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Thrawn
06-11-08, 4:42 am
A half liter of oatmeal porridge, wow! I don't thinkI can do that much at one time, would gag me. -T.

I try to eat one every day or so. I cant eat it quickly, as i do not like it very much. I eat it spoon after spoon, taking my time. Sometimes a bit of honey or jelley in it.
I wanna break the 90kg barrier soon, so i better EAT UP =))

Roland
06-11-08, 4:47 am
Kickin' ass my brother, keep at it!!!!!!!!!!

Themostocles
06-11-08, 4:49 am
If I am going for carbs(which are a no no for me right now), I like to do red beans and rice. Healthy carbs, fiber, and protein; with plenty of flavor. -T.

Thrawn
06-11-08, 4:52 am
Kickin' ass my brother, keep at it!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the support and for popping in, Roland!


If I am going for carbs(which are a no no for me right now), I like to red beans and rice. Healthy carbs, fiber, and protein; with plenty of flavor. -T.

Oh, i hear ya on the red beans =) I love them. Or chili beans. I sometimes just eat a can of cold green peas, just because i like them =) I am not too happy with rice, but its one of those things we have to put up with.

Thrawn
06-11-08, 3:47 pm
I started out feeling awesome today. But in the afternoon this constant muggy weather took its toll and i got a nice splitting headache. Felt a bit off, actually. But i decided not to be such a bitch about and go anyway.
Glad i went, cause i could up almost all major exercises, as predicted last week. It cost me more effort then expected, but i can thank the headache for that. No matter, session was good. Even did some new stuff.

Deadlifts:
3x5 125kg PR (in sets) Had good speed, different grip every set

Rackpulls (2 conventional/2 sumo)
4x5 120kg smoked the conv. ones, but somehow was rather weak at the sumos.

SLDL
3x6 85kg PR (in sets) still room for more weight here. first two sets was easy

Backextensions
2x5 60kg PR (in sets) still easy

Bentover barbell row (back parallel to floor)
3x6 75kg PR (in sets) headache made last set a bit difficult, probably from standing over

Latpully (3 front/2 back)
5x8 55kg decided not to up weight but increase speed and explosiveness on these. felt GREAT

From this point on i did not feel like keeping to my normal routine and decided to go for some other stuff, by feel.

Normally db press, now standing military push press (making it a more compound movement). Decided to go heavier then normal on this and really pound it out
50kg 8, 6, 5 reps not a big pushpress, but just enough to keep going and explode the weight up.

Nosebreakers, like normal (i just love them)
1x6 35kg
2x6 40kg PR heavy, but good form, good pump too

Normally pre-exhaust barbell curl, now pull ups. Never done them before
Bodyweight 89kg 6, 5, 4 reps. I found them rather HARD. Was a bit unstable too.
Immidiately followed by incline machine curl
35kg 7 reps straight onto 25kg 6 reps straight onto 15kg 15 reps.
Awesome pump. My biceps are not strong, but i liked this. I really FELT this.

Abs: 75 raised leg crunches, in three sets of 25, max 30 second pause.
Stretching, drinking my Animal Max shake and left the building. Still got that damn headache.

Themostocles
06-11-08, 7:33 pm
Damn, looking good. A change of pace can really make a w/o something to enjoy. Hope your headache gets better. -T.

Carpe Diem P.T
06-11-08, 9:02 pm
holy smokes. thats a monster session with a headache. was the ol head thumpin through out?

TXPWRLFTR
06-11-08, 11:06 pm
http://planetrage.freeforums.org/index.php

http://www.myspace.com/beastofrage

Copied this from his page. Enjoy!
GOT STRENGTH?

who do you respect? ok...does that person have the strength to be who they are? as i sit here and type this, i can tell you that my life in the last year, i truly discovered what it means to have STRENGTH and i'm not just talking about being strong...anyone can be strong...strong has so many definitions today but to me...STRENGTH has only one.

to have STRENGTH means not just to be strong but the STRENGTH to keep on being stronger every day. to shoulder the worries and ups and downs that people go through and never giving up hope. the STRENGTH to keep on keeping on when the chips are down. the STRENGTH you lend to your family and your brothers in iron cause in turn their STRENGTH makes you stronger and vice versa. the STRENGTH to uphold loyalty and honor...the STRENGTH to have the unbreakable will and unstoppable attitude. knowing that you will do what it takes and what must be done to be what you want to become. the STRENGTH to become what many didn't think you wouldn't become and believing that you can...that's what STRENGTH is about.

i can tell you that i have seen strong lifters come and go in my eyes. some that that have that unbound potential to be something truly amazing but the STRENGTH wasn't there. i know of a person that has god-given genetics and physical strength to do many things but doesn't have the STRENGTH to be that person everyone knows he can be. he didn't have the STRENGTH to help and support his brothers when the time was needed but wanted their help. in other words, he can be the strongest fucker in the world...but won't have a ounce of fuckin STRENGTH to keep it. then you have this other person i know that has the STRENGTH to become something...mindset, will, and attitude...its only a matter of time before his physical strength catches up and when that happens...he'll have the STRENGTH to move mountains simply because he is willing to pay his dues in and out of the gym and sacriface what must be sacrifaced in the name of STRENGTH. he lends his STRENGTH to his brothers and therefore they lend it back in support. does he have the STRENGTH to be the strongest? yes he does! he also has the STRENGTH to be patient and know that true STRENGTH is knowing when no to rush things.

ok...i'll stop capitlizing STRENGTH but you get the idea. strength is about being the strongest guy in the state/world/etc and having the strength to keep on being the strongest. to take on the world on your shoulders like atlas does. that's the strength i'm talkin about. i believe my fault in finding lifters is the they don't have the strength to be better....to be stronger...to be different...everyone wants to laugh at the freak but when he does something amazing, they want to be him all of the sudden. what does that tell ya? that tells ya he has the strength to be who he is...instilled with confidence that he's ok with bein called a freak...its a badge of honor for him. it means to him that he has greater strength than normal people because isn't settling for average. to be in the crowd and to be the one the crowd talks about are two different things. to be one of the 100s of 700lb benchers and to be that one freak that benched 700 at 165 are two different things. settling for average doesn't work for me...it doesn't make sense...i'll always want more...i'll never be satisfied. to have the strength to never be satisfied is to truly be strong...being the strongest is only a matter of time and training with that mindset. seeing nothing but your goal and having the strength to get there no matter what or no matter how long it takes...having the strength to endure and evolve is strength unbound. repeat it to yourself....it makes sense doesn't it. remember it when the tough times are around...or when your brother is down...remind him... never surrender...never satisifed! that is true strength. phyiscal strength is only the manifestation of the strength within. that's how it should be represented as.

in the last year of my life and lifting i truly found out what STRENGTH means. i have came across so many lifters that have potential for the sport of powerlifting and some that are doin it but are missing that one important factor...that factor known as STRENGTH. i can tell ya, i'm more impressed with a guy that hasn't benched 600 but is workin his ass off for it and has never known to give up...hell he doesn't even possess the benchin ability at all than a guy that has the ability to bench 800 and is strong enough to do 800+ but doesn't possess the STRENGTH to do it...the ability to do what it takes to get there and beyond and to not let nuthin stop him...

a good friend of mine exemplifies what STRENGTH means. he grew from a boy to a man and stepped out of a shadow and man...he is amazing people right and left and its not just his physical strength. he's lendin it to his brothers that train with him over and over again. he possesses the strength to be the top 220 in the sport of powerlifting...its only a matter of time before his physical strength shows this and does he have the ability to be the strongest 220...yes he does...that friend of mine motivates me everyday...and right now i was confused on why he changed soo much when he went overseas and now i know why...he has STRENGTH now...strength of character, unstoppable will, unbreakable attitude, and brotherhood...its only a matter of time before his physical strength shows this and its already speaking volumes for him...

a true man of strength is never complacent with what or who he is. this goes for the gym and beyond. seein a person evolve is motivating for me and fires me up. cause it reminds me of the strength i must have to do it as well. i don't want to be doin the same thing next week, next month, next year, etc...its simple...i evolve or i die. the reason why normal people look down on those that are different is because they don't get it. they don't understand why go through the hassle...not realizing that person has the strength to be that person because they never are satisfied and it shows. people ask..."how do u do it?" "how did u get big?" ...how this...how that...its all relative to strength. the challenges that person went through to get to where they are was a long dark mile. and in their eyes, they aren't satisfied and aren't there yet. TRUE STRENGTH IS ABOUT BEIN NEVER SATISFIED!

"real men of strength speak not of their strength by words but by their actions"

take a second and reread those words again. to some people, it pisses them off...why? i have no idea...i'm not average. to others like chad aichs, its self-explainitory. anyone can talk big numbers and talk a big game and shit talk to top it off...it takes real strength to put it out there on the platform and let your actions do the talkin. i learned this last year and its those words that i won't forget. and this meaning can go outside of the strength arena into life itself. a friend of mine told me "it ain't braggin if you can back it up!!"...that's fuckiin STRENGTH right there bros. nuthin else and it makes sense. that comes from someone that's committed to STRENGTH and is willing and able to back it up no problem with or without words. its matter not what the mouth says...it matters what your actions do.

in conclusion, STRENGTH is about having the power to walk and be who you are with confidence and pride and wanting to become something more than just average. its having those around you that have that same strength as you do and want it just as much if not more than you. its about facing what's real...the strength to survive a bombout, embarassment, humilitation, being owned, whatever and rising like a phoenix from the ashes cause a man with greater strength than a man without it will always be stronger. its about the strength to lend to those who don't have it and giving them the strength to do the same as well as your brothers in iron and your own family. having strength isn't selfish...it never should. giving someone the strength to keep goin and never surrender and never giving up no matter long the fight. having the strength to recognize strength in others and respecting that. the people i respect have this and they know who they are. its also about having the strength that speaks for itself and having the strength to go above ego or arrogance. the kind of strength that even the mighty hercules possesses. the definiton of strength: "having the dedication, determination, desire, and discipline to believe and become"....so ask yourself...

do you have STRENGTH?
TB

Carpe Diem P.T
06-11-08, 11:12 pm
Thanks for the compliments, Carpe Diem P.T.!

if u can remember to, just call me brad ;)

Phil800101
06-12-08, 2:51 am
Great session bro, congrats on the PRs! Way to push yourself with the headache, adapt and overcome is what it's all about bro!

Thrawn
06-12-08, 4:54 am
Damn, looking good. A change of pace can really make a w/o something to enjoy. Hope your headache gets better. -T.

Yeah, i really enjoyed doing something else this time. I am committed to my mentor and his programs. They work perfect for now. But with that damn headache i was a bit off and had a hard time focussing. So i did some stuff i really like (push press) or wanted to try (pullups) to get my mind of that damn headache.
It has subsided now, got a bit of a heavy feeling in the head still, but it'll be alright.
Thanks for your constant support, T!


holy smokes. thats a monster session with a headache. was the ol head thumpin through out?

Yeah, it was, unfortunately. Normally i do not get headaches, but this was really a nasty one. Made me a uncomfortable. I was hoping to REALLY improve on my numbers from last week. But the headache made that not really possible and i did not wanna push it so far as to have to leave the gym. So i just did what i could and kept pushing against the 'comfortzone'.


http://planetrage.freeforums.org/index.php

http://www.myspace.com/beastofrage

Copied this from his page. Enjoy!


I have seen this one on the forvm already, Greg. It is an AWESOME post indeed. I voted for it to be a sticky =) I will certainly check his freeforum stuff. Thanks, big man!


if u can remember to, just call me brad ;)

Okay, Brad! I am bad with remembering names, but i will do my best. My name is Bert. Not as spectacular as Thrawn, LOL


Great session bro, congrats on the PRs! Way to push yourself with the headache, adapt and overcome is what it's all about bro!

Thanks Phil! Did what i could with the circumstances and i cant complain. The session still went rather well, even if i originally wanted to improve on my numbers a bit more. But you deal with what you have at that moment. I think i will have those words printed on a Tshirt. I like that quote a lot.

Which reminds me: i think my limited edition Iconic Omega shirt is in the mail! I got this letter in the mail that there is a package for me that i have to sign for =)))) Now i gotta stay true to my words and break my deadlift record in it!!

Thrawn
06-13-08, 3:58 am
YES, my Limited Edition Iconic Omega shirt is IN =) Wearing it proudly today. WITH a new pair of pants.... Went to the gym last night, bringing one of my buddies a tub of FastGain. Get upstairs and run into one dude i had helped with squats. He introduces me to his friend and he asks if i can show him how i carry the barbell low on my back. I say: Sure, no problem. Barbell only had 60kg on it, so i thought, what the hell. I can do a few reps with that, even cold. So i get under the barbell, put it right under my traps, let him have a look how i hold it and go down. RIIIIIIPPPPPED my pants like a piece of paper =) Chuckles all around ofcourse. They even had the nerve to ask: so, this is what being an Animal is all about? I had no choice but to chuckle with them on that. Pants were shot anyway, so i also showed him a few frontsquats, which he picked up rather nicely.

Gotta get used to not being a micro-weight skinny bastard anymore. My legs AND butt have grown a lot from the squats. I wear baggy all the time, but i do not have the room i used to have in those pants anymore....
Ah well. No big deal anyway.

Themostocles
06-13-08, 4:02 am
Nice story Thrawn, lol. You must really be getting some size on those legs. Going to put up some pics of you in the new shirt? -T.

Thrawn
06-13-08, 4:47 am
Nice story Thrawn, lol. You must really be getting some size on those legs. Going to put up some pics of you in the new shirt? -T.

I still have to giggle about it too. Guess it happened to a lot of brothers already, but i lost my cherry on this one now =))
You couldnt tell i guess how much my legs have grown, cause i NEVER showed my legs before on pics. They were just twigs. My back and legs have put on the most mass. I could show you a pic of my legs now, but i dont know if i have the nerve to do it =) I have one of the same time i shot the back pic a few pages ago.
I certainly will. I promised i would break my deadlift record in this shirt. So its ON now. I will see if i can make a sort of schedule for it, and when i will do it. I am gonna try and increase the pr by 20lbs.

TXPWRLFTR
06-13-08, 11:22 am
Good story brother!
You will get that PR my friend!

Phil800101
06-13-08, 3:04 pm
Lol, that is awesome. Definitely a sign of progress.

Thrawn
06-13-08, 5:39 pm
Good story brother!
You will get that PR my friend!

Hehe =) Yes it is, and i am not worried about that PR either, Greg. I will nail that one.


Lol, that is awesome. Definitely a sign of progress.

Oh yes, it is. I am gonna keep that ripped pants for a while. And the story gets better...Read on.

Today. After ripping the pants yesterday i immidiately bought a new pair. Cause its my fav. Today is friday the 13th. Normally i dont believe in that crap. But here we go. Today i was moving some furniture in our laboratory. Wanted to throw something in the bin. Wearing my Animal cap low, so my vision is a bit impaired. Walk straight into a sharp steel airtube coming down from the ceiling. Bust open my skin close to my ear. Bad bleeder. Wanna turn around to get some cloth to stop the blood from falling onto my NEW LIMITED EDITION ICONIC, pants get caught on the corner of a steel table. RRRRIIIIPPPP! Unbelievable. 2 pants in two days. And a nice gash. Ah well, just a day in life, i guess. No blood on the iconic, the rest does not matter.
Was PUMPED to go to the gym after carrying all that stuff around, but i should have expected some fatigue. I started off well, but quickly things went bad. Good thing was is that i kept my head calm and adepted instead of frustrated. This is how it went down:

Training all big three in strict meet form.
Squats (no belt, no wraps);
3x2 100kg PR first set was bit awkward, last two sets were GREAT.
1x1 100kg for good measure because i was not happy with the first set
1x unracking 140kg, just to get used to bigger weights on my back

Benchpress; was really looking forward to this after mondays good session. But:
1x1 85kg felt heavy as a planet, went down to
1x2 80kg still felt like an enormous weight...
asked a buddy to check my press and it looked to him as that my shoulders were fatigued. He was right, i blasted the delts heavier then normal wednesday. Left normal benchpress alone for now

CGBP
4x3 70kg good, heavy, but good

Substituted the benchpress for Incline DB press now. Low weights, high reps to stimulate recovery:
20kgx15
20kgx13
24kgx10
26kgx7 felt AWESOME. Great pump

Deadlift:
1x2 130kg again, this was very very difficult
2x1 130kg stopped after these singles. Normally this is easy, but not today.

Decided to leave the heavy stuff for what is was. Body felt weary. Went for more lightweight, higher rep recovery work. Also just for fun, keep the mood up.

Reverse pec deck:
40kgx10 immidiately to
50kgx10 immidately to
60kgx7 very nice for a change

Some sort of standing row at the cable machine a buddy showed me. Standing close grip, pulling the small bar towards chest while leaning back a little. GREAT feel in the inner back.
50kgx10 10second pause
60kgx10 5 second pause
70kgx8 great pump in back now

rainbow press, high reps for recovery of fatigued shoulders
30kg till nice burn, 4 times

Wrist curls
30kg till nice burn, 4 times

Will rest and eat up good this weekend. Now i am at my girls place and look back, this workout was not as bad as it felt when i sat in the showers. I felt a bit cheated out of some good heavy work, but i forgot i already did that by moving that furniture. And getting my delts into submission wednesday really played a number on my bench.
Its all about learning and adapting.
Time for food.

TXPWRLFTR
06-13-08, 7:49 pm
On another note, congrats on the victory over France today...4-1!
It was quite a game!

Themostocles
06-13-08, 9:27 pm
Sorry about the head, and good save on the shirt lol. We all got to have our prioritise. So what is a rainbow press? -T.

Phil800101
06-14-08, 1:30 am
Killer workout Thrawn, congrats on the PR! Way to be bro, you just kept on trucking and didn't let anything get you down. Sometimes shit will try to mindfuck you, and you just gotta move past it and keep on hitting it, like you did. Fucking awesome.

Lol about the pants, that's crazy. Glad to hear that you weren't seriously hurt though. Enjoy the rest over the weekend my man, and eat hearty!

Thrawn
06-14-08, 9:14 am
On another note, congrats on the victory over France today...4-1!
It was quite a game!

So i have heard. I dont know anything about soccer, personally i HATE soccer. Because it dominates the sports in the Netherlands 24-7. There is almost no attention to other sports here. I hope you enjoyed it, i did not know Americans watched soccer...


Sorry about the head, and good save on the shirt lol. We all got to have our prioritise. So what is a rainbow press? -T.

Hehe, got a nice cut and bruise now, lol. Rainbow press is a combined military and neckpress. Take a barbell, sit or stand (whatever you prefer), start with military press but go in an arch few inches over your head immidiately down to your neck. And up again, in a shallow arc low over your head to front, military up again. The shoulders will burn quickly as there is constant tension on the muscles. VERY tiring exercise. Fun. Teethgritter!


Killer workout Thrawn, congrats on the PR! Way to be bro, you just kept on trucking and didn't let anything get you down. Sometimes shit will try to mindfuck you, and you just gotta move past it and keep on hitting it, like you did. Fucking awesome.

Lol about the pants, that's crazy. Glad to hear that you weren't seriously hurt though. Enjoy the rest over the weekend my man, and eat hearty!

Yeah, i am glad i am learning to keep looking forward. Few months ago something like this would have sent me home screaming. Now i know it just happens sometimes. It could be my heavy shoulderpressing from wednesday played havoc with my bench. It is sometimes hard to tell for me, as i almost NEVER get muscle ache. But i noticed strength just wasnt there. So you adept. And continue. I am getting the hang of that.
The pants story is just plain funny, lol.
I am lucky with the cut. It is straight next to my ear, on the hard bone part, towards the eye. It could have been much worse, just an inch higher (eye) or lower (throat)...best not to think about it.
I am sure gonna be resting and eating plenty! Gotta get STRONGER!

Thanks for all your support, brothers!

Thrawn
06-15-08, 7:40 am
Rest is doing me good. Slept a lot and eating like Godzilla. I think that, even tho mondays and wednesdays sessions did not feel very taxing for me, i was indeed tired. At least far more fatigued then i felt like. Guess the positive drive and focus kept me going but eventually caught up with me on friday =)
I felt very tense in the shoulders and back saturday. Still a bit tired. Today i will enjoy myself with World Superbikes (GO TROY BAYLISS! DUCATI RULES!!), Le Mans and fathers day.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Although normally i like to keep pushing, i think i will go for a speedweek again. Not upping the weights, but more speed and explosiveness. I guess my body is working ahead of me. To go Westside =)) Got a bit sidelined on it, there are some personal things i need to take care of .(nothing big, but timeconsuming nonetheless) But after that i will continue to work on my new schedule for the summer.

TXPWRLFTR
06-15-08, 1:19 pm
Hey Thrawn, soccer is much alive here in the states...of course I am a football fan by all means! lol.

I will begin to pick up training today after having a week off. Am so ready to hit it again.
I am heading over to my folks in a few to spend th eday with my dad on Father's Day...bar-b-que on the grill and all...watch the Celtics end the Lakers...

take care bud and enjoy the day!

Phil800101
06-15-08, 4:27 pm
Sounds like a plan for the coming week, enjoy the rest bro!

Thrawn
06-16-08, 4:21 am
Hey Thrawn, soccer is much alive here in the states...of course I am a football fan by all means! lol.

I will begin to pick up training today after having a week off. Am so ready to hit it again.
I am heading over to my folks in a few to spend th eday with my dad on Father's Day...bar-b-que on the grill and all...watch the Celtics end the Lakers...

take care bud and enjoy the day!

Okay, i would never have guessed that. I thought that soccer was everywhere except the states!! We DO seem to kick some ass in the championships, so i hope our national team will serve you some great matches to enjoy, Greg!
GREAT NEWS that you are going back on the grind again! I have been missing the updates in your journey! Hope the back will keep up!
Hope you had a great fathers day. We had a great relaxing weekend!


Sounds like a plan for the coming week, enjoy the rest bro!

I did enjoy it. I slept VERY solid last night, so i feel a bit heavy headed and drowzy, but i guess some cafeine will cure that.

Themostocles
06-16-08, 4:24 am
Hey, what time is it over there for you? So I have some perspective. -T.

Thrawn
06-16-08, 4:43 am
Hey, what time is it over there for you? So I have some perspective. -T.

At this moment it is 10 to eleven in the morning.

Themostocles
06-16-08, 4:47 am
At this moment it is 10 to eleven in the morning.

Thanks Thrawn, I have always wondered about that. So what do you do for a living? -T.

Thrawn
06-16-08, 4:49 am
Thanks Thrawn, I have always wondered about that. So what do you do for a living? -T.

I am operational manager on a research lab and head of materialographic analysis. My work can be as simple as taking pics of corrosion or as difficult as trying to find out why an engine on a boat failed after examining the parts. I use optical microscopes, electron microscopes, Xray equipement and EDX analysis, cross-sectioning among things.

Themostocles
06-16-08, 4:52 am
And they say we are meatheads lol. Sounds like a could be a fun job, but I like puzzles. -T,

Thrawn
06-16-08, 4:54 am
And they say we are meatheads lol. Sounds like a could be a fun job, but I like puzzles. -T,

HAHA, yeah, having some physique seems to make most ppl think that the brain is absent.
I LOVE my job. I am very good at deduction and gathering information from secundairy evidence. It also has its drawbacks, like any job, but all in all, i couldnt be happier about my work.

panzerwagen
06-16-08, 7:19 am
I am operational manager on a research lab and head of materialographic analysis. My work can be as simple as taking pics of corrosion or as difficult as trying to find out why an engine on a boat failed after examining the parts. I use optical microscopes, electron microscopes, Xray equipement and EDX analysis, cross-sectioning among things.

Sounds like a really interesting job Thrawn. What kind of education do you need for this?

Thrawn
06-16-08, 8:12 am
Sounds like a really interesting job Thrawn. What kind of education do you need for this?

What would help is some education in chemistry and physics. But officially there are no real courses for this job in the Netherlands. If your background is good (i am officially a chemical laboratory assistant) and you have the insights and good deduction capability, you can enroll in these kind of jobs.

Thrawn
06-16-08, 8:18 am
Another update:
To see if i am just a poor bencher or if i am technically still missing things: next week tuesday i will be training with our World Champion Ielja Strik. I called her few minutes ago and she agreed on some specific chest training with me. I have posted her website before, i think, but here she is. A VERY nice and very openminded woman, i might add.

http://www.ieljastrik.nl.nu/english/start.htm

She is currently world record holder in the IPF for women -90kg class with 182,5kg benchpress. Guess my ego will get to handle a LOT next tuesday =)))) I will see if i am allowed to take a few pics.

Big Wides
06-16-08, 1:50 pm
Another update:
To see if i am just a poor bencher or if i am technically still missing things: next week tuesday i will be training with our World Champion Ielja Strik. I called her few minutes ago and she agreed on some specific chest training with me. I have posted her website before, i think, but here she is. A VERY nice and very openminded woman, i might add.

http://www.ieljastrik.nl.nu/english/start.htm

She is currently world record holder in the IPF for women -90kg class with 182,5kg benchpress. Guess my ego will get to handle a LOT next tuesday =)))) I will see if i am allowed to take a few pics.

thats an awesome thing right there.....we all can learn new techinques/tricks from those who have mastered it

Thrawn
06-16-08, 3:44 pm
thats an awesome thing right there.....we all can learn new techinques/tricks from those who have mastered it

Yeah, i agree. She is very helpfull and always makes time for others. I have met her and talked with her on a few occasions already and she is as laidback as one can be. VERY passionate about her sport, but no ego or 'protective' about her training/secrets.

Thrawn
06-16-08, 4:03 pm
Tonights session was a bit of a surprise. I felt weak all day, did not have much fire in my ass all day. Slow as a snail. I really had to force myself to go, i did not wanna lose my rythm. And glad i did. It went great. Once the warming up was done, i was on fire. I still felt a bit out of whack, but the weights were just easy today.
I also decided to put chest first now. I got my weaknesses figured out, so time to prioritize (if thats a correct word). My squat is technically good and advanced on a steady pace. So bench comes first now. I have somewhat of a buddy now in the gym. We spot eachother when needed. We have a great 'feel' for how much help the other needs. This is great with benching.

Benchpress:
3x3 85kg
1x2 90kg PR in sets immidiately continued by a
1x1 20 second negative rep. i thought i was gonna spew up my guts, but i did it as slow as i could. Had very little help on the upward motion also (my buddy really IS a sadist at those times, but i wouldnt have it any other way)

Closegrip benchpress, pause on chest
4x4 70kg Pr in sets

Floor press, smith machine
2x6 65kg Pr in sets

Had a great feeling about this pressing session. I still can almost smell that i am missing some technical details, which would increase the bench more. I just KNOW it. But i cant figure them out, so i hope next week i can get some clues with the session with the World Champion =))

Onto the wheels: the chest session had taken a toll, but legs was no problem at all. This ' discovery' also gives me great confidence in my stamina.

Squats:
3x3 90kg smokeshow
1x3 95kg easy PR in sets
Dropped a 45lbs plate from the barbell straight onto my achilles heel when i helped my buddy unload from benchpressing. Hurt like a mofo. I went downstairs for a good icing to take away the swelling and sting.

Stopsquats, 2 second pause in the hole
4x3 75kg easy, ankle bit painfull

Frontsquats
2x4 65kg
1x4 70kg great depth, great form, good speed

Onelegged legpress; 45degree angle up
2x12 40kg good speed, good depth, awesome burn
Onelegged legextensions
2x12 25kg not so very easy, but good sign i left almost nothing in the tank

Triceps pushdown
1x10 70kg
2x10 76kg last set was a bit of a grinder, but still solid reps.

Barbell curl
2x8 30kg easy
1x10 35kg PR, took 5kg off and did another 6 with 30kg again, last rep help from buddy.

Rope crunches:
4x20 55kg felt great. i had real solid control over my abdomen

Stretched a bit, talked a bit with my buddy and now i am back home icing the ankle and eating a plate of baked beans.
Does life get any better then this? Hell NO!

Themostocles
06-16-08, 10:58 pm
Awesome w/o Thrawn. Sorry about hurting yourself, I get my toes usually. Feel free to pass along any bench tips she gives you. -T.

deanna7272
06-16-08, 11:02 pm
Another update:
To see if i am just a poor bencher or if i am technically still missing things: next week tuesday i will be training with our World Champion Ielja Strik. I called her few minutes ago and she agreed on some specific chest training with me. I have posted her website before, i think, but here she is. A VERY nice and very openminded woman, i might add.

http://www.ieljastrik.nl.nu/english/start.htm

She is currently world record holder in the IPF for women -90kg class with 182,5kg benchpress. Guess my ego will get to handle a LOT next tuesday =)))) I will see if i am allowed to take a few pics.

Sounds like a great opportunity... TAKE NOTES...

It sounds as if she's pretty down to earth, I am sure she'll take you up on the photo op...lol POST THEM UP if you get some!!

Phil800101
06-17-08, 12:56 am
Awesome session bro, congrats on the PRs! Good call with prioritizing the bench, I think that will work out quite well for you.

Themostocles
06-17-08, 4:42 am
Sorry, I just read your post in Matt Dickerson's log. I am sorry to hear about your girlfriends relative. I hope it isn't too stressing for your 'family' and that the family member gets better. -T.

Thrawn
06-17-08, 5:32 am
Awesome w/o Thrawn. Sorry about hurting yourself, I get my toes usually. Feel free to pass along any bench tips she gives you. -T.

Thanks T! It felt worse at the time then it is now. Its black and blue, but i have no pain when moving the ankle, only when i put pressure on it. So nothing is damaged, just a good bruise on a clumsy spot.
If i get some good advice, and i have no doubt i will, you can bet that i will share those. I have no secrets when it comes to training and getting ahead. I would LOVE to help my brethren in here in any way i can.


Sounds like a great opportunity... TAKE NOTES...

It sounds as if she's pretty down to earth, I am sure she'll take you up on the photo op...lol POST THEM UP if you get some!!

Hey, blue eyes! You bet i will take notes! That is the whole plan there. Improving my bench. She will have no trouble with pics, i know that. She will also be training some others there, they might object. But if i make some, i will post them up!


Awesome session bro, congrats on the PRs! Good call with prioritizing the bench, I think that will work out quite well for you.

Thanks, Phil! The session was good indeed. I feel nicely tense and a bit sore now. And prioritizing the bench is part of my masterplan of becoming as solid as a lifter as i can be. I prefer to be a GOOD SOLID lifter then a STRONG lifter with unworthy technique. My bench is most def my weak spot, so i got to get it up to as high a standard as i can.


Sorry, I just read your post in Matt Dickerson's log. I am sorry to hear about your girlfriends relative. I hope it isn't too stressing for your 'family' and that the family member gets better. -T.

Thanks, T. Much appreciated. Unfortunately it is terminal and just a matter of time now. Nothing can be done anymore. Her aunt can opt to do chemo, but that can only buy time if it catches on. It has been VERY stressfull lately as my girlfriends family have some heridatary diseases (dont know if i spelled that correct) in the family from her mothers side. So this is yet another blow for them. I am doing all i can to be there and be the rock they can lean on.

Themostocles
06-17-08, 5:43 am
In the darkest hour, hope springs eternal. My Uncle was given 5 years to live 13 years ago. He wasn't suppose to live to see his daughter graduate, but in October he will walk her down the aisle. Doctors aren't always right, and there are still miracles. But you are a good man to be there for her and them. -T.

Thrawn
06-17-08, 5:50 am
In the darkest hour, hope springs eternal. My Uncle was given 5 years to live 13 years ago. He wasn't suppose to live to see his daughter graduate, but in October he will walk her down the aisle. Doctors aren't always right, and there are still miracles. But you are a good man to be there for her and them. -T.

We share the same ideas about that, T. The cancer has already spread through the body, so the fact that is terminal is not to be denied. And i do respect doctors, but even in spite of that, NOBODY can say exactly when or what is gonna happen in the long run. That is also what i am trying to portray on the family. Not giving false hope, but believing in the here and now. Keeping it up and going.
And what kind of man would i be if i was NOT there for them now? I wouldnt be worth the sweat i leave in the gym. For me its natural to be there for them now. Even if that would mean sidelining some of my gym sessions/gym future plans. There is nothing more important then life and family.

Carpe Diem P.T
06-17-08, 6:05 am
Cancer is nasty. but at the same time it gives us a chance to live. It marks your time but tells you to get off your arse and make the most of the time you have left.

so many people out there take every day for granted. Its usually those who are marked for death that live the most. Until we have a set date of departure, most of us just plod along thinking we will live forever until its too late and we never really lived.

my thoughts go out to you my friend.

Phil800101
06-17-08, 4:31 pm
I missed your post earlier about training with Ielja Strik, that is awesome bro! What a great opportunity, I'm sure you'r going to learn alot from her!
Also, sorry to hear about your girlfriend's relative. Cancer is a horrible thing, I've lost several family members to that beast, and it is never easy. You're a good man for being there for them, and you are right, there is nothing more important than life and family.

Thrawn
06-18-08, 5:31 am
Cancer is nasty. but at the same time it gives us a chance to live. It marks your time but tells you to get off your arse and make the most of the time you have left.

so many people out there take every day for granted. Its usually those who are marked for death that live the most. Until we have a set date of departure, most of us just plod along thinking we will live forever until its too late and we never really lived.

my thoughts go out to you my friend.

Thanks, Brad. Appreciate all you have said here and i couldnt agree more. I am also guilty of taking this gift of life too much for granted. Even tho i think i have the right attitude when i am calm and at ease, i also fall into the standard mode during daytime/work. Doing my circles. It is hard to keep the right approach to this gift of life if everything seems to come easy and without problems like it has for me in recent years. I will give myself a good kick in the head for that =)


I missed your post earlier about training with Ielja Strik, that is awesome bro! What a great opportunity, I'm sure you'r going to learn alot from her!
Also, sorry to hear about your girlfriend's relative. Cancer is a horrible thing, I've lost several family members to that beast, and it is never easy. You're a good man for being there for them, and you are right, there is nothing more important than life and family.

Yeah, i hope to learn a lot and find some answers. I am very inconsistent in benching and it is my weak spot. I wanna see if i need some minor adjustments in my technique. I think i got it down in my head, but the physical form is not perfect. Hard to check, as you cant check yourself in a mirror while benching.
Yeah, i have had my encounters with cancer in my family and friend circles also. So i know what she and her family are going thru now. It NEVER gets easy. But i will continue to be the pillar she can lean on. She is always there for me and so i will be there for her.

ghost
06-18-08, 12:17 pm
I am operational manager on a research lab and head of materialographic analysis. My work can be as simple as taking pics of corrosion or as difficult as trying to find out why an engine on a boat failed after examining the parts. I use optical microscopes, electron microscopes, Xray equipement and EDX analysis, cross-sectioning among things.

So you play with science stuff all day. sweeeeet. lol.

ghost
06-18-08, 12:18 pm
Another update:
To see if i am just a poor bencher or if i am technically still missing things: next week tuesday i will be training with our World Champion Ielja Strik. I called her few minutes ago and she agreed on some specific chest training with me. I have posted her website before, i think, but here she is. A VERY nice and very openminded woman, i might add.

http://www.ieljastrik.nl.nu/english/start.htm

She is currently world record holder in the IPF for women -90kg class with 182,5kg benchpress. Guess my ego will get to handle a LOT next tuesday =)))) I will see if i am allowed to take a few pics.

Kick some ass, take names, and enjoy it brother, that is absolutely amazing that you are being given this opportunity.

Thrawn
06-18-08, 2:59 pm
So you play with science stuff all day. sweeeeet. lol.

Yup, i live the real CSI life. That is why i do not watch those series, cause they are CRAP =) But i get to play along all day and get payed for it too. Cant beat that.


Kick some ass, take names, and enjoy it brother, that is absolutely amazing that you are being given this opportunity.

Hell yeah, and you best believe i am gonna take as much notes as i can. I am lucky to be one of the few in the Netherlands who does this sport. That also gets you very close to the ' bigger names' around here. You see them at every meet and every workshop. Every disadvantage has its advantage. We are few, but a close bunch. And with me on the Union board now things can only go forward from here. I will refuse to let this sport go belly up in the Netherlands.

ghost
06-18-08, 3:07 pm
Hell yeah, and you best believe i am gonna take as much notes as i can. I am lucky to be one of the few in the Netherlands who does this sport. That also gets you very close to the ' bigger names' around here. You see them at every meet and every workshop. Every disadvantage has its advantage. We are few, but a close bunch. And with me on the Union board now things can only go forward from here. I will refuse to let this sport go belly up in the Netherlands.

With your attitude, I do not see this going belly up brother... and if necessary, we will make some international road trips to help you out.. Let me know if you need anything man.

Thrawn
06-18-08, 3:09 pm
Todays session was rather uneventfull. The weather is a bitch again. There is no sun, but you would not believe that if you saw the thermometer. And humid as hell. Feels like you are training in a swamp. It also explained the heavy head i had all day. So i took that into account. No heavier weights, just speed up wherever i could.

Deadlifts:
3x5 125kg solid set, every set different grip

Rackpull; all conventional. I will skip the sumostyle for a while as i am not 'feeling it'
4x5 120kg solid set, different grip every set

SLDL
3x6 85kg first set was so easy it came up so fast i actually felt a little tweak in my lower back. Went in 'carefull' mode for the rest of the sets. Was unintentional mishap.

Backextensions
2x6 60kg did not feel the twitch in the lower back

Bentover rows, at 45degree angle this time to be on the safe side with the back
3x6 75kg easy, back no problem

Latpully front
2x8 55kg
1x8 60kg PR and i was really speedy on these still
Latpully back
1x8 55kg
1x8 60kg PR tried to be explosive, but was out of steam. solid set nonetheless

Seated DB press
2x8 18kg
1x8 20kg strangely enough this last set felt the best. this really went well, my shoulder strength appears to be improving.

Nosebreakers
1x8 35kg
1x8 40kg
1x10 40kg 8 reps myself and then 2 VERY slow (about 20 seconds) negative reps with a bit of help going up. Had an INSANE pump after that, even in my forearms

Barbell curl (pre exhaust)
1x20 25kg
Hammer curls
3x8 18kg last set was HARD, lost form on last 2 reps.

Did about 70-80 crunches, stretched and went the fuck home for a shower.

Thrawn
06-18-08, 3:14 pm
With your attitude, I do not see this going belly up brother... and if necessary, we will make some international road trips to help you out.. Let me know if you need anything man.

Thanks, rcrott1! I am a bit of a pitbull when it comes to arranging things. The PL sport has been stagnating for years now here and new influx is needed BAD. So i took up position in the union board and tried to get some other new young ppl enthousiastic for it. And that WORKED. There is an almost complete new leadership now, so we can (without going into details here) get rid of some old drama and set a fresh new course.
And actually, something like an exchange of PL'ers between US, UK and Netherlands has been on my mind already ^^ Or sending some of our best lifters to the US for a session with Louie Simmons =) We will see what we can arrange.
If i need your help, i will know where to find you, brother! Thanks for the offer.

ghost
06-18-08, 3:15 pm
Thanks, rcrott1! I am a bit of a pitbull when it comes to arranging things. The PL sport has been stagnating for years now here and new influx is needed BAD. So i took up position in the union board and tried to get some other new young ppl enthousiastic for it. And that WORKED. There is an almost complete new leadership now, so we can (without going into details here) get rid of some old drama and set a fresh new course.
And actually, something like an exchange of PL'ers between US, UK and Netherlands has been on my mind already ^^ Or sending some of our best lifters to the US for a session with Louie Simmons =) We will see what we can arrange.
If i need your help, i will know where to find you, brother! Thanks for the offer.

That is awesome for that Louie Simmons session! Keep at it brother, you are doing well!

Thrawn
06-18-08, 3:38 pm
That is awesome for that Louie Simmons session! Keep at it brother, you are doing well!

Its only a brainstorm idea i have so far. I think the sport can only benefit from seeing all kinds of training styles and phylosophies, regardless of which one every individual will choose. Learning and education is ALWAYS the key in sports. Understanding WHAT ppl do and WHY is the basis of this sport, regardless of you agree or not on the techniques used. One might work wonders for some, while it will do nothing for others. But if you dont know about other philosophies or methods, you are only gonna progress so far, i think.

Phil800101
06-18-08, 6:24 pm
Solid session Thrawn, congrats on the PR! I hate training in conditions like that, but there is nothing you can do except to drive on and push hard, which you did bro. Good shit, keep up the great work!

Themostocles
06-18-08, 7:45 pm
That was a great session Thrawn, well rounded and covering all bases. The weather here has mellowed out this week so things have been better. I think you will do an excellent job with you Union board. You are motivated and driven, your enthusiasm is contagious. You inspire me and several others over here, just thru messages. This can only lead to great things for your sport. -T.

boar
06-18-08, 10:33 pm
Todays session was rather uneventfull. The weather is a bitch again. There is no sun, but you would not believe that if you saw the thermometer. And humid as hell. Feels like you are training in a swamp. It also explained the heavy head i had all day. So i took that into account. No heavier weights, just speed up wherever i could.

Deadlifts:
3x5 125kg solid set, every set different grip

Rackpull; all conventional. I will skip the sumostyle for a while as i am not 'feeling it'
4x5 120kg solid set, different grip every set

SLDL
3x6 85kg first set was so easy it came up so fast i actually felt a little tweak in my lower back. Went in 'carefull' mode for the rest of the sets. Was unintentional mishap.

Backextensions
2x6 60kg did not feel the twitch in the lower back

Bentover rows, at 45degree angle this time to be on the safe side with the back
3x6 75kg easy, back no problem

Latpully front
2x8 55kg
1x8 60kg PR and i was really speedy on these still
Latpully back
1x8 55kg
1x8 60kg PR tried to be explosive, but was out of steam. solid set nonetheless

Seated DB press
2x8 18kg
1x8 20kg strangely enough this last set felt the best. this really went well, my shoulder strength appears to be improving.

Nosebreakers
1x8 35kg
1x8 40kg
1x10 40kg 8 reps myself and then 2 VERY slow (about 20 seconds) negative reps with a bit of help going up. Had an INSANE pump after that, even in my forearms

Barbell curl (pre exhaust)
1x20 25kg
Hammer curls
3x8 18kg last set was HARD, lost form on last 2 reps.

Did about 70-80 crunches, stretched and went the fuck home for a shower.

Thats one serious session man. deadlifting and then rack pulling on the same day gives me shooting pains up my back.

TXPWRLFTR
06-19-08, 12:31 am
Nice session brother! Best of luck to you! Know that you guys are always welcomed down here in Texas!
Keep at it brother!

Thrawn
06-19-08, 4:27 am
Solid session Thrawn, congrats on the PR! I hate training in conditions like that, but there is nothing you can do except to drive on and push hard, which you did bro. Good shit, keep up the great work!

Thanks, Phil. I HATE this kind of weather also. You cannot even walk around without getting all sweaty and shit. But its all good. I just take it into account and adept my training.


That was a great session Thrawn, well rounded and covering all bases. The weather here has mellowed out this week so things have been better. I think you will do an excellent job with you Union board. You are motivated and driven, your enthusiasm is contagious. You inspire me and several others over here, just thru messages. This can only lead to great things for your sport. -T.

Big thanks for those words, T! I appreciate that! I hope that my love for the sport will make other ppl more active. Most members have, well, kind of dozed off last few years. So they are waiting for others to take action. That is dead wrong. But you can leave that up to me and my new team. We will light a small fire under their asses, you can be assured of that.
Yeah, i had a great session and i HOPE the weather will settle down here too. I dont mind the heat, but the humidity makes it too oppressive.


Thats one serious session man. deadlifting and then rack pulling on the same day gives me shooting pains up my back.

I admit it is a hard routine for back. I will always have to look in the mirror and give myself a stare down after the deads. Rackpulls are tough after that. I always feel my erector muscles like glowings rod across my back =) Its easy to take it a bit too far. The trick in this routine is to spread out your energy and strength over all back movement. My back has a rather good stamina, so i really have to give it some pounding before it admits defeat.


Nice session brother! Best of luck to you! Know that you guys are always welcomed down here in Texas!
Keep at it brother!

Thanks Greg! I hope i can get my ideas supported. I am not sure how others feel about this. When i did martial arts, we always had some training camps. Lots of fun with a bit of specific AND fun training. I would love to send some of the new influx to you, for example, so you can show them some tire flips, sled pulls etc. That stuff is not done here. And i think it is THAT kind of training, combined with normal PL routines, that builds up great allround strength.

Thrawn
06-20-08, 4:04 pm
Today was meet training again. Warmups went all good, so i knew the session was gonna be good. I did not up weight, but tried to keep pause to a minimum. I will admit right away that i failed at that. After benching i suddenly ran out of steam, cant figure out why. I took my time with the deadlifts. I know that is not really the way to go, but i rather do them good and proper then having to fail on them or have bad form. The energy was just gone all of a sudden. My buddy noticed that and tried to fire me up by shouting some fire in my ass. It kind of worked on the last two sessions. He said that he was not gonna let me have it this easy and challenged me to a friendly pushpress contest with him after this. I accepted, ofcourse, even tho i knew i had no chance in hell against him (10 years of lifting weights have turned him into 95kg of pure muscle and power =))

Squats:
3x2 100kg
1x1 100kg just for good measure. Legs was really good. I tried a trick i was told by The Lad himself. To keep my shins more straight during squatting, i should try to do them with my knees against a bench. I did that during warmups and that was hard. I will have to work on that. Real room for improvement here.

Benchpress
3x2 85kg much better then last week. this time it was still hard, but i had solid reps of the chest (after the pause on chest ofcourse). In the last set i actually did 3 reps. The last one was a very very slow negative. Took about 15 seconds to get it down and some help upwards again. Pleased with this. Hard, but finally solid reps on this.

closegrip benchpress, speed
4x3 70kg great pump in arm and chest, did them as explosive as i could.

Deadlift:
4x2 130kg first two sets were hard, last two were better thanks to my buddy.

The pushpress contest. We did it at the calve raise machine (because of our very low ceilings in the gym). Both hadnt done it in a while. So who improved most over his previous PR was the winner. Only 2 working sets allowed, logbooks as proof to an unbiased other buddy. The trofee was big tasty slab of salmon, to be bought and handed over after the session (supermarket is nearby).
I warmed up: my buddy
110kg 10 180kg 10
140kg 5 220kg 6
170kg 4 250kg 5

I went for buddy did
210kg 5 260kg 7
230kg 3 280kg 4

Logbooks, previous records:
Me 200kg for 3 improved 30kg
Buddy 280kg for 1

Needless to say, that salmon will be going down like a treat =) First time i was ever able to beat him at ANYTHING. He is just a big strong powerhouse. Was just a friendly match tho. I thanked him for the big help he was today by pepping me up. I needed that match-up somehow. Offered him my Animal Max shake and he gladly took it. Who can refuse Animal Max vanilla anyway???
Time for my salmon =))) Hope everyone has a good weekend!

boar
06-20-08, 7:10 pm
that looks quite taxing day dude. did you compete in a meet or something

deanna7272
06-20-08, 10:30 pm
Hey... I may be hitting up my first PL meet tomorrow... I can finally see what you and my buddy Greg are always talking about...lol I am excited and hope the other guys want to check it out before the ABC... I'll have to update you if we go...

Phil800101
06-21-08, 12:00 am
Awesome session there Bro! I hear ya, sometimes it just feels like you don't have any steam. Nothing to do but drive on, push through, and hit it hard...which you did. Good shit my man, and congrats on winning the contest! That salmon sounds mighty tasty.

Thrawn
06-21-08, 5:04 am
that looks quite taxing day dude. did you compete in a meet or something

It IS a taxing day =) In my current routine i have two big working days on the three lifts (day one is squat and bench, day two is deadlift) and the accessory movements, day three is strict regulation form lifting. Very hard, as you are already a bit worn down from the week. Builds excellent stamina tho. But i am gonna change up routine soon. I think deadlifting twice in three days is a bit too much. Recovery is sure as hell long over the weekend.
I competed in a beginners meet some weeks ago, can find it a few pages back. I came in 5th overall and 2nd of the beginners group. I am looking towards competing in september again.


Hey... I may be hitting up my first PL meet tomorrow... I can finally see what you and my buddy Greg are always talking about...lol I am excited and hope the other guys want to check it out before the ABC... I'll have to update you if we go...

Nice, D! I always get worked up watching others lift, so maybe you can take some of that electricity you are gonna see there and put it to work in your own workout =) It is something very different then figure or BB, but its still an iron game nonetheless. Have FUN watching it, D! And yes, please, update me!


Awesome session there Bro! I hear ya, sometimes it just feels like you don't have any steam. Nothing to do but drive on, push through, and hit it hard...which you did. Good shit my man, and congrats on winning the contest! That salmon sounds mighty tasty.

I guess the re-organization of the lab i work is catching up with me a bit. I forget to mention that during the day i am constantly moving furniture and heavy equipment all on my own there. Can be quit interesting to have to carry an table top oven all on your own, makes some interesting version of SLDL with awkward grip sometimes LOL. I think also that the fridays session is extra heavy because two days before is the heavy back (deadlift) day. I need to watch my recovery now. Gonna change routine soon now. Will post that up soon.
That salmon was double good this time. *burp* LOL. I love these small sporty contests in the gym to get eachother pumped. So far i have NEVER been able to beat my buddy. He is just out of my league so far. Next time i am gonna challenge him for buddy curls. We will have to start with different weights, but i am determined to do that. Biceps is his strongest point and my worst. So i definately will get a gooooood biceps workout then.

Carpe Diem P.T
06-21-08, 5:09 am
sounds like you are getting some serious workouts at work thrawn.

Thrawn
06-21-08, 5:25 am
sounds like you are getting some serious workouts at work thrawn.

Yeah, true. Most of the equipment is very valuable making you lift very carefully and slow. Good workout. Also, they are made with scientific purpose, so ergonomically they lack everything for transportation. Normally small hydraulic lifts or forklifts are used. Example. We have a particle counter. It is really not that heavy, i think about 50kg. But its just a long rectangular block. About 2 meters wide and 45cm high and deep. But it was at the bottom of a big crate without room to spare. I had to bend over, in a SLDL fashion, put one arm over, one arm under and lift it straight up. That is a SLDL with a twist and 50000 euro pricetag. Then i set it on a table, put straps on it (remember the pricetag) and lifted it in a static bicep curl, walking it over to the new destination. Strange workouts, but you wouldnt believe how much the gym experience helps you in these kinds of situations.

Carpe Diem P.T
06-21-08, 5:39 am
Yeah, true. Most of the equipment is very valuable making you lift very carefully and slow. Good workout. Also, they are made with scientific purpose, so ergonomically they lack everything for transportation. Normally small hydraulic lifts or forklifts are used. Example. We have a particle counter. It is really not that heavy, i think about 50kg. But its just a long rectangular block. About 2 meters wide and 45cm high and deep. But it was at the bottom of a big crate without room to spare. I had to bend over, in a SLDL fashion, put one arm over, one arm under and lift it straight up. That is a SLDL with a twist and 50000 euro pricetag. Then i set it on a table, put straps on it (remember the pricetag) and lifted it in a static bicep curl, walking it over to the new destination. Strange workouts, but you wouldnt believe how much the gym experience helps you in these kinds of situations.

thats some expensive gear. i spent 8 years working in a music store moving massive amps and p.a systems. Then 2 years in a pawn brokers where our store room was in the attic. lawn mowers are a bitch to carry, as are fridges and bench saws

Thrawn
06-21-08, 5:57 am
thats some expensive gear. i spent 8 years working in a music store moving massive amps and p.a systems. Then 2 years in a pawn brokers where our store room was in the attic. lawn mowers are a bitch to carry, as are fridges and bench saws

LOL, it is expensive, but thats relative. My electron microscope would be around 650000 euros in the current setup. Or our ICP, it goes for 200000 euros.
Man, that work experience already set you up for the life you are leading right now! Great, man. Lifting all sorts of objects really is something else then lifting in the gym.

Thrawn
06-22-08, 7:01 am
Just a small update.
Resting and eating up good this weekend with the girl and our two lovely cats. Gonna see if i can finish up a design for a tattoo for a girlfriend of mine tonight and getting the new routine ready.
Hope you all have a great weekend,
Feeling good and strong,

Thrawn.

panzerwagen
06-22-08, 7:42 am
Just a small update.
Resting and eating up good this weekend with the girl and our two lovely cats. Gonna see if i can finish up a design for a tattoo for a girlfriend of mine tonight and getting the new routine ready.
Hope you all have a great weekend,
Feeling good and strong,

Thrawn.

Thanks! Good to see you're enjoying life and getting some proper rest. Quality stuff right there!

As for myself, I've been eating like shit this weekend. Usually I have one or two cheat days a week, eating uncontrollably (is there a word like this???) I'm afraid. But this weekend was the Midsummer's holiday, which meant the gym was closed and I didn't have the opportunity to burn off the crap I've been eating (too weak minded to go for a run right, hehe).

Cheers!

Phil800101
06-22-08, 2:43 pm
Enjoy the rest this weekend bro!

Thrawn
06-22-08, 4:46 pm
Thanks! Good to see you're enjoying life and getting some proper rest. Quality stuff right there!

As for myself, I've been eating like shit this weekend. Usually I have one or two cheat days a week, eating uncontrollably (is there a word like this???) I'm afraid. But this weekend was the Midsummer's holiday, which meant the gym was closed and I didn't have the opportunity to burn off the crap I've been eating (too weak minded to go for a run right, hehe).

Cheers!

Ah, i make it a rule to hit it hard in the gym, but after that, its just back to normal life. And like the gym, i like to enjoy whatever i do.
HAHA, an eating frenzy =) Dont worry, Panzerwagen, one or two cheatdays wont kill ya, especially on a bulk. I am very lucky i guess, i always have been a clean eater. You cannot tempt me with sweets, soda, chips. Its also very easy for me to say no to junkfood etc. I DO eat that stuff sometimes, but its far less then once a week.
Just hit it hard in the gym!


Enjoy the rest this weekend bro!

Thanks Phil! Hope you do the same!

Finished up the tattoo design, had a nice relaxing sunday with my girl. Watched the MotoGP (Ducati on top again, YAY) and had a hard time in the dutch weather again. We did have a good lightning storm, but as soon as the rain had stopped the sun broke through. As a result it feels like a damp swamp everywhere.
Tomorrow it will be a leg session only, as i will do chest on tuesday with Ielja Strik. I will try to put some extra effort in both sessions as i split them anyway.
Will also try to finish my new routine tomorrow at work. Nobody say a word about that to my manager tho =)))

Themostocles
06-23-08, 12:06 am
Looking good Thrawn, sorry about missing the last couple of days. I noticed you said you were running out of steam pretty quick, have you thought doing some the deload stuff mentioned in Matt's thread? And if you get some time, could you PM me some info on speed benching, like rep and sets and percentages? Thanks alot in advance. -T.

Thrawn
06-23-08, 3:54 am
Looking good Thrawn, sorry about missing the last couple of days. I noticed you said you were running out of steam pretty quick, have you thought doing some the deload stuff mentioned in Matt's thread? And if you get some time, could you PM me some info on speed benching, like rep and sets and percentages? Thanks alot in advance. -T.

No need to apologize about missing my journey, T. I do deload sometimes (taking a week off or doing just very low weight speed work for a few days) but this time i feel it just was something different. Dunno exactly what, but i suspect it was just something mental. Focus problem. I feel good and rested now. If things turn out heavy again tonight, i will definitely start a deload tho.
Sure, no problem, T. Will pm you as soon as i updated all the journeys and threads.

panzerwagen
06-23-08, 10:02 am
Ah, i make it a rule to hit it hard in the gym, but after that, its just back to normal life. And like the gym, i like to enjoy whatever i do.
HAHA, an eating frenzy =) Dont worry, Panzerwagen, one or two cheatdays wont kill ya, especially on a bulk. I am very lucky i guess, i always have been a clean eater. You cannot tempt me with sweets, soda, chips. Its also very easy for me to say no to junkfood etc. I DO eat that stuff sometimes, but its far less then once a week.
Just hit it hard in the gym!



Well, it's a real drag to have this HUGE sweet tooth, hehe. It would be some challenge to avoid it for a longer period of time. Maybe a Journey-to-be in a near future!?

Thrawn
06-23-08, 10:16 am
Well, it's a real drag to have this HUGE sweet tooth, hehe. It would be some challenge to avoid it for a longer period of time. Maybe a Journey-to-be in a near future!?

LOL! A challenge against yourself to see how long you can ignore the sugar-fairy? Haha.
My girl also has a big sweet tooth. She finds it very frustrating she cannot tempt me with most of her stuff =) Although i have a hard time saying no to Oreo's. They are one GODLY exception for me. So daaaamn tasty.

panzerwagen
06-23-08, 10:20 am
LOL! A challenge against yourself to see how long you can ignore the sugar-fairy? Haha.
My girl also has a big sweet tooth. She finds it very frustrating she cannot tempt me with most of her stuff =) Although i have a hard time saying no to Oreo's. They are one GODLY exception for me. So daaaamn tasty.

Hell, Oreo cookies are plain sugar, hehe! Yes, a challenge against my sugar cravings - it would be the biggest challenge to me! I think I would go crazy from it.

Thrawn
06-23-08, 10:24 am
Hell, Oreo cookies are plain sugar, hehe! Yes, a challenge against my sugar cravings - it would be the biggest challenge to me! I think I would go crazy from it.

I would go raving mad if you would take away my milk! That is one of my addictions. Just plain milk. Silly, huh?

panzerwagen
06-23-08, 10:29 am
I would go raving mad if you would take away my milk! That is one of my addictions. Just plain milk. Silly, huh?

No, it's not silly. Milk is good stuff. I drink it every day, almos always use it for protein shakes and gainers. Makes it taste so much better! In Sweden we have the so called mini milk, containing max 0,1% fat. Do you have such skimmed milk in Holland?

Thrawn
06-23-08, 12:15 pm
No, it's not silly. Milk is good stuff. I drink it every day, almos always use it for protein shakes and gainers. Makes it taste so much better! In Sweden we have the so called mini milk, containing max 0,1% fat. Do you have such skimmed milk in Holland?

Yup, we do. They call it 0% fat milk. I dont know if its really no fat, but 0% is what it says on the cartboard boxes.

panzerwagen
06-23-08, 2:14 pm
Yup, we do. They call it 0% fat milk. I dont know if its really no fat, but 0% is what it says on the cartboard boxes.

Great! It's nice to be able to drink large amounts of milk withou having to be concerned about the shitty fats.

By the way, I'm probably coming to Holland the first weekend in October. I'm going to Baarlo to play at the Progpower Festival. I don't know if I will be able to join any possible ABC events, but if you're having one I'll look into all possibilities.

Thrawn
06-23-08, 2:56 pm
Great! It's nice to be able to drink large amounts of milk withou having to be concerned about the shitty fats.

By the way, I'm probably coming to Holland the first weekend in October. I'm going to Baarlo to play at the Progpower Festival. I don't know if I will be able to join any possible ABC events, but if you're having one I'll look into all possibilities.

The Dutch ABC is sleeping untill september. We couldnt get a proper date before holiday season. I will let you know when we have one again. And if there is no ABC going on at that moment, you are welcome to join me in the gym anytime.

Thrawn
06-23-08, 3:08 pm
Today i focussed all on legs, as i will do chest tomorrow in another gym with Ielja Strik. I started out with a PR on box-squats, as i will have to know my 1rm for the Westside routine. I found them awfully hard, but maybe that is also a bit because of my setup. I used a very low box. I actually did a plate on it, but still am about 2 inches below parallel when seated down. It worked well, its a bit below how deep i normally squat. But i wanna gain confidence and strength. Doing deep box-squats is sure to bring up my firepower when i am in the hole.

Todays session went like this:

Boxsquats, 2 inch below parallel (2 set warmups with barbell, free deep convention squats)
barbell x10
60kg x6
70kg x3
80kg x1
90kg x1 I will actually say this is my 1rm. I personally say i failed this one, even tho i got it up. I HAD to lean forward to get started from the box and that is not good form. I was rather shot after this attempt, but am confident that i can make the 90kg normally. So for now, that is my 1rm on a box 2inch below parallel.

Conventional squats; i felt the need to do some, as i maxed a bit too quick on the box-squats, they were harder then i thought
90kg 3x3

From here on i kept pauses at 90 seconds max to really tax it
Frontsquats:
65kg x4
70kg x4
75kg x3 PR

Legpress; 45 degree angle up
120kg x10
160kg x8
200kg x7
240kg x5 PR i thought i would NEVER get that last rep, what a grinder, felt great to do some legpressing again. They are still not as deep as i would like them, but i have some serious flexability issues with my lower back, hams and achilles heel. Working on it, tho.

Onelegged legextensions
25kg x12
30kg x10
35kg x8 burn!!! burn baby burn

Legcurls
40kg x10
45kg x8
50kg x6

Legs felt like jelly after this. Went home slowly on my bicycle, no juice left.

Toni69
06-23-08, 3:50 pm
Great leg day...I see your hitting box squats way below parallel. Im not ready for that yet..parallel was challenging enough. Im totally with ya on the jelly legs thing right about now too. LOL...my glutes are numb and my hams are super tight..back is tight...quads are tight. I say I did work today...not bad for a BB'r hmmmm? LOL

Good stuff here Thrawn, now I can at least I can relate to what you do here.

TXPWRLFTR
06-23-08, 3:58 pm
Good work bro!

Thrawn
06-23-08, 3:59 pm
Great leg day...I see your hitting box squats way below parallel. Im not ready for that yet..parallel was challenging enough. Im totally with ya on the jelly legs thing right about now too. LOL...my glutes are numb and my hams are super tight..back is tight...quads are tight. I say I did work today...not bad for a BB'r hmmmm? LOL

Good stuff here Thrawn, now I can at least I can relate to what you do here.

Guess its a bit easier for me, Toni, I am used to squatting at least an inch below parallel at ALL times. If i fail that, i dont even count the rep. Our union does IPF rules, so we HAVE to be clearly below parallel. And i have NO backissues what so ever.
But from what i read in your journey... box-squats, good mornings, rackpulls. I think your are on the right track to get your back toughened up and thickened. I think it is a matter of time before you can go below parallel also again. That will open a new world for you, that below parallel stuff really kills the legs.
Yup, loving my jelly legs right now =) And you ALWAYS do work, Toni, you are one consistent BB'er with a PL twist, LOL
Glad to have you aboard in here, Toni. Watch out for next week when i go Westside style training, like Matt Dickerson, Hartshuh, Big Wides, IRBS and all those monsters...

Themostocles
06-23-08, 4:04 pm
Really looking forward to watching your westside journey Thrawn. I always learning so much from you powerlifters. Great job on the box squats, and good luck with the new routine. -T.

Toni69
06-23-08, 4:21 pm
Watch out for next week when i go Westside style training, like Matt Dickerson, Hartshuh, Big Wides, IRBS and all those monsters...


awesome!!!! IRBS hooked me up with my new split. Wides is amazing, all these guys are...

cant wait to see what you bring to the table. Good stuff man!

Thrawn
06-23-08, 4:30 pm
Good work bro!

Thanks Greg! I really had fun tonight. I am already feeling some pain settling in. Gooood times is coming tomorrow =)


Really looking forward to watching your westside journey Thrawn. I always learning so much from you powerlifters. Great job on the box squats, and good luck with the new routine. -T.

I am looking forward to it too. Time to approach the body in a different way, and i might as well try a complete new training philosophy. Experimentation is the key and you cannot know what works for you untill you try things out.



awesome!!!! IRBS hooked me up with my new split. Wides is amazing, all these guys are...

cant wait to see what you bring to the table. Good stuff man!

Yeah, they are really helpfull. I hope one day i can return the favor. I am learning all the time and you best believe i am taking notes all the time too.
I have seen the split IRBS is putting you through and it looks darn fine to me. You are already very strong for your size, so in a few weeks your journey is gonna be even more scary =)) Small size, big numbers, YAY
Big Wides has already ' okayed' the routine, Matt is checking it as i write this, i believe. And next week its ON!
Also very excited to train with our world champion tomorrow on chest. She is gonna SOOO annihilate me. She presses twice my numbers...

Phil800101
06-24-08, 1:46 am
Sick leg session Thrawn, congrats on the PRs! You really blasted them hard, and then you rode a bike home? Damn...I'm surprised you could even walk, let alone pedal. Kick some ass with your chest workout tomorrow, I'm sure you're going to learn alot.

Roland
06-24-08, 2:12 am
Today i focussed all on legs, as i will do chest tomorrow in another gym with Ielja Strik. I started out with a PR on box-squats, as i will have to know my 1rm for the Westside routine. I found them awfully hard, but maybe that is also a bit because of my setup. I used a very low box. I actually did a plate on it, but still am about 2 inches below parallel when seated down. It worked well, its a bit below how deep i normally squat. But i wanna gain confidence and strength. Doing deep box-squats is sure to bring up my firepower when i am in the hole.

Todays session went like this:

Boxsquats, 2 inch below parallel (2 set warmups with barbell, free deep convention squats)
barbell x10
60kg x6
70kg x3
80kg x1
90kg x1 I will actually say this is my 1rm. I personally say i failed this one, even tho i got it up. I HAD to lean forward to get started from the box and that is not good form. I was rather shot after this attempt, but am confident that i can make the 90kg normally. So for now, that is my 1rm on a box 2inch below parallel.

Conventional squats; i felt the need to do some, as i maxed a bit too quick on the box-squats, they were harder then i thought
90kg 3x3

From here on i kept pauses at 90 seconds max to really tax it
Frontsquats:
65kg x4
70kg x4
75kg x3 PR

Legpress; 45 degree angle up
120kg x10
160kg x8
200kg x7
240kg x5 PR i thought i would NEVER get that last rep, what a grinder, felt great to do some legpressing again. They are still not as deep as i would like them, but i have some serious flexability issues with my lower back, hams and achilles heel. Working on it, tho.

Onelegged legextensions
25kg x12
30kg x10
35kg x8 burn!!! burn baby burn

Legcurls
40kg x10
45kg x8
50kg x6

Legs felt like jelly after this. Went home slowly on my bicycle, no juice left.

Awesome bro!!!! Killed it...you gonna have a hard time walking around now!

Thrawn
06-24-08, 3:34 am
Sick leg session Thrawn, congrats on the PRs! You really blasted them hard, and then you rode a bike home? Damn...I'm surprised you could even walk, let alone pedal. Kick some ass with your chest workout tomorrow, I'm sure you're going to learn alot.

It was funny riding home. Normally i can keep a good pace, its only a few minutes to my home, but i was passed by elderly people with ease this time =))
And i am SO ready to go train tonight. I have my girls camera with me. Hope to make some pics, if it is allowed!


Awesome bro!!!! Killed it...you gonna have a hard time walking around now!

Yup, i will admit i am a bit unsteady =) And i needed to hold on to something to get of the toilet this morning...aaahhh, good times ^^

ghost
06-24-08, 1:25 pm
def get some good pics at the session!

Thrawn
06-24-08, 6:31 pm
Just a quick update. Been a long day. With all the detours and traffic jams it was a total of 5 hours driving back and forth...
In short.
Man, did i learn a bunch.
- placement of my feet was too far towards my butt, making legdrive inefficient.
- placement of hand on bar has been altered to a more outward pointing position
- above point assisted in better placement of triceps under the bar
- above two points gave me a LOT more tension in my body
- i must focus on breathing out as soon as i start pushing, i tend to hold my breath
- must try and push a bit more toward my stomach instead of towards my head
Combine all points above and i was able to get much more liftoff from chest and far more speed then usual. I did several sets of triplets with 70 and 80kg to hammer down the new tips. They have never been easier. I went for 85 and 90kg next and the 90kg went up so easily and fast that Ielja thought i should try the elusive 100kg. According to how fast and easy the 90kg went, 100kg should be possible. It might be still mental or fatique from all the sets, but two attempts failed. Can't expect all tips and pointers to work all at once. I got a long list to work on. I FINALLY feel my triceps assisting in benching. What a revelation. Finished up with some fast explosive closegrip work (50-60kg) and some quick pumping on the peckdeck (4 sets of 15 with about 50kg)
I only took two pics there. A few ppl were holding their last technical training before a meet, so i was asked not to go around snapping. Also Ielja kept me quit busy on the bench, i had to do a lot more sets then i usually do.
Needless to say i really really thanked her. Drove home with a big smile on my face.

The Animal travel pack: Pak, Flex, Max, EAA, BCAA, 2 turkey sandwiches, half a liter of oatmeal, 4 chickenwings and a liter of milk. And before you all say i am slacking on my bulk, i added another liter of milk and a banana just before i closed the door =) Its a 2 and a half hour drive.
Ofcourse the iconic shirt and the animal cap HAD to come too.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Bench%20training%20with%20Ielja%20Strik/training002.jpg

Me FINALLY in a better position and comfortable with it. After this i also learned better hand placement still.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Bench%20training%20with%20Ielja%20Strik/training004.jpg

Me and Ielja. And YES, she is even stronger then she looks. Very, very friendly and open.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Bench%20training%20with%20Ielja%20Strik/training006.jpg

We agreed that in a few weeks i should go there again for another session and see if i have succeeded in implementing the tips and tricks. Hopefully there will be more photo opportunity then.
Bedtime now. Tomorrow i will check the updated journeys of you all! Sorry about not doing that tonight, but i am BEAT. And very HAPPY, cause i might always be a mediocre bencher, but that will NOT stop me from becoming as good as possible on it. And this DEFINETELY was a good step.

Phil800101
06-24-08, 10:50 pm
Glad to hear the session went well bro! Sounds like you got some solid tips, no doubt you bench will improve. Just keep on trucking, and you will get results. Cool pics too.

By the way, this may be a dumb question, but do you use a mouthguard for your big lifts? I know alot of powerlifters do, I just don't remember if you've ever mentioned it before. If you don't, I highly recommend one for use with your squat, bench, and deadlift. It helps to have something to clamp your teeth down onto, makes it feel like you can push harder. I use one and love it, and mine has slots in it so it doesn't impede breathing.

ghost
06-24-08, 10:58 pm
T. That is awesome that she was able to help with those areas, and even better that she invited you back

Thrawn
06-25-08, 3:34 am
Glad to hear the session went well bro! Sounds like you got some solid tips, no doubt you bench will improve. Just keep on trucking, and you will get results. Cool pics too.

By the way, this may be a dumb question, but do you use a mouthguard for your big lifts? I know alot of powerlifters do, I just don't remember if you've ever mentioned it before. If you don't, I highly recommend one for use with your squat, bench, and deadlift. It helps to have something to clamp your teeth down onto, makes it feel like you can push harder. I use one and love it, and mine has slots in it so it doesn't impede breathing.

I have no doubt either. We got very optimistic when i did my 90kg press. That one was soooo easy that time. I still have trouble incorporating ALL the tips when going for heavier weights but that is a matter of time. Was fun to try yesterday, but it is not a big wonder the 100kg did not fly yet. Its time for incorporating all tips, getting comfortable with them and let them become second nature.
Hmmm. Mouthguard. I do not use one currently. But i still have one from when i was in Martial Arts, its custom made for my teeth. Sounds like a very good idea. I will see if i can remember where i put it and give it a shot. I think that it actually will be rather helpfull.


T. That is awesome that she was able to help with those areas, and even better that she invited you back

Yes, indeed. Got a few very good pointers to work on, that gave instant results. Now i will take time to let them become second nature. She actually wouldnt mind if i came around on a regular basis. She LIKES training ppl who have the heart for the sport. She does not mind i am far from being a supertalent of mega lifter. She told me that my drive and willingness to learn is more then enough reward to see if she can help me improve. GREAT!

Themostocles
06-25-08, 3:38 am
So how far out is she having you grip the bar now? -T

Roland
06-25-08, 3:57 am
Whats up bro?

Thrawn
06-25-08, 4:11 am
So how far out is she having you grip the bar now? -T

My grip is not wider now then it was before. I am still with my ringfingers inside the comp rings. But, and too bad it does not show in the pic, my hands are now pointed outwards, towards the plates. This helps me in positioning my triceps better so they can assist me more with the bench. If you do not understand what i am trying to explain about the handposition and wanna know: just say so and i will take pics of the old grip and new grip.


Whats up bro?

Some painfull pecs and FINALLY some good pain and stifness in the triceps from benching too. Must also admit that the new grip also gave me stiff and painfull hands now, but its all good! And how are you, big man?

Roland
06-25-08, 4:15 am
Some painfull pecs and FINALLY some good pain and stifness in the triceps from benching too. Must also admit that the new grip also gave me stiff and painfull hands now, but its all good! And how are you, big man?


Feel you on the painful pecs shit is still sore from yesterday's chest workout and my shoulders are blasted..and now my back...stiff as hell...my whole upper body is done. LOL. We were talkin about this thing with my training partner today...it's like when you're there working out and almost passing out you wonder why the hell you do it....but then you end up there again the next day lol. And then later when your sore as shit, you think to yourself "man that was the sickest workout"...haha. Keep up the good work big T.

Themostocles
06-25-08, 4:28 am
Ya, I am not getting what you are saying about the outward pointing grip, pics would be great. Trying to generate some sort of powerbuilding routine that works for me, but centered around the 3 primary lifts. I just taught myself on most of this stuff, so I got some big gaps in my education. -T.

Thrawn
06-25-08, 4:29 am
Feel you on the painful pecs shit is still sore from yesterday's chest workout and my shoulders are blasted..and now my back...stiff as hell...my whole upper body is done. LOL. We were talkin about this thing with my training partner today...it's like when you're there working out and almost passing out you wonder why the hell you do it....but then you end up there again the next day lol. And then later when your sore as shit, you think to yourself "man that was the sickest workout"...haha. Keep up the good work big T.

Haha! Yeah, i feel ya on that. Last night with Ielja i did a lot more sets then usual. Mostly not in the very heavy (for me) range, but regardless, that is WORK. So after the whole session was through i had maybe done 3-4 heavy singles. But i felt like i had been hit by a truck. On the way back home i was just grinning ear to ear. I was already getting sore tri's and tension in the chest. Gotta love this game.
I will keep it up, no doubt! And i expect you to do the same, brother!

Thrawn
06-25-08, 4:22 pm
Last few weeks the weather has been awful. Today is even worse. It was 29 degrees celsius in the gym, for crying out loud. Those are VERY unusual circumstances for us Dutchies.
I like Matt Dickersons approach: experimentation is key. You will never realize what works when you keep doing the same things.
This time i did not really switch routine and i also did NOT speed it up. I tried to completely zone in on my mind/muscle control and perform all movements slower then normal. Mentally focussing on where the barbell will be after the positive movement has finished and THEN execute with slower, but forcefull movement. Felt weird sometimes, felt perfect sometimes. This is how it went down.

Deadlifts
3x5 125kg So very very good. Felt every muscle contracting. Form was as perfect as i can do it for now. I could feel the barbell just miss my shins by a hair. I was SO comfortable doing this that for the last two sets i skied the eyes and actually closed them.

Rackpulls
4x5 120kg Also very good, but i could already feel some tiredness setting in. Doing things slower sure puts a lot of strain on the body.

SLDL (by this time i sometimes had to stand in front of the ventilator to keep cool a bit)
2x6 85kg
1x6 90kg PR Also felt very good doing it slower this time. the lower back really took a beating here (good thing). somehow my hams felt unaffected. but my hams always have been quit strong.

Backextensions
2x6 60kg this actually did NOT feel good doing it slow. maybe because its a machine. dunno. i speeded this up to normal tempo as i was not ' feeling ' it somehow.

Bentover barbell rows
2x5 75kg I HAD to speed this up a bit, cause my lowerback had run out of steam. If i would have kept this at my 'slow mode' i would have had to sacrifice form. And that is something i will NOT do.

Latpully (front)
2x8 55kg
1x8 60kg felt strange doing slow, this was also reverted back to normal tempo
Latpully (back)
1x8 55kg
1x8 60kg same as front latpully

Seated dumbell press
3x8 20kg PR this was heavy as fuck for me doing slow. real tough. but made the PR =)

Triceps pushdown machine (for a change of free weights). this machine resembles a dip in a seated position. strange thing: there is no restraint for the legs. So if i go real heavy, the weight will push me up from the seat.
80 kg x12
100kg x10
115kg x8
125kg (full stack) x6 PR pumped my triceps so bad i even had some vascularity on them (last sets i could not even have performed fast if i wanted too =)
Immidiately followed by what is called, if a am not mistaken, a widowmaker:
Rope triceps pulldown (normal speed, a repout)
35kg x28 my triceps almost felt like twice the normal size.

Hammer curls
3x8 18kg felt strange doing them slow, but it worked. it just felt weird.

Last thing i did was a superset. Dont know if its a legal one, but i liked it
Superpullovers (the stack, 60kg) for 8 reps and then and rope cruches (55kg) for 20 reps. 4 sets of each. The superpullovers were too hard by now to do very slow, so i did them just a bit slower then normal. My back was just shot. Rope crunches slow made for an interesting awareness of my abs. I could really feel them contract. I should perform these slower i realized.

Had my intra workout drink nearby all the time (good old bottle of EAA/BCAA fruit punch) and damn, did i need it.
This was one interesting workout. I do not think it worked out proper for every muscle group, but i realized i was doing rope crunches too fast normally. Doing deads with eyes closed and in full mind/muscle connection was an awesome feeling. I might try this again one day.
Have a great evening everyone. Never be afraid for an experiment. Worst thing you can do is learn. And how bad is that?

Themostocles
06-25-08, 8:11 pm
Awesome day Thrawn, quality work on that back. Doing it slow for that mind/muscle connection can be very important. Like the accessory work too man, always great to see what you come up with. -T.

rob_in_korea
06-25-08, 8:15 pm
Thanks for stopping by my journey Thrawn. It looks like you have been doing some big ass workouts. I am sure you will attain all of your powerlifting goals.

-Rob

Phil800101
06-26-08, 1:57 am
Awesome workout Thrawn! You hit it nice and hard bro, made even more difficult by the weather...great job! That is really interesting about the mind/muscle connection, sounds pretty cool.

Thrawn
06-26-08, 3:51 am
Awesome day Thrawn, quality work on that back. Doing it slow for that mind/muscle connection can be very important. Like the accessory work too man, always great to see what you come up with. -T.

Thanks, T! It was a good back day indeed. I get payed with some good stiff body today. Strangely enough its the front of my shoulders that hurt the most... must be the slow DB shoulder presses.
I really wanna mature and improve the mind/muscle connection. I already have a good feeling with it on some exercises, but on some it could be better. I will do these sessions a bit more often, i think. My body really feels like it had a goooood proper beating.


Thanks for stopping by my journey Thrawn. It looks like you have been doing some big ass workouts. I am sure you will attain all of your powerlifting goals.

-Rob

>>Thanks, Rob. I like doing it big and am used to it. There ARE different opinions about doing these kinds of workouts. Some say this will burn you out in the long run, some say this is the only way to go. As i am still a rather green leaf in this sport, i am gonna find out myself which way will work better for me. I will turn 'Westside' style next week. That will mean less load on one day, more speedwork, but all in all i will also max out a few more times compared to this. We will see what works best for me. Either way; you can bet top dollar on me attaining that 300 wilks points. It will not be an easy task to get that down before the end of the year, but i will give it the best i can.
And thank you for stopping by in mine =))


Awesome workout Thrawn! You hit it nice and hard bro, made even more difficult by the weather...great job! That is really interesting about the mind/muscle connection, sounds pretty cool.

Yeah, it was a bit of a different approach and, according to my body, i could do it more often sometimes. It really feels nicely stiff and hard. Keep shocking the body is good, i think. i should work on explosiveness, speed = power, but a hard grinding session like this really builds brute strength i think. At least it feels that way.
Try your favorite exercise this way yourself. It is VERY cool to be aware of the motions without vision. You will FEEL and be SO aware of the muscles doing work. Stay SAFE tho. Dont max out on things. That would give unnecessary risk, i think.

Thrawn
06-27-08, 4:48 am
Well, have been having some good tight muscles since yesterday. That IS rather unusual for me to have it this long. There definitely appears to be something in this concept.
Tonight my last session on the old routine. Starting monday or tuesday, i will be a Westside adept, to see how that suits me. I am actually looking forward to this. My body can use a good shake up again.

Themostocles
06-27-08, 5:47 am
Hey Thrawn, that new gym I am working at has a big time powerlifter. Brandon Cass trains there, 800lb squat at about 220 raw. If you ever want me to ask him any questions, let me know. -T.

Thrawn
06-27-08, 7:11 am
Hey Thrawn, that new gym I am working at has a big time powerlifter. Brandon Cass trains there, 800lb squat at about 220 raw. If you ever want me to ask him any questions, let me know. -T.

Sweeeeeet! Thanks for the offer, T! I will remember that when i run into any snags.

Themostocles
06-27-08, 7:15 am
Sweeeeeet! Thanks for the offer, T! I will remember that when i run into any snags.

I talked to him yesterday, pretty nice guy. Not real open, but nice. Really lean compared to most PL's I have met or seen. I also believe has a world record, but note sure if he still has it. -T.

Thrawn
06-27-08, 7:25 am
I talked to him yesterday, pretty nice guy. Not real open, but nice. Really lean compared to most PL's I have met or seen. I also believe has a world record, but note sure if he still has it. -T.

Just googled him and read an interview with him (and saw his squat on youtube). I havent heard of him before, but anyone squatting 800lbs sure knows his business. That is Haaayyyuuuuuuge.

Thrawn
06-27-08, 3:00 pm
Meet technique day. A rather disappointing session. I was just not fully recovered yet, i think. Was stiff and sluggish, it all felt like double the weight. Ah well, grinded through it anyway with one exception.

Squats: not too happy here. form was just not really there, although i got them up ok.
3x2 100kg

Benchpress; solid reps, but heavier then should be. form was good, but there was no speed or finess
3x2 85kg

CGBP; speed strangely enough this was smoking!
3x3 70kg
4x3 75kg PR

Deadlift: felt a muscle on right side of my back getting cramped up so decided not to push this
2x3 100kg good, perfect form reps

Chest supported rows
4x10 35kg nice and easy to pump blood to the tired and strained back

Called it a day. Will try to get a massage and a sauna this weekend. Feel beat. But nothing too dramatic, the session was not that bad. But 'we fanatics' always feel bad when it does not work out just perfect, right? =))
Have a great weekend!

Phil800101
06-27-08, 5:27 pm
I hear ya bro, some days just feel off. Still looks like a solid session to me though! You hit it hard and got it done, which is what really matters. Oh yeah, good call with the deads, no point in risking an injury if it feels off. Looking forward to seeing how your new split goes next week.

Themostocles
06-27-08, 8:20 pm
I don't know about feeling bad if it isn't perfect, but we never settle. Stick it in your ammo container and use it to blast through your next session. Didn't look bad though, especially the different approach you took the other day. -T.

boar
06-27-08, 10:40 pm
Meet technique day. A rather disappointing session. I was just not fully recovered yet, i think. Was stiff and sluggish, it all felt like double the weight. Ah well, grinded through it anyway with one exception.

Squats: not too happy here. form was just not really there, although i got them up ok.
3x2 100kg

Benchpress; solid reps, but heavier then should be. form was good, but there was no speed or finess
3x2 85kg

CGBP; speed strangely enough this was smoking!
3x3 70kg
4x3 75kg PR

Deadlift: felt a muscle on right side of my back getting cramped up so decided not to push this
2x3 100kg good, perfect form reps

Chest supported rows
4x10 35kg nice and easy to pump blood to the tired and strained back

Called it a day. Will try to get a massage and a sauna this weekend. Feel beat. But nothing too dramatic, the session was not that bad. But 'we fanatics' always feel bad when it does not work out just perfect, right? =))
Have a great weekend!


thats rough hitting all three meet lifts in one day. hows your recovery and do you do this every week?

Thrawn
06-28-08, 7:24 am
I hear ya bro, some days just feel off. Still looks like a solid session to me though! You hit it hard and got it done, which is what really matters. Oh yeah, good call with the deads, no point in risking an injury if it feels off. Looking forward to seeing how your new split goes next week.

I am not too disappointed. I was not fully recovered, so i knew it was gonna be a tough session. Yup, i like hard work and grinding it out if need be, but if i feel something that is out of wack, i revert to 'smart training' instantly.
Yeah, i am looking forward to it too. A new routine =), start all things new and fresh.


I don't know about feeling bad if it isn't perfect, but we never settle. Stick it in your ammo container and use it to blast through your next session. Didn't look bad though, especially the different approach you took the other day. -T.

You hit the nail there. We dont like to settle for sessions like this. Took the words right out of my mouth. I agree, it was what i could do after that different session. I think that i should take more time to recover after sessions like that.


thats rough hitting all three meet lifts in one day. hows your recovery and do you do this every week?

Normally recovery after such a session is fine, as i am not training after that for two days. This time was really hard after wednesdays session, in which i took a different approach. I could feel my body being sluggish and tired. Normally i do this every week, but i am starting a new routine starting monday, in which it will not be the case. Keeping things mixed up works best for my body. This routine was rather more about hard training and repeating things to get a good basis. Next 12 weeks things are gonna be more mixed up, shorter sessions, but more intensity because there are less movements to go through. Its an adaptation of a Westside routine that was suggested to me by Matt Dickerson.

Thrawn
06-28-08, 7:32 am
Just got an sms. Ielja Strik, the girl i trained with last tuesday, has become World Champion Bench press again for the 5th time in Prague. One of our other selection members, Brenda van der Meulen, took 3rd in her weightclass.
I want to congratulate both of them on their excellent results!

Themostocles
06-28-08, 7:36 am
Just got an sms. Ielja Strik, the girl i trained with last tuesday, has become World Champion Bench press again for the 5th time in Prague. One of our other selection members, Brenda van der Meulen, took 3rd in her weightclass.
I want to congratulate both of them on their excellent results!

Kickass, big time congrats. What was her weight and bench? -T.

Thrawn
06-28-08, 7:39 am
Kickass, big time congrats. What was her weight and bench? -T.

Not been updated on our site yet, and it wasnt mentioned in the sms. Will keep you updated as soon as i find out more.

Regarding Brenda: she is also very laidback, filled with humor, but very strict on training and keeping form. I am going to train with her soon too. PL is big in her family, both her parents were national champions.

panzerwagen
06-28-08, 7:57 am
Hey Thrawn, hope everything's fine! I trained with Jonken and Barpinator today, and I just wanted to tell you your old shirts are still being used!

Thrawn
06-28-08, 3:25 pm
Hey Thrawn, hope everything's fine! I trained with Jonken and Barpinator today, and I just wanted to tell you your old shirts are still being used!

Everything is OK =) Nice to hear they are getting put to good use! Train hard, brothers!

Roland
06-28-08, 3:33 pm
[QUOTE=Thrawn;437724]Meet technique day. A rather disappointing session. I was just not fully recovered yet, i think. Was stiff and sluggish, it all felt like double the weight. Ah well, grinded through it anyway with one exception.

Squats: not too happy here. form was just not really there, although i got them up ok.
3x2 100kg

Benchpress; solid reps, but heavier then should be. form was good, but there was no speed or finess
3x2 85kg

CGBP; speed strangely enough this was smoking!
3x3 70kg

Great session bro...just move on and focus on the upcoming workouts....keep going strong.

Thrawn
06-28-08, 3:38 pm
Update on the World Championships Benchpress.

Ielja Strik competed in the -90kg class. She put up 172,5kg (383lbs) on the second attempt, but failed the third attempt of 183,5kg (408lbs). This would have been 1kg more then her own world record of 182,5kg. Still, she had put up more then enough to win and get her fifth world championship.
Brenda van der Meulen competed in the +90kg class. Three good turns, putting up a solid 157,5kg (350kg) to give her 3rd place.
The men that went from our national selection did not fare so well.
Ad van der Ven competed in the -110kg class. Opened with 230kg (511lbs), but failed his next attempts at 237,5kg (528lbs). This got him the 13th spot.
Theo van der Laan also competed in this class, but bombed out. 250kg (556lbs) proved too much for him this time.

boar
06-28-08, 9:51 pm
Here is a powerlifting routine devised by matt rhodes. tell me what you think about it.
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/getting_ready.htm

Carpe Diem P.T
06-29-08, 1:40 am
so many freaks

Themostocles
06-29-08, 2:05 am
so many freaks

??

Thrawn
06-29-08, 8:22 am
Here is a powerlifting routine devised by matt rhodes. tell me what you think about it.
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/getting_ready.htm

It looks good, imo. It certainly looks something like a Westside Barbell spin-off, with dynamic and maximum effort days and lots of assistance work.
That is also the way i will be training for the next 12-14 weeks. To see how my body responds to it.

Carpe Diem P.T
06-29-08, 8:33 am
so many freaks

these people putting up amazing weight. True quality freaks!

i feel ya on the sluggish day. i had a day like that today. i set myself, focus on nothing but the exercise im doing and roar internally through it even though i know im sucking. lol

TXPWRLFTR
06-29-08, 12:44 pm
Hey brother, just stopping by. Hope all is well.

Phil800101
06-30-08, 1:03 am
Just got an sms. Ielja Strik, the girl i trained with last tuesday, has become World Champion Bench press again for the 5th time in Prague. One of our other selection members, Brenda van der Meulen, took 3rd in her weightclass.
I want to congratulate both of them on their excellent results!

That's awesome!

Thrawn
06-30-08, 3:31 am
these people putting up amazing weight. True quality freaks!

i feel ya on the sluggish day. i had a day like that today. i set myself, focus on nothing but the exercise im doing and roar internally through it even though i know im sucking. lol

LOL, those sluggish days are a real mental test for me. I HATE not being able to perform according to my own standards. But it happens. No big deal. Just keep on truckin'. Thanks for poppin' in, Brad!


Hey brother, just stopping by. Hope all is well.

Hey, Greg! Sure, all is well! Thanks for dropping by!


That's awesome!

Yeah, i gotta say it carefully, but the ladies RULED this time =))

Themostocles
06-30-08, 3:58 am
Hey Thrawn, doing box squats for the first time today, any quick advice for me. I do know to start the lift with the back so you don't fold over coming off the box. But anything else? Thanks, -T.

Thrawn
06-30-08, 4:11 am
Hey Thrawn, doing box squats for the first time today, any quick advice for me. I do know to start the lift with the back so you don't fold over coming off the box. But anything else? Thanks, -T.

Start of with about 55% of your 1rm on regular squats. Box squats are hard enough as it is. I do them on a box that will put me easily 2 inch below parallel. That is actually a bit lower then my regular squat. But this is a matter of preference, i think.
I focus on putting the buttock back, bending the legs by pushing the knees outward and going down until i sit down. As soon as all the weight is transfered onto the box i wait, focus and go up, thrusting my hips forward. Keep the back straight, do NOT go forward to get off the box. If you need to do that, the weight is too heavy. Ego has no place in boxsquats. Doing them explosive seems to be the key to working up your numbers on regular squats.
Some ppl find them a bit strange as they appear to have problems with foot placement. Personally i have had no such problem. If you feel anything strange there, i suggest you contact Matt Dickerson or IRBS, as i cannot relate to that problem.

Hope this helps, i am quit new to boxsquats myself =)

Themostocles
06-30-08, 4:13 am
Actually I was going to start with the bar till I get used to the movement and form. My ego is way out the door on squats and stuff. Afraid of screwing up my knee. I am happy most of the time by the fact I have broken 230lbs. -T.

Thrawn
06-30-08, 6:06 am
Actually I was going to start with the bar till I get used to the movement and form. My ego is way out the door on squats and stuff. Afraid of screwing up my knee. I am happy most of the time by the fact I have broken 230lbs. -T.


Starting with the bar certainly is no problem. Try to keep up tempo with boxsquats. Do not race them either, but a good up tempo is certainly worth your while.

Thrawn
07-01-08, 3:32 pm
Okay then, today the journey has taken a change. I have started my new routine, which is more akin to Westside style. Had a good day, even tho it was BLOODY hot (thank god it was not humid this time, just HOT). Immidiate first impression of Westside: even tho the amount of exercises appears to be low, it kicked my ass nonetheless. I tried to keep tempo up as best as i could despite the darn heat.

ME Bench
Flatbench
Warmup:
barbell x 10
50kg x10
60kg x5
Working sets:
70kg x3
80kg x3
85kg x3
90kg x1
95kg x1 PR (finally got this one! and it was a rather good one too)
100kg miss

DB flatbench press
1x8 24kg
1x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 32kg PR (actually from 26kg upwards its a PR, hadnt done this one in a while)

Triceps pushdown
1x10 70kg
2x10 76kg

DB rows
1x8 24kg
2x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 30kg PR

Reverse pecdeck
1x10 40kg
2x10 45kg
1x10 50kg PR

Felt totally beaten to a pulp. Had very good tempo. Looks like i hit a lot of PR's but i also hadnt done these exercises in a while (except flatbench ofcourse). Good to see how much i improved on these tho. I was still a bit searching for the right weights, next time this session comes around i will have a better feel for what i can do then.
Gonna eat TWO mofo steaks. Untill next time!

T o m m Y
07-01-08, 4:19 pm
Okay then, today the journey has taken a change. I have started my new routine, which is more akin to Westside style. Had a good day, even tho it was BLOODY hot (thank god it was not humid this time, just HOT). Immidiate first impression of Westside: even tho the amount of exercises appears to be low, it kicked my ass nonetheless. I tried to keep tempo up as best as i could despite the darn heat.

ME Bench
Flatbench
Warmup:
barbell x 10
50kg x10
60kg x5
Working sets:
70kg x3
80kg x3
85kg x3
90kg x1
95kg x1 PR (finally got this one! and it was a rather good one too)
100kg miss

DB flatbench press
1x8 24kg
1x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 32kg PR (actually from 26kg upwards its a PR, hadnt done this one in a while)

Triceps pushdown
1x10 70kg
2x10 76kg

DB rows
1x8 24kg
2x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 30kg PR

Reverse pecdeck
1x10 40kg
2x10 45kg
1x10 50kg PR

Felt totally beaten to a pulp. Had very good tempo. Looks like i hit a lot of PR's but i also hadnt done these exercises in a while (except flatbench ofcourse). Good to see how much i improved on these tho. I was still a bit searching for the right weights, next time this session comes around i will have a better feel for what i can do then.
Gonna eat TWO mofo steaks. Untill next time!


awsome fn day bro!!

goood prs!!!!

im subbed!!

Big Wides
07-01-08, 4:23 pm
Nice job bro, going to enjoy Westside.....kicks your ass and makes you grow

IRBS
07-01-08, 4:27 pm
Okay then, today the journey has taken a change. I have started my new routine, which is more akin to Westside style. Had a good day, even tho it was BLOODY hot (thank god it was not humid this time, just HOT). Immidiate first impression of Westside: even tho the amount of exercises appears to be low, it kicked my ass nonetheless. I tried to keep tempo up as best as i could despite the darn heat.

ME Bench
Flatbench
Warmup:
barbell x 10
50kg x10
60kg x5
Working sets:
70kg x3
80kg x3
85kg x3
90kg x1
95kg x1 PR (finally got this one! and it was a rather good one too)
100kg miss

DB flatbench press
1x8 24kg
1x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 32kg PR (actually from 26kg upwards its a PR, hadnt done this one in a while)

Triceps pushdown
1x10 70kg
2x10 76kg

DB rows
1x8 24kg
2x8 26kg
1x8 28kg
1x8 30kg PR

Reverse pecdeck
1x10 40kg
2x10 45kg
1x10 50kg PR

Felt totally beaten to a pulp. Had very good tempo. Looks like i hit a lot of PR's but i also hadnt done these exercises in a while (except flatbench ofcourse). Good to see how much i improved on these tho. I was still a bit searching for the right weights, next time this session comes around i will have a better feel for what i can do then.
Gonna eat TWO mofo steaks. Untill next time!

Nice work bro. Remember, you dont need a crap load of volume to get productive work in.

T o m m Y
07-01-08, 4:53 pm
Nice job bro, going to enjoy Westside.....kicks your ass and makes you grow

YESSSSSSSS.....WESTSIDE IS THE BEST!!

Phil800101
07-01-08, 8:58 pm
Awesome workout bro, congrats on the PRs! This new split looks like it's going to be badass, enjoy the steaks my man, you have definitely earned them.

mchik
07-01-08, 9:05 pm
Looks like your hitting PRs all over the place! Very nice!

Themostocles
07-02-08, 1:00 am
Damn Thrawn, lets try to keep those PR's to one a day lol; no need to over do it. Awesome job with the westside. Enjoy the steak, best food for big growth. -T.

Thrawn
07-02-08, 3:53 am
awsome fn day bro!!

goood prs!!!!

im subbed!!

Thanks, SMaLLnWeak! Welcome aboard =)


Nice job bro, going to enjoy Westside.....kicks your ass and makes you grow

Thanks, Wides! It DID kick my ass. I have a nice burn in my back today and chest is nice and tight! YAY.


Nice work bro. Remember, you dont need a crap load of volume to get productive work in.

Thanks, IRBS. I know, certainly now i understand more of the background and approach of Westside. Still, i admit, it feels strange to do such a 'short list' when you are used to doing substantial volume like i am. BUT i have more burn in my back now then normal. GOOD sign.


YESSSSSSSS.....WESTSIDE IS THE BEST!!

HAHA, we will see what it does for me =) Experimentation is KEY.


Awesome workout bro, congrats on the PRs! This new split looks like it's going to be badass, enjoy the steaks my man, you have definitely earned them.

Thanks, Phil! The new split certainly is gonna keep my on my toes. Exercises will be rotating every week, so my body (which adepts FAST normally) will be doing different things every week. After 6 weeks, it starts over again, so i can also see the progress.
The steaks were pretty good =)))


Looks like your hitting PRs all over the place! Very nice!

Hello, mchik! Nice of you to come and have a peek! I had a GREAT day yesterday =)


Damn Thrawn, lets try to keep those PR's to one a day lol; no need to over do it. Awesome job with the westside. Enjoy the steak, best food for big growth. -T.

Thanks, T! I am gonna have more of these days this week, i PROMISE =)) But that is not such a big deal yet: some exercises i havent done in a while, some exercises i havent done PR's on yet. I was amazed at my progress in DB rows and DB bench press tho. Sounds cocky, but i was very proud of the DB bench press. I always SUCKED at that. This time around i was doing GREAT and did bigger DB's then i thought i would do.

Appreciate all the support, brothers and sisters! Keeps me a bit more accountable about my results and numbers. Have a great day and KEEP ADDIN' THEM PLATES!

Preseason
07-02-08, 7:14 am
Thrawn...this may sound a little weird but trust me i am not a stallker or nothin, i sat down today and started reading different peoples journeys...yours was captivating so i read the whole freakin thing. You have shown some amazing progress and being new to the site i just want to say you have done some amazing work and hope to see it keep coming. Later

ghost
07-02-08, 8:30 am
so many freaks

id rather be a freak, than just blending in to society.....never being noticed...

Thrawn
07-02-08, 9:58 am
Thrawn...this may sound a little weird but trust me i am not a stallker or nothin, i sat down today and started reading different peoples journeys...yours was captivating so i read the whole freakin thing. You have shown some amazing progress and being new to the site i just want to say you have done some amazing work and hope to see it keep coming. Later

Wow, thanks, Preseason. Just doing my thing here, like anyone else. Glad you like the journey, i can only hope it will inspire you to make one yourself and reach for those goals. So, if you are new, welcome to this forum! Thanks for the kind words, you can definetely count on me keeping it coming!


id rather be a freak, than just blending in to society.....never being noticed...

Agreed! There is nothing wrong with being normal tho, but we wouldnt be in this game if normality would be the thing we strived for. I tend to like the fact that i am regarded a bit of an outsider (in a good way tho, i am getting my respect there) in my gym.

ghost
07-02-08, 10:08 am
my staff regard me as an outsider... i never go to lunch with them all, i never sit n chat with them all.. i listen to hardcore heavy metal all day on my ipod... i carry a large thermos bag filled with food...


im an outsider.. and fucking proud of it. if i wanted to be like them, id let my ass get HUUUUUUUGE and sit n bitch about diets all day long. when i have already given them all a solid diet/cardio routine for their weight class.. they just dont want to actually try. they would rather bitch about it than succeed at it.

Themostocles
07-02-08, 10:14 am
my staff regard me as an outsider... i never go to lunch with them all, i never sit n chat with them all.. i listen to hardcore heavy metal all day on my ipod... i carry a large thermos bag filled with food...


im an outsider.. and fucking proud of it. if i wanted to be like them, id let my ass get HUUUUUUUGE and sit n bitch about diets all day long. when i have already given them all a solid diet/cardio routine for their weight class.. they just dont want to actually try. they would rather bitch about it than succeed at it.

x2. Of course they also regard me a prick because I expect them to their jobs correctly, or atleast lie to me better. I still try to be human, but I have little tolerance for certain behaviors anymore. -T.

ghost
07-02-08, 10:18 am
x2. Of course they also regard me a prick because I expect them to their jobs correctly, or atleast lie to me better. I still try to be human, but I have little tolerance for certain behaviors anymore. -T.

I have no tolerance for incompetance... which is bad, because all of my staff are morons. even the ones claiming to everyone that they have a masters degree.... i always want to point out to them that a Masters and an Associates degrees, are not the same thing, and I have seen their resume and transcripts before being hired.....................

Themostocles
07-02-08, 10:32 am
I have no tolerance for incompetance... which is bad, because all of my staff are morons. even the ones claiming to everyone that they have a masters degree.... i always want to point out to them that a Masters and an Associates degrees, are not the same thing, and I have seen their resume and transcripts before being hired.....................

LOL, I work with blue collar guys, no degrees. And don't get me wrong, that doesn't make them any less. We all make fucking mistakes, and I just want them to own up to it. I am going to catch you, and I am going to make you look like an ass. But in general I have noticed that fellow lifters are better at their jobs. I think whatever character traits that make us good lifters transfers over to alot of areas in life. The dedication, strategy, and work ethic. -T.

Preseason
07-03-08, 3:26 am
[QUOTE=Thrawn;441281]Wow, thanks, Preseason. Just doing my thing here, like anyone else. Glad you like the journey, i can only hope it will inspire you to make one yourself and reach for those goals. So, if you are new, welcome to this forum! Thanks for the kind words, you can definetely count on me keeping it coming!



For sure man, I have started my journey posts and I am already seeing gains, I have some short term goals for while I am over here in Iraq, and then i will get to some longer term goals once I get home.

Thrawn
07-03-08, 4:26 am
[QUOTE=Thrawn;441281]Wow, thanks, Preseason. Just doing my thing here, like anyone else. Glad you like the journey, i can only hope it will inspire you to make one yourself and reach for those goals. So, if you are new, welcome to this forum! Thanks for the kind words, you can definetely count on me keeping it coming!



For sure man, I have started my journey posts and I am already seeing gains, I have some short term goals for while I am over here in Iraq, and then i will get to some longer term goals once I get home.

Looks like you got your focus going, Preseason! Will be checking on you to see what you are up to.

Thrawn
07-03-08, 4:50 am
Just a small update, nothing special.
Really looking forward to tonights session. It will be my first dedicated dynamic effort session. I wonder what that will feel like.
I am also training with a girl i know from my former gym. She is pretty strong, especially for a girl, and who knows...maybe i can turn her Animal or even into PL. We will see.
I also like, and this is NOT an ego trip, that i can take pics tonight to help ppl out. I have been getting more and more questions lately from ppl asking for all kinds of assistance. I enjoy helping ppl out, if i can. My knowledge is growing, but far from complete yet. But if i can help, SURE. You can always count on me for that. I will also not be too shy to say no if i cant help and try to get you into contact with other, more knowledgable brethren.
I like what G Diesel said once in his journey: you shine, i shine. So all of you who are in my journey reading, lurking, whatever you like to do here: if you think i can help you out with something, it will be my pleasure.

Thrawn, anxious to put his bones into traction. Even in this searing heat. Just BRING it ON.

ghost
07-03-08, 7:59 am
Just a small update, nothing special.
Really looking forward to tonights session. It will be my first dedicated dynamic effort session. I wonder what that will feel like.
I am also training with a girl i know from my former gym. She is pretty strong, especially for a girl, and who knows...maybe i can turn her Animal or even into PL. We will see.
I also like, and this is NOT an ego trip, that i can take pics tonight to help ppl out. I have been getting more and more questions lately from ppl asking for all kinds of assistance. I enjoy helping ppl out, if i can. My knowledge is growing, but far from complete yet. But if i can help, SURE. You can always count on me for that. I will also not be too shy to say no if i cant help and try to get you into contact with other, more knowledgable brethren.
I like what G Diesel said once in his journey: you shine, i shine. So all of you who are in my journey reading, lurking, whatever you like to do here: if you think i can help you out with something, it will be my pleasure.

Thrawn, anxious to put his bones into traction. Even in this searing heat. Just BRING it ON.
hell yeah we can always count on you for that, you are awesome brother. keep it up.

Themostocles
07-03-08, 11:36 am
Kickass tonight Thrawn, you are the dedicated. -T.

Thrawn
07-03-08, 3:34 pm
hell yeah we can always count on you for that, you are awesome brother. keep it up.

Saying it myself was actually easier then hearing others saying it. I actually blushed here. Damnit. =)


Kickass tonight Thrawn, you are the dedicated. -T.

Thanks, T. I am flattered hearing you say that. And i did kick ass ofcourse =))


Tonight was good. The girl i was going to train with showed up, was nice to see her after such a long time. She kept in good shape too, playing tennis and squash now. She also DID bring the camera. BUT, although she is not blond, she forgot to check the battery. SO sorry to the ppl i promised pics of exercises, grips and positions. If it helps, she really really felt BAD about this. I WILL have the pics taken tho. Just a bit unlucky here.

Tonight was DE squats and deadlift. I took a bit of a 'risc' here. DE boxsquats: i am supposed to start at 55% of my 1rm here. That is 90kg on a 2 inch below parallel box. So i would start with about 50kg. That was just too easy. So i adjusted the program, starting at 65% (60kg), which turned out to be a good weight for now. I WILL continue to up the percentage in the weeks, so i might run into a bit of trouble here. Dont know for sure. We will see.

DE boxsquats, 2 inch below parallel box (nicely deep =))
12 x 2 60kg First time ever for this and i must say it: I LOVE THIS.

DE Speed deadlifts
6x2 105kg Easy as cake, although not so easy that i did not get a good feel here.

Goodmornings; first time ever for a serious effort on this exercise, so i was searching for weight a bit.
1x8 50kg
1x8 55kg this is also the most i have ever tried before
1x8 60kg PR This exercise is actually harder then it looks for me. I really had to work here.

Leg curls
1x10 45kg
2x10 50kg PR Difficult, guess above stuff had already taxed me a bit

Rope curls
2x20 55kg
1x20 60kg (the stack) PR
1x20 66kg (the stack + 6kg db) PR! My abs are definitely getting stronger.

Grip exercise, static db hold. This was interesting, as we only have SMOOTH cylindrical db's in our gym. My small hand barely fit around them and with the smooth surface it is hard to get a good grip. But, in fact, that makes it a good exercise. I really felt my forearms after this.
8kg db; 5 times static hold per hand. I was able to do around 15-30 seconds each time, depending on how sweaty my hands were. Even chalking up did not make a lot of difference (limited mostly by small handsize here)

Fanny, the girlfriend, trained with me through all exercises. She is still in good shape and strong. Her form was a bit off, but that was to be expected after 6 months of not being in the gym. She still was all business tho. Not much talk, just doing what needs to be done. Was good seeing her again, we did WORK and had FUN doing it.
Now eating my oatmeal porridge =) Untill next time.

brandonA
07-03-08, 4:09 pm
Looking good bro, I hate GM's, and because I hate them, I have to do them often. I have major flexibility issues in my hips, so keeping my head up and my back arched is nearly impossible. They guys had me do a ton of them with bands. Stand on the bands and then pull it up around your neck, I added a pipe in place of the bar to get my hands in the right position...They suck, but seem to be working....Also the SSB is great for GM's as well..

-B

Themostocles
07-04-08, 1:58 am
Looking good bro, I hate GM's, and because I hate them, I have to do them often. I have major flexibility issues in my hips, so keeping my head up and my back arched is nearly impossible. They guys had me do a ton of them with bands. Stand on the bands and then pull it up around your neck, I added a pipe in place of the bar to get my hands in the right position...They suck, but seem to be working....Also the SSB is great for GM's as well..

-B

SSB? Great looking w/o Thrawn. How do you dertermine your accessory lifts? -T.

Thrawn
07-04-08, 4:05 am
Looking good bro, I hate GM's, and because I hate them, I have to do them often. I have major flexibility issues in my hips, so keeping my head up and my back arched is nearly impossible. They guys had me do a ton of them with bands. Stand on the bands and then pull it up around your neck, I added a pipe in place of the bar to get my hands in the right position...They suck, but seem to be working....Also the SSB is great for GM's as well..

-B

I have some inflexibility too, but not as bad as you i think. I did have horrible form on the first set tho. I unracked it squatstyle. Bar way too low, stance too wide. I corrected that for the last two sets and that kicked my ass. To be certain, i asked Sgt Rock how he performs them, and i appear to do it exactly like that now. So that was reassuring.
And they work indeed. I have a nice tightness in my lower back. Normally i never get that. Too bad we dont have a ssb in our gym...would love to try it.


SSB? Great looking w/o Thrawn. How do you dertermine your accessory lifts? -T.

Safety Squat Bar.
Workout felt good too. Its still a bit mental. I am soooo brainwashed and used to doing a lot of load that i feel like i am not doing enough. But i have to admit that i have a tight lower back and some unexpected soreness in unusual places in my legs and around the hips. SO, even tho it still might feel not right to me mentally, it IS working parts of my body that are weak spots. This is a GOOOOOD THING.
Determining the accessory lifts is not very difficult. You will have to know which muscle groups are assisting in the major lift. Example: on bench day you also train lats and tri's which are major contributors on bench. I admit i rely a lot on knowlegde and info from Matt Dickerson, Big Wides and IRBS here. There is also a certain 'picking order' in which you train them. I am supposed to have that info, but cant find it right now. I KNOW i have it at home. If you would like to see how the training order is build up, gimme a reminder and i will look up that info at home. Or you could ask Matt Dickerson, he appears to know that by heart.

Preseason
07-04-08, 5:24 am
Whats up man i had already began moving toward makin some changes to my workout i start my new plan on tuesday, take a look at my journey i have the new plan up there let me know what you think.

Thrawn
07-04-08, 6:11 am
Whats up man i had already began moving toward makin some changes to my workout i start my new plan on tuesday, take a look at my journey i have the new plan up there let me know what you think.

Allright, brother. Will check it out.

Themostocles
07-04-08, 2:51 pm
If you got a link or a website, I wouldn't mind taking a look at the accessory lift info. If knowledge is a weapon, I plan on being well armed. -T.

Phil800101
07-04-08, 8:21 pm
Great session bro, congrats on the PRs! Keep on killing it my friend!

T o m m Y
07-04-08, 8:24 pm
Saying it myself was actually easier then hearing others saying it. I actually blushed here. Damnit. =)



Thanks, T. I am flattered hearing you say that. And i did kick ass ofcourse =))


Tonight was good. The girl i was going to train with showed up, was nice to see her after such a long time. She kept in good shape too, playing tennis and squash now. She also DID bring the camera. BUT, although she is not blond, she forgot to check the battery. SO sorry to the ppl i promised pics of exercises, grips and positions. If it helps, she really really felt BAD about this. I WILL have the pics taken tho. Just a bit unlucky here.

Tonight was DE squats and deadlift. I took a bit of a 'risc' here. DE boxsquats: i am supposed to start at 55% of my 1rm here. That is 90kg on a 2 inch below parallel box. So i would start with about 50kg. That was just too easy. So i adjusted the program, starting at 65% (60kg), which turned out to be a good weight for now. I WILL continue to up the percentage in the weeks, so i might run into a bit of trouble here. Dont know for sure. We will see.

DE boxsquats, 2 inch below parallel box (nicely deep =))
12 x 2 60kg First time ever for this and i must say it: I LOVE THIS.

DE Speed deadlifts
6x2 105kg Easy as cake, although not so easy that i did not get a good feel here.

Goodmornings; first time ever for a serious effort on this exercise, so i was searching for weight a bit.
1x8 50kg
1x8 55kg this is also the most i have ever tried before
1x8 60kg PR This exercise is actually harder then it looks for me. I really had to work here.

Leg curls
1x10 45kg
2x10 50kg PR Difficult, guess above stuff had already taxed me a bit

Rope curls
2x20 55kg
1x20 60kg (the stack) PR
1x20 66kg (the stack + 6kg db) PR! My abs are definitely getting stronger.

Grip exercise, static db hold. This was interesting, as we only have SMOOTH cylindrical db's in our gym. My small hand barely fit around them and with the smooth surface it is hard to get a good grip. But, in fact, that makes it a good exercise. I really felt my forearms after this.
8kg db; 5 times static hold per hand. I was able to do around 15-30 seconds each time, depending on how sweaty my hands were. Even chalking up did not make a lot of difference (limited mostly by small handsize here)

Fanny, the girlfriend, trained with me through all exercises. She is still in good shape and strong. Her form was a bit off, but that was to be expected after 6 months of not being in the gym. She still was all business tho. Not much talk, just doing what needs to be done. Was good seeing her again, we did WORK and had FUN doing it.
Now eating my oatmeal porridge =) Untill next time.

nice prs man!!

good work..

Roland
07-04-08, 10:38 pm
Killin it brother!

Thrawn
07-05-08, 10:30 am
If you got a link or a website, I wouldn't mind taking a look at the accessory lift info. If knowledge is a weapon, I plan on being well armed. -T.

I have it in an email from Matt. I printed it out. I will find it for you. Am at my girls house this weekend, but will hook you up with the info beginning of the week.


Great session bro, congrats on the PRs! Keep on killing it my friend!

Thanks Phil! I am on a roll, so wait till you see what i am planning for next week =)))


nice prs man!!

good work..

Thanks, brother!


Killin it brother!

Doing the best i can, thanks Roland!

Thrawn
07-05-08, 10:44 am
Hey, T! Like promised. Pics of how i grip the squatbar. I apologize for the pics a bit, my mate was very helpfull and is a good spotter, but he is a rather poor photographer.
Here is me unracking the bar at good position, low on back, but with the elbows still DOWN.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0062.jpg
This is me unracking the same weight, low on back (a bit higher then first pic, i would prefer it a bit lower, actually), with elbows forced UPWARDS.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0061.jpg
In both cases, the bar is more in position with your center of gravity, which will keep you from tipping forwards. If the weight feels heavy, like it wants to slide, this mostly comes from having the elbows down (pic one). In pic two the elbows are forced up, which will fix the weight in place. It is also easier to keep tension in your body during squatting.

Hope this helps.
Thrawn

Thrawn
07-05-08, 10:50 am
Hey R.Bearse1,

This is the way i prefer to hold the bar with frontsquats. The pic is not very good, my mate is not used to working with my digital SLR.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0064.jpg

In this way, the bar less likely to slip away from you, even if you hit a bad rep and lean forwards a bit. This grip also forces you to keep upright more then the grip you saw in the vidlink i gave you.
Hope this helps,

Thrawn

Thrawn
07-05-08, 10:52 am
I do not remember who asked me how low my box was for boxsquats. I accidently deleted a lot of my PM's. I can only hope this person is reading my journey.

This is me on my box, about 5+cm (2 inch) below parallel.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0065.jpg

Sorry about the pic quality, my mate is not handy with my digital SLR.

Thrawn
07-05-08, 10:58 am
Hey Brad,

These are the exercises i did to strengthen my wrists. After doing these for a few weeks my wrists got much stronger and also could cope with wrist curls much better.
I had pics taken in the gym, but they were so bad that i had my girl re-do them. I used a small axe for this, but you get the idea here, no doubt. Be carefull tho. Perform them with a low weight small bar first. If you put a small plate at the other end, the exercise becomes much harder VERY quickly. Doing them slow and controlled is the key, perform them in a flowing motion, back and forth.

Exercise one:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0076.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0074.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0075.jpg

Exercise two:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0077.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0078.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0079.jpg

Exercise three:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0080.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0081.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Examples%20for%20forvm/DSC_0082.jpg

Hope you get the idea here and maybe its something you can try for wrists too.

Bert aka Thrawn =)

Thrawn
07-05-08, 11:12 am
Phew, finally got the pics all uploaded and done.
Todays session. Blazing hot, as you can see in the pics above, i did not even put on my trusty Animal shirt. Body was sluggish a bit, but i had a great time trying to battle that. Challinging myself to really to explode the speed bench. The tips and tricks i learned from Ielja, BeastofRage, The Lad and Matt Dickerson (sorry if i unintentionaly forgot someone here) really help. But this also has given me a lot more muscle ache in my shoulders lately. Guess i wasnt using them right all the time, and now they have to get up to scratch now. Anyway, had a great session, was fun. Like training is supposed to. Doing it hard, but with a smile cause i LOVE it.

DE bench, 60% of 1rm
8x3 60kg tried to be as fast as i could, but my shoulders were a bit beat up
1x1 80kg (85% of 1rm) went up nice and fast.

Military press, standing
4x8 40kg really did them fast and explosive. strangely enough my shoulders did not bother me here

Nosebreakers
1x10 30kg
2x10 35kg

Latpully (front)
2x10 55kg
3x10 60kg

DB shoulder press.
1x8 18kg
2x8 20kg nice. i feared that i would run out of steam here, but no way.

DB bicep curl
Was supposed to be 3x10, but this time i overestimated myself. I used 18kg, but could not make 3x10 with it. But it felt good and pumping anyway, so i kept the weight.
1x10 18kg
1x7 x2 18kg

Stretched and made my shake. Loved every second of this session.

Themostocles
07-05-08, 1:05 pm
Thanks for the pics, atleast I hold the front squat right lol. Much appreciated Thrawn, and good to know your real name. Those military's are starting to get up there. Will be putting all your squat info to use Monday. Enjoy your weekend at your girlfriends. -T.

Phil800101
07-05-08, 4:05 pm
Killer session Thrawn! Working out hard and fast is hard enough in and of itself, let alone in brutal heat, and while feeling sluggish as well...way to push through and get the job done! Good stuff bro.

Carpe Diem P.T
07-06-08, 12:34 am
thanks for the pics! makes it all a lot clearer. i was a bit worried that in exercise 3 u werent actually using your hands. lol that axe handle seems to just disappear......lol

but seriously thanks. will go try those in the gym now, minus the axe ;)

Thrawn
07-06-08, 5:43 am
Thanks for the pics, atleast I hold the front squat right lol. Much appreciated Thrawn, and good to know your real name. Those military's are starting to get up there. Will be putting all your squat info to use Monday. Enjoy your weekend at your girlfriends. -T.

No problem, T. Like i said, if i promise something, i do it. Was just a bit unlucky for a while with the camera's. I hope you read this: I was just getting a bit of feedback from a more experienced lifter on the pics too. I seem to be putting the elbows up a bit too much. To the point i am starting to rotate my shoulders forward. This should NOT be the case. Take care of this too, T. Forward rotation of the shoulder will cause forward tipping too with heavier weight.


Killer session Thrawn! Working out hard and fast is hard enough in and of itself, let alone in brutal heat, and while feeling sluggish as well...way to push through and get the job done! Good stuff bro.

Thanks Phil! Really appreciate the constant support you are giving, my man! And i had a lot of fun in that session, even tho things were not perfect. I think that comes with experience and confidence. I learn to KNOW what i am capable of regardless the circumstances. It is good to laugh about yourself when you are sluggish, takes the frustration away instantly.


thanks for the pics! makes it all a lot clearer. i was a bit worried that in exercise 3 u werent actually using your hands. lol that axe handle seems to just disappear......lol

but seriously thanks. will go try those in the gym now, minus the axe ;)

LOL! I hadnt even noticed that =) Now you have put it in my head, dude. THANKS =))
I used to do them in the gym with a small barbell and a small plate on the opposite side from where you are holding it. Most of the time, 2-4 kg is more then enough to make it pretty heavy for the wrists.

Young&Hungry
07-06-08, 2:07 pm
Nice looking pics bro. About the box squats, you're unnecessarily low even for USAPL depth. That's good to train on that box height every so often for a change in variety but I think you could get away very well with jacking it up another 1-1.5 inches and still be below parallel and a good USAPL depth. That looks like an olympic squat. Remember to really sit back as good as you can because it appears that your knees are over your toes when they should be in line with your toes. Good work, those wrist exercises look pretty awesome. Glad you're finally with the Westside clan!

Thrawn
07-07-08, 3:45 am
Nice looking pics bro. About the box squats, you're unnecessarily low even for USAPL depth. That's good to train on that box height every so often for a change in variety but I think you could get away very well with jacking it up another 1-1.5 inches and still be below parallel and a good USAPL depth. That looks like an olympic squat. Remember to really sit back as good as you can because it appears that your knees are over your toes when they should be in line with your toes. Good work, those wrist exercises look pretty awesome. Glad you're finally with the Westside clan!

Thanks for the comments. I was already thinking about upping it a bit. I will put an extra plate on top of the box next time and see if i can keep back better. I seem to be descending fine, but just before i hit the box i appear to be freefalling somewhat (because of the depth i think), which makes me instinctively go forward a bit. Will see if adding some height to the box will take this away. My only excuse is that this was my first go at them =) Good work on spotting the fault in my form, tho!
Those wrist exercises really worked for me in the beginning. I had very small and weak wrists when i started and wristcurls were just too painfull in the beginning. I started doing these rotations for a few weeks and that took care of my problems.
Loving the darkside so far, Young&Hungry! Short and sweet workouts with a lot of focus.
Thanks for dropping in!

By the way, is USAPL the same as IPF in regulations?

R.Bearse1
07-07-08, 8:36 am
Thanks for the pics of front squats and all the others as well bro. You are a plethera of great information. Thanks a lot again

Thrawn
07-07-08, 2:53 pm
Thanks for the pics of front squats and all the others as well bro. You are a plethera of great information. Thanks a lot again

No problem, always happy to help if i can.

Thrawn
07-07-08, 2:56 pm
Hey Seth,

Just found the printed email from Matt Dickerson with the order for accessories:

For bench: triceps, lats, upper back and rear delts, delts, biceps
For squat/deadlift: lowerback, hamstrings, abs and obliques, calves

Thrawn
07-07-08, 3:09 pm
Well, what can i say today. I am irritated. Had an offday all around (work/private) and the gym was no different. Fell asleep before going to the gym and woke up just before i should leave. This never happens normally and i felt rather ok after that. Looked forward to ME DEADLIFT, my favorite. Wanted to bust out a new PR, 180kg (400lbs). I KNOW i can do it, but the weights wouldnt budge today. Deadlifting went so bad i got really annoyed and couldnt pick up the energy/mood to continue the workout. I slacked it out. Very UN-animalistic. But i am only human. Will have to make up for it next time.

ME deadlift
bar x 10
60kg x 6
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
130kg x 3
135kg x 2 grip slipped here and that was the first sign of a bad day
160kg x miss i could not believe this, i could not get it off the floor
160kg x 1 got it up, but this was so heavy and bad that i already knew the PR was not going to happen
175kg x miss tried it anyway, but i could not even get it off the floor. Very unhappy about this. Looking at my 170kg vid from several WEEKS ago i should be able to do 175-180kg, period. Ah well, not today at least.

Back extensions
3 x 12 50kg slacked this because of irritation

Bent over rows, back at 45 degree angle
3x8 70kg
1x8 75kg this extra 5kg made one hell of a difference, another sign of a bad day.

Shrugs
4x10 80kg felt heavy, but i guess that was just my mood

Weighted situps, roman chair. First time
did 5 x 15 with a 10kg plate on my chest.

Calf raises
4 x 10 with the stack (300kg). Hard too, been a while.

Live and learn. Fell into one of my own bad habits: getting distracted because i could not have it my way. I will have a good talk with myself about this, cause this will NOT do. Bad days happen and i should just suck it up then.
Have a nice evening everyone!

Jonisocool
07-07-08, 4:11 pm
Well, what can i say today. I am irritated. Had an offday all around (work/private) and the gym was no different. Fell asleep before going to the gym and woke up just before i should leave. This never happens normally and i felt rather ok after that. Looked forward to ME DEADLIFT, my favorite. Wanted to bust out a new PR, 180kg (400lbs). I KNOW i can do it, but the weights wouldnt budge today. Deadlifting went so bad i got really annoyed and couldnt pick up the energy/mood to continue the workout. I slacked it out. Very UN-animalistic. But i am only human. Will have to make up for it next time.

ME deadlift
bar x 10
60kg x 6
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
130kg x 3
135kg x 2 grip slipped here and that was the first sign of a bad day
160kg x miss i could not believe this, i could not get it off the floor
160kg x 1 got it up, but this was so heavy and bad that i already knew the PR was not going to happen
175kg x miss tried it anyway, but i could not even get it off the floor. Very unhappy about this. Looking at my 170kg vid from several WEEKS ago i should be able to do 175-180kg, period. Ah well, not today at least.

Back extensions
3 x 12 50kg slacked this because of irritation

Bent over rows, back at 45 degree angle
3x8 70kg
1x8 75kg this extra 5kg made one hell of a difference, another sign of a bad day.

Shrugs
4x10 80kg felt heavy, but i guess that was just my mood

Weighted situps, roman chair. First time
did 5 x 15 with a 10kg plate on my chest.

Calf raises
4 x 10 with the stack (300kg). Hard too, been a while.

Live and learn. Fell into one of my own bad habits: getting distracted because i could not have it my way. I will have a good talk with myself about this, cause this will NOT do. Bad days happen and i should just suck it up then.
Have a nice evening everyone!

I can dig it Thrawn.
Hard to fight those days, other than to just bite your tongue
cuz its gunna motivate you dip, grip and rip the shit out of next ME day.

Phil800101
07-08-08, 1:27 am
No worries bro, we all have our off days. The important thing is that you went in and tried, you didn't quit, and you gave it your best. You have the right attitude about this...you are able to look at yourself objectively, and you know what needs to be done...you will have that PR in no time!

Themostocles
07-08-08, 2:18 am
Bad days happen. You live and learn. Ok, I think I am done with the cliches lol. Least you know what went wrong, and are actualized enough to know it. You will get that PR, you are putting in the work to get it. Greatness doesn't happen over night.

Thanks again for the squat help, still got a couple things to work on, but much better. Going to take awhile to get used to the bar being there, more stress on my wrists and I am going to have to work on my flexibility in my shoulders. Its also harder to rack the bar, I gotta stoop or stand on my toes to get it in there now. At the end of the sets I still fought starting to fold over, but not like it was. Think it was just getting exhausted. I think as I get used to the new technique it will go away. -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 3:51 am
I can dig it Thrawn.
Hard to fight those days, other than to just bite your tongue
cuz its gunna motivate you dip, grip and rip the shit out of next ME day.

Thanks for dropping in my journey, Jonisocool! I sure hope to have a better day next time.


No worries bro, we all have our off days. The important thing is that you went in and tried, you didn't quit, and you gave it your best. You have the right attitude about this...you are able to look at yourself objectively, and you know what needs to be done...you will have that PR in no time!

Yeah, i know, Phil. Thanks. Just venting some steam yesterday. Actually, i am STILL a bit ticked off. I really got a mental blow when that 160kg wouldnt even budge the first time. That should NOT have been a problem. The second was so bad in form that i actually have some strange (not good) feeling in my back.
I can look upon it a bit clearer today. I bet it has something to do with the 4 x 3 working sets before the 3x1 ME attempts. I am not used to that many working sets. Guess i was already taxed somewhat.



Bad days happen. You live and learn. Ok, I think I am done with the cliches lol. Least you know what went wrong, and are actualized enough to know it. You will get that PR, you are putting in the work to get it. Greatness doesn't happen over night.

Thanks again for the squat help, still got a couple things to work on, but much better. Going to take awhile to get used to the bar being there, more stress on my wrists and I am going to have to work on my flexibility in my shoulders. Its also harder to rack the bar, I gotta stoop or stand on my toes to get it in there now. At the end of the sets I still fought starting to fold over, but not like it was. Think it was just getting exhausted. I think as I get used to the new technique it will go away. -T.

Thanks T. I know its a long distance run. I was just SO CERTAIN about at least pulling 175kg. Then the 135kg started slipping (i have NEVER had a grip problem before) and the 160kg wouldnt budge. That was a big mental slap in the face. But that has to happen sometime too. It will make me grow mentally.
Glad the squat is better now. I have heard that using straps can help with the wrist porblems here. I am not allowed to use them, so i have no experience here.


Well, like said above, i am still a bit ticked off. My lower back got a bit tweaked last night. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious. I think that these 'mental slaps in the face' are actually healthy in the long run. I am so determined to always do more and more that i think that this was bound to happen sometime. I KNOW i can pull that 175-180kg. But on a ME day, all things have to come together. Adept and overcome. I will repeat this small phrase several times. I think for about 4 sets, 15 reps. Last set in CAPITALS, to really bring the message home.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 4:21 am
Lol, I used wrist wraps on the last set. Just going to have to build them up. So what kind of equipment can you use, besides knee wraps? There are days that are just set backs, but you have the right attitude. Hope the back gets better quick. -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 4:28 am
I am allowed to use: belt, knee wraps, wrist wraps, briefs, squat suit and briefs, bench shirt, deadlift suit and squat/deadlift shoes. Straps and gloves are NOT allowed. So grip is very important.
Thanks for the affirmation of my attitude. I know i have the right one, but i admit i have had a nice mental blow. Its actually good to hear it right now. I am not TOO worried about my back, it just feels like there is still a belt around me or something. But it does not feel very strong right now.
Appreciate your support, Seth! Man, i wish we could throw around some iron together. I would love to do that.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 4:34 am
I am allowed to use: belt, knee wraps, wrist wraps, briefs, squat suit and briefs, bench shirt, deadlift suit and squat/deadlift shoes. Straps and gloves are NOT allowed. So grip is very important.
Thanks for the affirmation of my attitude. I know i have the right one, but i admit i have had a nice mental blow. Its actually good to hear it right now. I am not TOO worried about my back, it just feels like there is still a belt around me or something. But it does not feel very strong right now.
Appreciate your support, Seth! Man, i wish we could throw around some iron together. I would love to do that.

Well if you ever make it to the States, let me know. If I can traval to meet you I would love too Bert. -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 4:38 am
Well if you ever make it to the States, let me know. If I can traval to meet you I would love too Bert. -T.

I AM thinking about going to the cage in 2009. Thats for sure. But i am also thinking about going to the States in the fall/winter for a week. I have never been there. I will keep you updated on this. Hell, i might even be pushing my rental truck all around the states to save on the gas money AND keep my conditioning up, LOL

panzerwagen
07-08-08, 4:40 am
I see your back is also bugging you a bit? I do hope it'll turn out for the better..

Thrawn
07-08-08, 4:53 am
I see your back is also bugging you a bit? I do hope it'll turn out for the better..

No, not really, Panzerwagen. I just had a very off-day yesterday and it was maximum effort deadlift day. I really wanted to push for a PR, but it just wasnt there. I struggled with grip even. My first attempt at 160kg failed and that got me so annoyed that my whole mind was just not right. Second attempt i got it up, but form was very bad. I think i strained it a little bit there. It does not feel too bad. BUT i am monitoring it, be assured of that. If it gets worse i will certainly take care of it. For now, i think i got off lucky.

panzerwagen
07-08-08, 5:08 am
No, not really, Panzerwagen. I just had a very off-day yesterday and it was maximum effort deadlift day. I really wanted to push for a PR, but it just wasnt there. I struggled with grip even. My first attempt at 160kg failed and that got me so annoyed that my whole mind was just not right. Second attempt i got it up, but form was very bad. I think i strained it a little bit there. It does not feel too bad. BUT i am monitoring it, be assured of that. If it gets worse i will certainly take care of it. For now, i think i got off lucky.

Yeah I read about it.. suppose them bad days have to come every now and then.. unfortunately. Anyway, hope it's just a strain as you say.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 5:17 am
Yeah I read about it.. suppose them bad days have to come every now and then.. unfortunately. Anyway, hope it's just a strain as you say.

Those bad days WILL strengthen me in the long run. I KNOW i have some temperament problems. This is me being mentally tested for this life. A powerfull body is not complete with a strong mind. The iron bug is just pointing out i need to toughen up mentally too. At this moment, i am actually glad it happened, because it has a purpose for me.
Well, i am keeping the back warm and moving today and it already appears to be feeling better a bit.

panzerwagen
07-08-08, 5:22 am
Those bad days WILL strengthen me in the long run. I KNOW i have some temperament problems. This is me being mentally tested for this life. A powerfull body is not complete with a strong mind. The iron bug is just pointing out i need to toughen up mentally too. At this moment, i am actually glad it happened, because it has a purpose for me.
Well, i am keeping the back warm and moving today and it already appears to be feeling better a bit.

Good news!

Thrawn
07-08-08, 5:23 am
I have had my chat with myself. Over and over. I need to be aware that things might NOT always be going as i want WHEN i want it. The disadvantage of following a routine is that i will have to do things on a given day. On that day, i might not be having the greatest form to actually do that. That is ALL. Yesterdays failure is NOT a total failure. Just a good attempt on the wrong day.

I also know that my new routine is more demanding on ME days then what i have done before. Some more working sets. I am NOT used to that.
To give myself some extra work which will also make me mentally stronger i thought about what i am really bad at. Conditionally i am not that strong yet. And i have my brother, Johnny. He has always looked up to me, being the older one. I HATE to fail in his eyes.

So tonight i will be pushing his car a few times as a conditioning workout (thanks to Greg for putting this in my head). He will be in it too, so i will be faced with doing conditioning work i am not good at and possible failure under my younger brothers eyes. I want to do 4 runs of 100 meters (300 feet). We will see. I hope he has a camera so i can tape this.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 5:41 am
Would be cool to watch. Pushing a car can challenging, but it is fun. Nice to get outside of the gym atmosphere sometimes. Glad your 'talk' went well. -T.

panzerwagen
07-08-08, 5:52 am
Man if things would go one's way all the time.. sorry to say this rarely happens in life. Don't ever see these things as a faliure. It's part of the game as is everything else. Two steps forward, one step back.. it's still progressing! By the way, I saw your 170kg deadlift yesterday (hadn't seen that one before).. it was beautiful!

And make sure to monitor your back when pushing that damn car tonight!

Thrawn
07-08-08, 6:01 am
Would be cool to watch. Pushing a car can challenging, but it is fun. Nice to get outside of the gym atmosphere sometimes. Glad your 'talk' went well. -T.

Yeah, from what i know of my body, i will be having a hard time doing it. Should be a nice struggle. And like you said, out of the gym. Its kind of stormy right now and i HOPE that continues to be so. I LOVE that.
I have these 'chats' with myself on a regular basis. One of my ways of dealing with my short fuse and rather flammable temperament. It helps.


Man if things would go one's way all the time.. sorry to say this rarely happens in life. Don't ever see these things as a faliure. It's part of the game as is everything else. Two steps forward, one step back.. it's still progressing! By the way, I saw your 170kg deadlift yesterday (hadn't seen that one before).. it was beautiful!

And make sure to monitor your back when pushing that damn car tonight!

You hit the nail on the head. Its not failure, its part of the progress. Its forwards even if it feels backwards. NICE one, Panzerwagen. Yeah, that 170kg was one of the best lifts i ever did. It was relatively easy too. So i KNOW that 180kg is in me somewhere =)
If i feel anything out of whack tonight, i will stop pushing the car immidiately, rest assured.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 6:55 am
I will make ONE adjustment to tonights conditioning work. I said i was going for 4 x 100 meters of car pushing. I have NEVER done car pushing before. So i should not put targets in my head already. Maybe i am not able to do even 50 meters and then i will have to face my temper again. I will go for 4 runs of car pushing. We will see how far it can go.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 6:59 am
Its good to have goals, but its better to have fun. Though I think you can 4x100meters. -T.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 7:12 am
I am allowed to use: belt, knee wraps, wrist wraps, briefs, squat suit and briefs, bench shirt, deadlift suit and squat/deadlift shoes. Straps and gloves are NOT allowed. So grip is very important.
Thanks for the affirmation of my attitude. I know i have the right one, but i admit i have had a nice mental blow. Its actually good to hear it right now. I am not TOO worried about my back, it just feels like there is still a belt around me or something. But it does not feel very strong right now.
Appreciate your support, Seth! Man, i wish we could throw around some iron together. I would love to do that.

Do you use a belt? -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 7:24 am
Its good to have goals, but its better to have fun. Though I think you can 4x100meters. -T.

I want to have fun doing this tonight. Although i tend to agree with you on the 4 x 100 meters, i am not gonna walk into the same trap as last night. First time doing this, so i will see on the first run what i am made of.


Do you use a belt? -T.

Most of the time in regular training i do not. Only on the PR attempts or if i wanna go real heavy. I might also use it when back is really tired and i need to do some military pressing or something. But i would say that in my training i use nothing but chalk for about 95% of the time.

Themostocles
07-08-08, 7:58 am
Thats how I am. I use my wrist wraps on heavy bench, and yesterday with squats. I might use gloves on back day or if doing static holds. The gym has a bunch of new bars with deep gnurling, cuts into my hands bad. Blood is bad for gripping lol. I have never tried a belt, just curious about the benefits. -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 8:00 am
Thats how I am. I use my wrist wraps on heavy bench, and yesterday with squats. I might use gloves on back day or if doing static holds. The gym has a bunch of new bars with deep gnurling, cuts into my hands bad. Blood is bad for gripping lol. I have never tried a belt, just curious about the benefits. -T.

A belt can give you a bit of extra, especially on the big three. It will give you extra tension in the body. Imagine holding your breath for a good solid tension in the squat. Now imagine that same breath of air while it is pressing against the belt around your waist. Makes some difference. You will have to learn to work with it, but it does help.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 1:24 pm
My first go at some conditioning training. Car pushing. I had seen some journeys in which some fellow Animals seem to do this, so i thought, what the hell. It cant hurt.
I wanted to go for 4 x100 meters. This proved too easy (european cars are lightweight, lol).
So i went for 5 x 100 meters pushing the car as fast as possible. My brother would check the distance travelled and gimme a signal when i was done. Pushing was easy, but mind you, pushing the car as fast as you can go 5 x 100 meters was hard. I kept rests between attempts short, so i was not fully recovered when a new attempt started. Wanted to give it my all. I have the last session on video and that almost ended in a puke as you can see. Writing this i can already feel my glutes and hamstrings. NICE. This was F U N. (my brother could feel the heat radiating from me when we drove back to his house, YAY)
Distance: 100 meters (300 ft)
Car: total weight about 1000 kg (2200 lbs)
Speed achieved; estimated about 15 km/h (9 mph)
1 minute rest between attempts

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Conditioning/?action=view&current=100_0565.flv

One of the best things about going to my brothers house is getting to spent some time and fun with one of my best friends in the world. His white shepperd dog, Zenzer. I know this has nothing to do with my training, but wanted to share a pic of him anyway.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn208/shrogran/Conditioning/DSC_0003.jpg

ghost
07-08-08, 1:32 pm
chalk chalk chalk... go get some chalk. fuck the gloves. chalk will help..

Thrawn, how ya doing brother? im gonna go watch those .flv vids...

ghost
07-08-08, 1:34 pm
that dog is awesome looking brother!

and nice video!

Thrawn
07-08-08, 1:35 pm
chalk chalk chalk... go get some chalk. fuck the gloves. chalk will help..

Thrawn, how ya doing brother? im gonna go watch those .flv vids...

Doing great, brother! Trying to burn yesterdays session out of my mind and it worked. The conditioning session was great fun and i really feel my glutes and hamstrings already. Man, i had fun. And how are you doing, my man!

mcbeast
07-08-08, 1:36 pm
Damn bro car pushin is fun! Ive done that and some truck pullin,never too serious.Im sure it was a hell of a workout tho.

ghost
07-08-08, 1:38 pm
doing great... gonna beat the shit out of chest/delts when i get outta here.

Big Wides
07-08-08, 1:40 pm
Thats some serious GPP there, car pushing. Great job with it, making lifting fun is always a soild time

Themostocles
07-08-08, 1:44 pm
Good job Thrawn, looked great. So when you going to be doing some sled pulls? Cute dog too. I have never tried the push fresh, always after a leg w/o. That was really a short turn around time too also. -T.

Thrawn
07-08-08, 2:01 pm
that dog is awesome looking brother!

and nice video!

That dog is soooo sweet. I always have a good wrestling match with him when i am there.


Damn bro car pushin is fun! Ive done that and some truck pullin,never too serious.Im sure it was a hell of a workout tho.

Yeah, it was. By keeping rest limited to 1 minute i was certain that my heartrate was not back to normal yet. I was still panting a bit when i had to do the next go. So it really took all i got to do those 5 sets.


doing great... gonna beat the shit out of chest/delts when i get outta here.

THATS what i like to hear, brother!


Thats some serious GPP there, car pushing. Great job with it, making lifting fun is always a soild time

Thanks, Wides! When i finished the last sprint push i was seeing black spots before my eyes and almost puked... and still was enjoying my ass off. I am gonna do some more of this kind of work. It does not take a lot of time and with my new routine i have the energy levels to do this regularly, i believe.


Good job Thrawn, looked great. So when you going to be doing some sled pulls? Cute dog too. I have never tried the push fresh, always after a leg w/o. That was really a short turn around time too also. -T.

Sled pulls, hmmm. I will have to make something for myself then and see where i could do them. I was thinking about some good old stair walking with a big log on my shoulders or some tyre flipping also. Problem is that i have no materials to work with here. I will see what i can come up with. I think i wanna do this kind of stuff on a regular basis tho.
Zenzer is as sweet as dogs come. One big white hunk of enthousiasm and love.
Yeah, i did the turnaround time on purpose to really give it my all (as you can read in my reply to excessive endorphins above).

R.Bearse1
07-08-08, 3:43 pm
Bro, front squats...I love them now. It actually came kind of natural to me. I felt extremely comfortable with the motions behind it. I was expecting an awkward w/o but it fit right in and I had no problems getting the hang of 'em. Thanks for the help, your grip is much better. I tried both ways and just felt WAAAY more stable with the crossed/linked arms.

Phil800101
07-08-08, 11:36 pm
Awesome session bro, sweet vid! Car pushing is one hell of a way to mix it up. As for your earlier post, you hit the nail right on the head. Some days are just off days, nothing you can do on those days but to push through and drive on.

TXPWRLFTR
07-09-08, 2:01 am
Nice video brother! I really liked the background!
I am glad I got in your head...lol. I had my athletes push a truck today one on one...they fough and fought and did it....Thursday I am having them do the prowler challenge...should be nice.

Training is looking swell for you my friend. I am managing here and doing what I have to do...slowly I will get back....I do miss the heavy squats and all but being a "bench specialist" is ok...lol.

Thrawn
07-09-08, 4:25 am
Bro, front squats...I love them now. It actually came kind of natural to me. I felt extremely comfortable with the motions behind it. I was expecting an awkward w/o but it fit right in and I had no problems getting the hang of 'em. Thanks for the help, your grip is much better. I tried both ways and just felt WAAAY more stable with the crossed/linked arms.

Glad it works out, brother! I personally had a bit of a struggle to get comfortable with that grip, so i am happy to hear you are instantly comfortable with it. And yes, this grip is much better for keeping upright. And that is KEY here.


Awesome session bro, sweet vid! Car pushing is one hell of a way to mix it up. As for your earlier post, you hit the nail right on the head. Some days are just off days, nothing you can do on those days but to push through and drive on.

Yeah, i loved every second of it. My calves are killing me tho now. Unbelievable. I hope i can get better control of my temper on those days, that is my main problem. I am a bit angry at myself for getting distracted and slacking on some off the exercises in the rest of the workout. That was not necessary. But ok, that is what went down that day. Live and learn and hope to improve my mental control.


Nice video brother! I really liked the background!
I am glad I got in your head...lol. I had my athletes push a truck today one on one...they fough and fought and did it....Thursday I am having them do the prowler challenge...should be nice.

Training is looking swell for you my friend. I am managing here and doing what I have to do...slowly I will get back....I do miss the heavy squats and all but being a "bench specialist" is ok...lol.

Thanks, Greg =)) As soon as i read you doing car pushing (and J-Rock) i wanted to try it out. And the background is typical for the north of the Netherlands where i live. I am gonna do more of this conditioning stuff. It might be short, but it gives you one hell of a pounding.
I have NO DOUBT you will get back, Greg! I am always anxious to see your journey updated and see what you have been up too. Your journey inspires me more then i think, i guess.

Thrawn
07-09-08, 3:36 pm
Had an EXCELLENT workout. I was totally in tune with my body and left nothing in the tank. A strong contrast with mondays workout, exactly the opposite. I will admit straight from the start that the car pushing took more out of me then i initially thought. I have had a lot of muscle ache in my calves, but during warmup (i always row about 7 minutes before i start lifting) i could feel my shoulders were very tense and obliques too. I MUST do that more often.

ME Incline Bench
This is actually rather new for me. So far it has never been in my program (officially) and i must say i enjoyed it. I can FEEL there is a lot of room for improvement here. NICE, cause i need a bigger bench. Hell, i need all bigger, but all in due time =)
barbell x dunno
40kg x 6
60kg x 3, x 3 This proved to be an excellent warmup weight and i could feel i am not strong on this yet. This is good, room for growth
65 x 1
70 x 1
75 x 1 PR (but that does not say much so far)

Floor presses (started off light as incline had taken quit a lot out of me, could really feel shoulders and chest)
55kg x 8
60kg x 8
65kg x 8
70kg x 8 i really improved on this, i think this is a good PR in reps and sets. my new bench techniques really made this easier then normal. Thats a GOOD thing.

Close grip bench press (hands about 30cm apart)
60kg x 10
65kg x 10 was really tired here, struggling (but GOOD reps, did not compromise form)
70kg x 7 normally i should be able to do this, but i was just shot. GREAT.

Lateral pushdown, took a longbar, grip as wide as benchpress appr. Been a while since i did this, so i was searching for the right weight.
45kg x 8 This was way too light
55kg x 8 former PR, still way too light
60kg (stack) x 8
60kg x 8 i thought, fuck it, this is still relatively easy, lets go for
66kg x 8 (stack + 2 db's of 3 kg) BIG PR

Front raises, also been a long while since i done these
8kg, 2 x 10
9kg, 2 x 10 for today, this was enough as my shoulders were fried anyway.

Stretched some, saw that i did it all in 45 minutes and left the building grinning like an undertaker. Glad to have some new exercises with room for growth. I need that.
I love the fact that, in hindsight, i went to the gym without ANY expectations; just to have fun and do work. I must keep up THAT attitude.

T o m m Y
07-09-08, 3:38 pm
Had an EXCELLENT workout. I was totally in tune with my body and left nothing in the tank. A strong contrast with mondays workout, exactly the opposite. I will admit straight from the start that the car pushing took more out of me then i initially thought. I have had a lot of muscle ache in my calves, but during warmup (i always row about 7 minutes before i start lifting) i could feel my shoulders were very tense and obliques too. I MUST do that more often.

ME Incline Bench
This is actually rather new for me. So far it has never been in my program (officially) and i must say i enjoyed it. I can FEEL there is a lot of room for improvement here. NICE, cause i need a bigger bench. Hell, i need all bigger, but all in due time =)
barbell x dunno
40kg x 6
60kg x 3, x 3 This proved to be an excellent warmup weight and i could feel i am not strong on this yet. This is good, room for growth
65 x 1
70 x 1
75 x 1 PR (but that does not say much so far)

Floor presses (started off light as incline had taken quit a lot out of me, could really feel shoulders and chest)
55kg x 8
60kg x 8
65kg x 8
70kg x 8 i really improved on this, i think this is a good PR in reps and sets. my new bench techniques really made this easier then normal. Thats a GOOD thing.

Close grip bench press (hands about 30cm apart)
60kg x 10
65kg x 10 was really tired here, struggling (but GOOD reps, did not compromise form)
70kg x 7 normally i should be able to do this, but i was just shot. GREAT.

Lateral pushdown, took a longbar, grip as wide as benchpress appr. Been a while since i did this, so i was searching for the right weight.
45kg x 8 This was way too light
55kg x 8 former PR, still way too light
60kg (stack) x 8
60kg x 8 i thought, fuck it, this is still relatively easy, lets go for
66kg x 8 (stack + 2 db's of 3 kg) BIG PR

Front raises, also been a long while since i done these
8kg, 2 x 10
9kg, 2 x 10 for today, this was enough as my shoulders were fried anyway.

Stretched some, saw that i did it all in 45 minutes and left the building grinning like an undertaker. Glad to have some new exercises with room for growth. I need that.
I love the fact that, in hindsight, i went to the gym without ANY expectations; just to have fun and do work. I must keep up THAT attitude.


awsome fn pr bro!!

keeep them a coming man!!

TXPWRLFTR
07-09-08, 3:51 pm
Good PR's brother! Keep it up!

toobigfred
07-09-08, 10:29 pm
Nice workouts. Gotta love car pushing. I used to push my truck all over the town I live in when I played semi-pro football. It was a killer!!! Nice Journal too.

Themostocles
07-10-08, 1:15 am
How did you like those Inclines? Killer on shoulder and upper chest. And that was a great PR for someone who isn't used to them. Good to see you had a better day than the last too, bet it felt awesome. -T.

Phil800101
07-10-08, 2:06 am
Awesome session bro, congrats on the PRs! Yup, sounds like a plan with the attitude, definitely a good way to approach things.

Thrawn
07-10-08, 3:49 am
awsome fn pr bro!!

keeep them a coming man!!

Thank, SMaLLnWeaK, i will!


Good PR's brother! Keep it up!

Thanks, Greg. I sure intend to keep pushing for what i am worth.


Nice workouts. Gotta love car pushing. I used to push my truck all over the town I live in when I played semi-pro football. It was a killer!!! Nice Journal too.

Thanks, big man! Nice of you to drop by! I had a great time pushing the car. Actually i am gonna do it some more next saturday or sunday. I won't be sprinting that time, just going for a good long push. I will use my girls car, which will put the weight at 1350kg (3000lbs)


How did you like those Inclines? Killer on shoulder and upper chest. And that was a great PR for someone who isn't used to them. Good to see you had a better day than the last too, bet it felt awesome. -T.

I liked the inclines a lot. I really had to work on them tho, as they were rather new to me. I could really feel that there is growth potential for strength and size for my pecs there i havent tapped yet. And you bet this was a sweet session, thanks T =)


Awesome session bro, congrats on the PRs! Yup, sounds like a plan with the attitude, definitely a good way to approach things.

Thanks, bro! I intend to keep it that way for the first few weeks. Push as hard as i can, but not promise myself to go for big PR's very time. Just DO WORK and do it to ability. If i hit a bad day then, i will not have that nagging feeling of letting myself down. This should keep my safe from my mentality.

Thanks for stopping by, brothers. Appreciate the support! I am feeling nice and sluggish today, but somehow also strong as an ox (both mentally and physically). I am really looking forward to fridays session. Today is relax day with a lot of food, my cats and the playstation =) Too bad my girl is not in town, otherwise i might have gone for a small bbq...

Quadz
07-10-08, 9:24 am
stopped by to say whats up, looks like the last workout was a good time. As the others said, congrats on the PR bud!

Thrawn
07-10-08, 9:39 am
stopped by to say whats up, looks like the last workout was a good time. As the others said, congrats on the PR bud!

Thanks, Quadz! I had a GREAT time in the gym. Just doing my thing, not a worry in the world and busting PR's doing it. What more would i want, except maybe a busty babe bringing me a intra workout steak. LOL
Thanks for dropping in!

Phil800101
07-10-08, 11:01 am
Enjoy the rest brother, you have really earned it!

Thrawn
07-11-08, 3:23 am
Enjoy the rest brother, you have really earned it!

Had fun resting up, eating up and being a kid with my playstation2. Was playing Sniper Elite while the two cats were purring next to me. Life at its best when NOT in the gym =)

Thrawn
07-11-08, 3:56 pm
Today's session went smmoooottthh as silk. Was a little surprised at that as i had been carrying around furniture and appliances again today. Felt a bit weary when i got home, but had an incredible power nap. Take into account that i am still getting used to this schedule. On some exercises i have more reps now or more sets, or just in other orders, so sometimes i am still looking for the correct weights to use. But i got it all logged. As soon as some session start repeating i can adjust on that.

DE squats/deadlift

Stopsquats, 2 second pause in the hole, key is to explode out of the hole here.
barbell 2 x a lot (regular squats)
60kg x 4 x 2 (regular squat)
75kg x 3 x 2
80kg x 3 PR
85kg x 3 Bigger PR

Frontsquats, just for the hell of it.
65kg, 3 x 6

Speed deads, 65% 1rm
110kg, 6 x 2 i have identified a weakness. I am slow off the floor, but once it is coming up i can accelarate through fast; the barbell actually jumps through when i lock out. Will get in some chainwork for that as soon as i have my collars made.

Reverse hyperextensions; these were new for me. And boy, did this FRY my lower back.
3x8, holding a 10kg plate.

SLDL off a 7 inch platform (gotta love that stretch)
70kg 3 x 10 this was hard after the hyperextensions, was really burning after this. Best burn i EVER had. I actually had to take a short break before i could continue properly.

Seated crunch machine
55kg, 4 x 20 Normally i would have tried weighted sit-ups, but my back was just shot. Form was too bad to continue so i opted for the machine.

Bicep cable curl
35kg 1 x 8
45kg 1 x 8
50kg 1 x 8
55kg 1 x 8 a real struggle, but got them all.

Stretched, had my shake (FastGain3100 chocolate with 2 huge scoops of natty peanut butter) and was out the door.
Gotta hand it to that Westside routines. It sure finds your weaknesses. I thought i had a strong back. That might be, but my lower back certainly needs work. This is ALL GOOD in the long run.
Have a great weekend, brothers! Tomorrow will be some car pushing again, YAY!

T o m m Y
07-11-08, 4:28 pm
Today's session went smmoooottthh as silk. Was a little surprised at that as i had been carrying around furniture and appliances again today. Felt a bit weary when i got home, but had an incredible power nap. Take into account that i am still getting used to this schedule. On some exercises i have more reps now or more sets, or just in other orders, so sometimes i am still looking for the correct weights to use. But i got it all logged. As soon as some session start repeating i can adjust on that.

DE squats/deadlift

Stopsquats, 2 second pause in the hole, key is to explode out of the hole here.
barbell 2 x a lot (regular squats)
60kg x 4 x 2 (regular squat)
75kg x 3 x 2
80kg x 3 PR
85kg x 3 Bigger PR

Frontsquats, just for the hell of it.
65kg, 3 x 6

Speed deads, 65% 1rm
110kg, 6 x 2 i have identified a weakness. I am slow off the floor, but once it is coming up i can accelarate through fast; the barbell actually jumps through when i lock out. Will get in some chainwork for that as soon as i have my collars made.

Reverse hyperextensions; these were new for me. And boy, did this FRY my lower back.
3x8, holding a 10kg plate.

SLDL off a 7 inch platform (gotta love that stretch)
70kg 3 x 10 this was hard after the hyperextensions, was really burning after this. Best burn i EVER had. I actually had to take a short break before i could continue properly.

Seated crunch machine
55kg, 4 x 20 Normally i would have tried weighted sit-ups, but my back was just shot. Form was too bad to continue so i opted for the machine.

Bicep cable curl
35kg 1 x 8
45kg 1 x 8
50kg 1 x 8
55kg 1 x 8 a real struggle, but got them all.

Stretched, had my shake (FastGain3100 chocolate with 2 huge scoops of natty peanut butter) and was out the door.
Gotta hand it to that Westside routines. It sure finds your weaknesses. I thought i had a strong back. That might be, but my lower back certainly needs work. This is ALL GOOD in the long run.
Have a great weekend, brothers! Tomorrow will be some car pushing again, YAY!


congrats on the PR brotha!!

looking good man keep it up!

mcbeast
07-11-08, 4:51 pm
Tis the season for Pr's..lalalalala lalalla la


Good shit dude

Themostocles
07-11-08, 8:39 pm
Tis the season for Pr's..lalalalala lalalla la


Good shit dude

X2, everyone seems to smashing them; and this guy on a daily basis. Kickass Thrawn, your getting some awesome squats. I just started doing the reverse hypers, but I doing endurance, not strengthening right now. But they get hard fast lol. Have fun with the car tomorrow. -T.

Thrawn
07-12-08, 4:20 am
congrats on the PR brotha!!

looking good man keep it up!

Thanks, SMaLLnWeak! I am looking for some more PR's next week =)


Tis the season for Pr's..lalalalala lalalla la


Good shit dude

Thanks, brother! You are officially the first one to sing for me! YAY, LOL.


X2, everyone seems to smashing them; and this guy on a daily basis. Kickass Thrawn, your getting some awesome squats. I just started doing the reverse hypers, but I doing endurance, not strengthening right now. But they get hard fast lol. Have fun with the car tomorrow. -T.

Thanks for the compliments, T! Doing what i can.
Those reverse hypers sure are badass...i was feeling the burn after a few reps already. Doing them SLDL of a 7 inch platform after that was demanding.
Oh yeah, looking forward to the car pushing. I will see how my lower back feels in the end of the day, i might do it tomorrow. Its kinda tender right now, LOL

Preseason
07-13-08, 4:53 am
every thing is lookin good man, you are making great gains, keep it up.

R.Bearse1
07-13-08, 2:01 pm
Congrats on the PR bro!!! I agree with everyone else...is summer like the PR season!? haha

Phil800101
07-14-08, 1:47 am
Awesome session, congrats on the PR!

Thrawn
07-14-08, 3:23 am
every thing is lookin good man, you are making great gains, keep it up.

Thanks, Preseason, i will do my best!


Congrats on the PR bro!!! I agree with everyone else...is summer like the PR season!? haha

LOL, thanks, R.Bearse1!


Awesome session, congrats on the PR!

Thanks, big Phil!

Thrawn
07-14-08, 3:25 am
Extra conditionining session yesterday. I pushed cars again, like on tuesday. Only this time my girlfriends car. This upped the weight to 3000+lbs. No pics or vids this time. I once again made five runs, trying to push the car as fast as possible. My legs still felt a bit like jello from the stopsquats and frontsquats, so i tired easily this time. Every run was about 75 meters long. Had fun again tho. I am really liking this car pushing thing.

Themostocles
07-14-08, 3:29 am
Extra conditionining session yesterday. I pushed cars again, like on tuesday. Only this time my girlfriends car. This upped the weight to 3000+lbs. No pics or vids this time. I once again made five runs, trying to push the car as fast as possible. My legs still felt a bit like jello from the stopsquats and frontsquats, so i tired easily this time. Every run was about 75 meters long. Had fun again tho. I am really liking this car pushing thing.

Lol, we have got a convert folks. Good job man, great pushin'. -T.

Thrawn
07-14-08, 4:02 am
Lol, we have got a convert folks. Good job man, great pushin'. -T.

Tihi =) Thanks, Seth. I hope i can diversify the conditioning sessions soon with some other stuff as well.

Themostocles
07-14-08, 4:28 am
Tihi =) Thanks, Seth. I hope i can diversify the conditioning sessions soon with some other stuff as well.

What kind of stuff are you looking to do? -T.

Thrawn
07-14-08, 4:34 am
What kind of stuff are you looking to do? -T.

There are some other things i am looking into, but so far i have not been able to dig up any usefull stuff unfortunately.
- tire flipping. i found ONE tire i could use, but that one is more for Strongmen =) I could not even get it off the ground (big ass tractor tire, estimated at 250kg or so)
- sled pulling
- stair walking with a log on my shoulders
- odd object lifting to increase grip and overall strength

Little time at the moment (work) to search around for some stuff. But we will see what i can get my hands on.

Themostocles
07-14-08, 4:38 am
I would love to some of the strongman stuff as well. There just doesn't seem to be any of that stuff in my area. I would love to tire flip, but even if I got one I don't have the room. I do some of the grip stuff at work, we got all kinds of wierd shit to pick up that is hard to hold onto. As for the stairs and log, why not just use a barbell on some steps? -T.

Thrawn
07-14-08, 4:47 am
I would love to some of the strongman stuff as well. There just doesn't seem to be any of that stuff in my area. I would love to tire flip, but even if I got one I don't have the room. I do some of the grip stuff at work, we got all kinds of wierd shit to pick up that is hard to hold onto. As for the stairs and log, why not just use a barbell on some steps? -T.

Same here, not much stuff around and certainly no places to do it.
Stairs and log: because i think that lifting objects OTHER then BB's and DB's (especially other dimensions) will aid in overall strength and endurance. Getting a BB in my neck is easy, but how about a log which i cannot even grip with my girlish hands? See what i am getting at? Same for the odd object lifts, i want stuff that i normally wouldnt even consider picking up.

rob_in_korea
07-14-08, 7:30 am
Great workouts Thrawn. I also like the idea of picking up stuff other than DB's and Barbells if you can find it.

-Rob

Quadz
07-14-08, 8:24 am
Looks like you're breaking your records by the week boss, nice work!