed it by about 4", got pissed off, stripped 45# and pulled again. Big mistake. Pulled 2 more stong singles at that weight and was about to pull my third when Joe says "Gonna hit a double." Well it was on then. Pulled a triple. Did some make-shift reverse hypers in the cage because by then, my back was killing me. Hopefully didn't do any damage and it's just fatigue.

-----Grippers-----

Still in back off week. Grip was a little taxed from deads earlier, but I'm still doing well with the #2 right-handed. Had a go at my HG-250 right-handed as well, but it wasn't going to go today.

[JohnOBrien]

Speed Bench - 3x3x135, 3x3x165, 4x3x185 (all w/band +90 at top)

Dumbell Floor Press - 10x75's, 2x10x80's

Dips - 2x8x+50, 6x+75

French Press - 8x65, 8x85, 4x95,105,115

TOM's - 2x60x10

Worked out with a couple of powerlifters today since my usual training partner couldn't make it this morning. Did a lot of things I've never done before (pretty much everything but the dips). Really liked benching with the bands, very different than chains. Floor presses took a little getting used to, but I could have done more weight. Dips were done slow to the bottom then explode up which is not how I usually do them, but felt good. TOM's (they called them test of manhood, a little melodramatic, but they do suck) were 6 exercises, sets of 10, performed w/o stopping (shrugs, "bench" movement, military, shoulder height up lateral raises, regular lateral raises, and "flye" type movement). Not too difficult, but a good burn out of it. Don't know why powerlifters would do these, seemed like a bodybuilder type of thing to do.

Taking the day off from gripping today, back at it tomorrow.

[JohnOBrien]

Squats - 3x395,420,450,475,500

Seated Calves - 4x15x225

Standing Calves - 50xBW

15" Squat - 5x525,575, 3x625

RDL - 3x5x225

Squats felt great. All reps were strong and fast. Back was feeling very fatigued towards the end of the 15" squats, so I didn't push it and stopped at 3 reps. Feels much better now, so I probably would have been okay, but I was really hurting last week and didn't want a repeat performance.

-----Grippers-----

Finished off Phase 1 of the KTA program over the weekend. Had 3 really strong closes of my tough #2 on Sunday. Wished I'd brought home my HG250 because I'm fairly certain I could've gotten a few reps on that too (all right handed of course, came within 1/8" with my left on the #2 which is a best for me).

[JohnOBrien]

Decline Sit-Ups (~55-60 degrees) - 3x10

Knee-Ups - 3x25

Suit-Case Dealifts (each hand) - 0:20x135,155, 0:10x175 picks x 205,225(had to hook L)

Double Overhand Hold - 0:25 x 225

Quick and dirty core/grip workout. Was in and out in <25 minutes, which is very fast for me. I'll probably be going back over the lunch hour to do something cardio with my wife.

Got my FBBC "Squeezers" (two sets for my thick bar) and 5/16" x 7" bending stock in the mail today. I'll try the squeezers tonight and the bending stock tomorrow.

[JohnOBrien]

Phase 2, Week 1, Workout 2 of KTA.

Used a little weight on the strap hold today. Made a difference, but definitely need more weight.

-----Bending-----

Galvinized 60d x 4

Bright 60d x 3

Black 60d x 1

6" G8 x 1

Red x 1

Fat Bastard Bar x 1

Was just going to do a few easy bends, but it really felt good, so I kept going. Red felt much better today than on Monday and I just couldn't resist the Fat Bastard Bar. More difficult to start than the Red, otherwise pretty similar IMHO. Overall, felt pretty good.

[JohnOBrien]

Dumbell Power Snatch - 5x55, 4x3x70

Leg Press Calf Raises - 15x440,530,620,710, 10x1000

14" Deadlifts (lowest pin) - 5x315, 2x405, 1x495, 3x1x555, 2x3x555

Pause Squats - 6x2x315

GHR - 3x5xBW

Pretty good pulling workout. Went back to the dumbell snatches for WOB. Did them a little different though. Did a swing up to shoulder height and then a snatch, kind of like the way I throw WOB. Felt pretty good. I've decided I really don't like deadlifts. After we get through with this experiment that my training partner is doing, I'm going back to every other week. This DL every week thing has got to stop. Didn't feel like getting the box out so did pause squats instead. These felt great! Haven't done them for awhile but I think it's time to bring them back.

[JohnOBrien]

Grippers and bending.

Phase 2, Week 1, Day 3 of KTA.

Came closer to closing my #2 with my left hand than I ever have before. It is definitely going down in the near future. Getting my #2 right handed very consistently in warm-ups now and I occssionally just crush the snot out of it.

After the grippers, I broke a 6" G2 by bending it back and forth. Getting to be pretty proficient at this, much faster and no blisters this time.

[JohnOBrien]

Barbell Push Press - 5x190,200,215,225,240

Pulldowns - 6x10x175

Speed Bench - 3x3x185, 7x3x205

CG Dumbell Floor Press - 3x8x80's

Hammer Curls - 3x5x75's

Dips - 3x15xBW

Dumbell Rev Curls - 5x45,50,55

Pretty good workout today. First time I've done Push Press with a barbell for quite awhile and they felt great. All reps were crisp and only had to lockout the last few at 240. May have to max on these soon and see where I'm at.

-----Grippers-----

Phase 2, Week 1, Day 4 of KTA

Came within about 1 mm of closing the #2 left-handed during warm-up. It's gonna happen next week for sure. Not sure on the weight for strap holds, I've just been sliding things onto the strap. Used 2-6" Adjustable wrenches and 2 grippers. I'll bring in some weights to use next week.

[JohnOBrien]

Phase 2, Week 2, Workout 2 of KTA.

All reps performed with each hand.

Probably the best gripper workout I've ever had. I don't know if its because my hands/forearmw were already warm from deads, but my grip was very strong today. First time I've EVER closed my tough #2 with my left hand and I did it on both attempts in warm-up (although they were set closes, they still had decent sweep)! Huge PR!

Didn't realize it had been so long since I posted in my training log. I'll try to be better about that.

[JohnOBrien]

Clean & PP/Jerk - 5x200,215,225,240,255 PR

Pulldowns - 3x5x200

Strict Chins - 3x5xBW

That's all I did today in the gym. Not much, but I tried a few other things and just didn't have it either from fatigue or pain in my chest. Tried 135 on bench to see if I could do some speed bench, but just lowering the bar caused some pain in the right side of my chest (the bar must have hit me off center) so I didin't do them. Hopefully, with the light day today, I'll recover by next week and be able to go heavy on the bench again. On the plus side, something has finally clicked on the jerk technique and my last two sets felt great!