Metabolism

Ok, so check this out!!

"Muscle is the engine for your metabolism. If you gain one pound of muscle, you must consume an extra fifty calories per hour to support it. On a brighter note, for every pound of muscle you build, you can eat an extra fifty calories per hour without gaining fat.
Lifting weights with your PowerBlock increases your bone density therefore decreasing your chances for osteoporosis. You will be stronger to rise from your chair or carry grandchildren. Maintaining muscle speeds up your metabolism and increases the good HDL cholesterol. More muscle helps raise your aerobic capacity and prevent type II diabetes because additional muscle uses more oxygen, and takes up extra sugar." (Seabourne, 2000)

The cool part about this article is that it is talking about the benefits for senior citizens. I don't know about you but if this is something that good ol' Doc Seabourne is preaching to help prevent osteoporosis, type II diabetes, and maintain or increase good HDL cholesterol; just think about the benefits it will have on your young body. Besides all of that (which isn't my main point) strength training builds muscle which in turn increases metabolism.

When someone comes to me that is a male/female, 300+ pounds that wants to lose weight; guess what I'm going to tell them...... Strength training. If someone that wants to get better at...... golf.... guess what, strength training. If a early 20's something women want to get in better shape and look better..... strength training.

I'm not saying that all someone has to do is strength train (build muscle) to achieve their goals. I'm just saying that it should be the base for any good program. After it is achieved then go run around like a crazy person and condition your ass off until you have become satisfied.

What most people do is condition their ass off, eat small amounts (1 maybe 2 times a day) and emaciate themselves until they have reached the body type they want. Guess what..... that screws up your metabolism system (along with other things) so bad that when the person decides that they do want to eat food and not spend 2+ hours on the treadmil they will blow up into a big ballon. I'll give you one guess why....... NO MUSCLE MASS (along with other things, i.e. crap diet, lack of strength training). People can mask a "healthy" body, but when their motivation runs out for eating nothing and over conditioning it will show through.

Conclusion:

If you want to lose fat and find a new found metabolism then you need to strength train. (Lady's.... you wont turn into bulky meat heads.... just very well defined, curvy, appealing women with confidence and the strength to kick most emaciated, over conditioned, under fed men's asses.)

Reference:

Seabourne, T. (2000, March). Lead story: your muscle is the engine for your metabolism.. Retrieved from ://www.betterbodz.com/Tom/metabolism_gaining_muscle.html

This looked like a lot of fun. Unofficial meets take the seriousness out of it but lends the experience to someone that is entering a competitive environment. I like it!

Reaching Goals

I'm hitting a lot of long time goal PR's lately. This is due to diligence, diet, programing, and maintaining good technique. Now that I've reached and exceeded every goal that I set over a year ago; I reset and made new goals. Bench 315, Squat 405, and Deadlift 495. These are long term goals, and by long term I mean years. As it stands right now I'm about 75 pounds from hitting these numbers. Some would say that "if you trained right then you should hit them in less then a year." Yeah maybe if I wanted to take on injury and live in an overtrained world during that time. Even then, due to the insane stress I would be putting on my body, I probably would just shut down and shit myself. Don't lose sight of "LIFE LONG LIFTING". Celebrate achievements (steak, beer, veggies) and move on to the next step. I'm not talking about the newer lifters that are joining this insane world. You need to be hitting the gym every chance you get, practicing technique, and greasing the groove. I'm talking about the fellas and shellas that are taking it to the next level and need to maintain scheduled rest for recovery. Moral of the story...... Set goals.... reach goals.....make new goals. Repeat this cycle until you are dead.

Being Busy Is No Excuse

First I want to say sorry for taking so long to post. I'm sure everyone loved looking at the pictures of those two beautiful male entities for so long!! I've had a very busy last couple months. I got a job after being unemployed for 13 months that has taken some adjusting. Fortunately I started Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program at the same time. Reading through his book helped me to better understand the life long lifting mentality that has been beaten into me ever since I meet Tim Favreau. Wendler's program focuses on the primary barbell movements :Squat, Press, Deadlift, and Bench. If you have time after those are accomplished then work on accessory movements supporting the big movements. It's that simple. Sometimes I work accessory stuff or nothing or something that has nothing to do with the movements. Depends on what mood I'm in. The point is, when life gets tough and schedules are overwhelming don't neglect the gym; make it work for you. This takes evaluating your goals to do successfully. For example, I have a goal of squatting 350 in sets. In a stress free, wide open schedule I would work my squats then work a conditioning set up that would focus on my core, quads, and hammies lasting approximately 10 to 15 minutes long. This would take my time in the gym from about 35 minutes or so to about an hour or so. When time is hard to find you have to evaluate your goals. My goal is to squat 350lbs. The best way to get my squat numbers up is to squat. The accessory work is great but when time is tight what should you cut..... the primary movement that is going to get you to your goal or the accessory work that is supplemental to the goal? This understanding with the life long lifting mentality is going to make a stressful, lack of time schedule seem not so bad. Just get in, get it done, and get out. 35ish minutes later you're done, stronger, and still on the road to achieving your goal.

Losing Your Man Card

So, I'm a little confused. When did men decide to forfeit their man card and women decide that it is attractive. I was out on a leisurely stroll with the wife one hot summer night getting some ice cream when I noticed these two women holding hands. As the wife and I got closer I realized that one was a man (only biologically). This immediately inflamed me. The lady this man (only biologically) was with was very cute. So I thought, what about this frail, girlesk, feminine body was attractive to this lady? But even more than this, his swagger, if you can call it that, was equally as feminine. Look, I'm not harping on dudes that don't workout. There are plenty of men that display their man cards proudly that have never hit up a gym in their lives. I'm just trying to understand how women find this attractive:



Men, I'm calling all of you to step your game up! When you fall into anti man card category you represent all us men poorly!! I challenge you (first step to being a man, you can never refuse a challenge) to go out to Play It Again Sports (or any athletic sporting goods store) and pick up a 300 lbs. bar and weight set. This will range from $100 - $200. You can afford it, put down the palm aid and blow dryer, sell some of your girly cloths that won't fit after you start eating and lifting appropriately; take the money you have saved and pick up this simple tool. Start lifting and you will soon find the advantages of being a man!

Rest Week!!

Today is my last workout until I take my monthly week off. As mentioned in last post I read Jim Wendler's "5/3/1" book and it has inspired me. The training intensity that I am on right now is awesome, but only for a short amount of time. Wendler emphasizes a life long lifting mentality; not, do something for 90 days and quit. Apart of his program requires me to find my one rep max on Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. It's been about 6 months or so since I did a DL 1RM and performed outstanding, but I don't like doing them very often. It takes A LOT out of you, at least it did for me. The answer; Wendler came up with a simple program of finding a hypothetical 1 RM that is not absolutely accurate but will help you find a good number to start with without actually doing a 1 RM. This is what I did this week with my Squat, Bench, and today Deadlift. After today I will take a week off by performing active rest and then start Wendlers 5/3/1 program the following monday. The program that I made and have been doing the last 6 months has been awesome. I am not psychologically or physically burnt out and my numbers are going up consistently. I don't want to push it to that point where I'm overtrained and have to do longer recovery. So I'm changing it up while I'm still in the green and will hit up 5/3/1 for 6 months or so and see where I'm at.

What I did this week:
Mon.
Squat 270lbs max reps, Got 10
Wen.
Bench 190lbs. max reps, Got 10
Fri.
Deadlift 360lbs. max reps Got 6 (Disappointed with this number, goal was 8)

The knowledge of Jim Wendler

I received Jim Wendlers book "5/3/1" in the mail this weekend and read it through in one day. It's not a very big book but has a lot of good information in it. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a new program or just a well rounded lifting mentality to pick it up. I ordered it from EliteFTS.com and it came with a free "mystery" shirt. Mine just so happened to be a long sleeve shirt in the middle of summer.

What I did:
Squat 270lbs 1 set, max reps. (Goal was 8, I got 10) Really good day!
then
Light conditioning

Wendler is a beast!! You could hide small children in that beard.

Competing

I'm very excited to start looking into Powerlifting Competitions. You can click on this link Powerlifting Comp's to get a list of competitions throughout the nation. I was looking into one that meets Sept. 11 but found that it will not work out unfortunately; but there are plenty of other competitions to choose from. From what I have found there aren't any that are within 4 hours of my home town. This raises the question, how can I bring powerlifting comp's into my town? Most of the gyms in the area are fluff gyms. This does not discourage me from going gym to gym asking if they have thought about or want to look into hosting a PL comp. If you have any suggestions or know of competitions that are closer to Huntsville, AL email mail me at mattpittman75@gmail.com or leave a comment.

The girls that I am training have just finished their first month. I can already see small changes in there strength levels and fine tuning their technique. I do not have any of my clients sign a contract to stay with me X amount of time, but I do ask that they stay a minimum of 3 months in order to see some very clear results.

What the girls did:

Squat 3x5
then
3 pull ups
5 push ups
7 body squats
max rounds in 10 minutes

Deadlift

I love the deadlift. It is a very good power movement that builds the trainees confidence. Most everybody that I have run into or trained can lift the most with this movement. I have also seen peoples eyes get bigger then there strength. You will see this in most gyms. Guys will load up the bar, regardless of strength level, lift it up looking like a question mark (back rounded putting all the pressure on the lower back), and then say they lifted..... Primary example of the eyes bigger then the strength syndrome combined with lack of education, or the "trainer" is allowing them to do WAY more then they should be which in turn means that the trainer and trainee are both lacking in education (not trainees fault, that's why they pay the trainer). This motivates me to educate myself very well in the primary barbell movements. When a client comes to me with lifting goals I will put them down the right track and educate them on how to perform the movement properly, using the right amount of weight. I do not care about the numbers that come out of my gym, I care about getting my clients to achieving there goals.

What the girls did:

Deadlift 5x3
then
30 second Mountain Climbers
30 second Jumping Jacks
30 second Sit ups
30 second Burpies
30 second Swings
1 minute break
4 rounds

This is a really good example of very strong women that do not look manly. They are in the 52kg category (114 lbs.). The whole video is a good example, make sure to look at minute 13:50, she lifts 413.4lbs!!

Personal Training

I am officially a Nationally Certified Personal Trainer through International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). I planned on taking out a good 3 to 4 months of studying for the final but my motivation pushed me to complete it in 7 days. This is the power of motivation. When you combine that with your passion the sky is the limit. I woke up about 7 each day and had my nose in the book till about 9 that night. I have officially had an information overload but pulled out a 93% on the final. After testing for 12 hours in an open book test my brain was gone. I dreamed that night that I made a 23%, it was horrible. The next morning I received the good news. Anybody that is serious about become a quality certified personal trainer I would definitely recommend going through ISSA. It teaches the body on a cellular level, how we create movement, anatomy, how to handle injury, kinesiology, nutrition, body fat calculations, and a lot more. What they lacked in was the actual biomechanics of basic movements that every trainer should know. For example, squat, press, bench, and deadlift. These are the primary barbell movements that every trainer should have an in depth knowledge about and how to train them. There is no test at the end of it but if you want to be a better trainer read Mark Rippetoe's books "Starting Strength" and "Practical Programing"; and if you have the opportunity, go to one of his seminars. At the least look up his educational videos on YouTube or buy them as a part of this "Starting Strength" book combo. Lacking in either book or biomechanics knowledge will always leave the trainee out to suffer and ultimately tarnish your name as a trainer.

Yesterday July 26th

What the girls did:

Squat 5x3
then
5 pull ups
10 push ups
5 bent rows
10 push press
3 rounds for time

Today July 27th:

Press 5x3
then
Run 400 meters
15 Body Squats
4 rounds for time

Body weight 116lbs Clean and Jerk 231.48 lbs. Increadible. I love finding example like this to show that women do not turn into men when they get stronger. Each female trainee that I have train Squat, Press, and Deadlift with low reps high weight then paired with conditioning.

What The Girls Did

This finishes week three of the two new clients I have been training. They have no lifting background but are picking up very fast. It has only been 3 weeks but I can already see improvement in there form and strength.

Deadlift 5 x 3
then
Burpies
Bent Rows
21, 15, 9
for Time

She Clean and Jerks 96 kg/211.64lbs at Body Weight of 47.88kg./105.6lbs!! Increadible!!

My Rest Week

I am glad that all I have to look forward to this week is mountain biking and body weight exercises. It is tough for me to stay away from the weights. Probably around Wen. I will be itching to lift something heavy. After a rest week like this I always some back to the gym motivated and completely rested ready to go at it. When I start back I will be restarting my mesocycle of 3 months lifting a lighter weight at 5 reps 3 sets. As you all know I definitely promote 70'sBig.com. I had some lifting goals and they helped me break out of eating like a bird, lifting little bird weight. In about a 3 month time frame I put on 35lbs. body weight. My stomach went from flat abs to rounded keg and my lifts started growing ridiculous amounts. As I grew I accepted that I would put on some body fat. When I was small with a diet consistent of cottage cheese and almonds (bird food) I weighed in at 165lbs. My body fat % was around 12%. After growing my BF% went up to 14%. 2% for 35 pounds!! that is 70% muscle gain which means that out of 35lbs, 24.5lbs was muscle! Right now I'm at 200lbs and 14% Body Fat. This is a perfect place for me to stay for a while and see what I can do with it.

What I did today:
Eat, write this post, study ISSA Cert.

What the girls did:
Squat 5x3
then
500 Rope Turns
Every miss is 7 Hanging Leg Raises

Pushing Limits

This was the last week of the third month with the lifting cycle of 2 reps 8 sets. It will now start over after a week of rest going lighter with 5 reps 3 sets. I learned a lot this last month. Lifting heavy for a month straight is ridiculously hard. It has taught me how to judge what percentage of weight I should used based off my 1 rep max. I has seen suggestions of doing 85% of your 1RM but I would recommend working with 90-92%. Remember the last month is a very heavy month but don't push it too far. I pushed myself too far and tried to work about 96% of my 1RM. Lesson learned.

What I did:
Deadlift 1x5

What the girls did:
Deadlift 5x3
then
400M run
1 minute push up plank
4 rounds for time.

This dude cracks me up every time.

ISSA Certification

Time to take the next step in my education. International Sport Science Association (ISSA) has some of the best education for starting out in a personal training career. I have been self educated for the last year, but my basis of knowledge come from Tim Favreau at Hybrid Fitness. He has lead me down the right path since I started lifting. If it wasn't for that guidance then I would probably be like a lot of other trainers out there that only care about the numbers there "trainees" lift without caring about the trainee. I am here to help people and change lives not break them.

What I did:
Bench 2x8
then
Barbell Complex 95lbs (as Prescribed by Tim Favreau)
Power Clean x5
Front Squat x5
Push Press x5
Romanian Deadlift x5
Bent Rows x5
5 Rounds for Time

What the girls did:
Press 5x3
then
7 swings
7 push ups
7 pull ups
4 rounds for time

This guy is only 17 throwing 443lbs overhead!!

The Bench Press

I am pro home gym as you all should know by now. I just recently picked up a free bench that is old school and solid as a rock. This excites me because I can now move into programing a movement that I have neglected. Most people in gyms these days place the bench press as the cornerstone of strength. I would challenge anyone to go ask a friend or someone you know that works out in a gym and ask them how there lifts are going. First to come out of there mouth is what there bench press is. Don't really know why this is but it is. If you dive deep enough you will also see that there weakest is typically deadlift, if they do it at all. This is because there is really no way you can cheat a deadlift. The person can do it with horrible form or hitch it up the thigh, but the weight will still have to be lifted off the ground. Unlike the bench, squat, or press; they all can be cut short and then the person can brag about how amazingly "strong" they are.

Tuesday's Power Cleans will be replaced with Bench Press, and PC will be placed before Deadlift on friday.

What I did today:
Squat 2x8 295lbs.
then
Conditioning

I recently started training 3 new girls in the gym. I will be posting there workouts.

What the girls did today:
Squat 5x3
then
Jumping Lunges
Push ups
21, 15, 9

Good example of strong women who don't have beastly man bodies. A lot of women are afraid of developing this body type when they start strength training.

Traveling/New Program

I've had a really busy month. Graduated from college, traveled to Dallas, Houston and NYC. For some reason everyone I know has decided to get married this summer so I'm hitting up a lot of wedding as well which really equals out to free BBQ and beer. Luckily I have had the opportunity keep lifting as I traveled. The free week gym memberships is a life saver when there is no other option. Globo-Gyms UNITE!! Anyways, I'm really glad to be back in my gym where the only person criticizing me is my own damn thoughts; instead of the guy doing cable cross overs while flexing in the mirror to see his "swol" while Brittany Spears is playing throughout the gym...... including the bathrooms. Glad that headache is done with!! Alright!! Back to death metal and defeating gravity.

New Program time!! Rest is awesome and I've neglected to tackle the idea because I really didn't know how to approach it or how often. Thanks to Tim Favreau at Hybridfitness.blogspot.com taking a rest week once every 3-4 weeks is needed if you are lifting 3-4 times a week. So, once a month take a week off to recover. I am going to incorporate this with a program I made myself and see how I like it and how it progresses my lifts.

After each month take an active week off using 50% of what your work weight would be or enjoy an activity that you have neglected because you are lifting. Example: Biking, swimming, skateboarding, surfing, rock climbing, etc.

MONTH 1:

Mon:
Squat 5 reps 3 sets
then
Conditioning of Choice (COC)

Tue:
Power Cleans 5X3
then
COC

Wen:
OFF

Thur:
Press 5X3
then
COC

Fri:
Deadlift 5X3


MONTH 2:

Mon:
Squat 3 reps 5 sets
then
COC

Tue:
Power Clean 3X5
then
COC

Wen:
OFF

Thur:
Press 3X5
then
COC

Fri:
Deadlift 3X5

MONTH 3:

Mon:
Squat 2X8
then
COC

Tue:
Power Clean 1X5
then
COC

Wen:
OFF

Thur:
Press 2X8
then
COC

Fri:
Deadlift 1X5

This guys is awesome!! Just listen to his grunts!!

Deadlift

Ah, the end of the week. I always like fridays!! I have successfully accomplished all of my lifts and look forward to 2 days off; Eating some good food and looking forward to increasing my lifts the next week. I was at a wedding last weekend and was sent home with 10lbs. of pulled pork. I did my best to eat over a pound of it a day on top of everything else I take in. This week has been amazing. I have about 4lbs. left which should be polished off by Sunday.

Training:
Deadlift 5x1
then
100 rope turns
15 push ups
6 rounds for time

Natural ability + outstanding coaching = This guy


I love seeing a lifter hit a wall were you know it is taking every ounce of concentration to keep good form and press right through it. In this situation, a lot of people I have seen will start hitching to lock out the lift. This is a good example of how to stay focused and keep good form when you hit the crossroads of dropping the weight or hitching to lock it out.

Food!!

"It is important that the total caloric content of the diet be at least equal to, but preferably greater than, the total caloric expenditure of the training day. Matching intake to expenditure will maintain fitness and strength but will not support maximal fitness gain. A caloric surplus is needed to drive progress. If we simply pay back the energy used during exercise and daily activities, we are not providing the extra energy required to homeostatic recovery and adaptation through muscle mass increase. To get stronger and more fit we need to consume somewhere around 200 to 400 calories more energy than we expend. This is a relatively small caloric excess, and much more than this should be avoided, since a huge caloric surplus can and will be stored as fat." (Rippetoe, Kilgore, Pendlay 2008)

I make sure all of my meals consist primarily of protein, and I try to get in as many vegetables as I can. What calories I miss out on at the end of the day are made up for by a big bowl of ice cream before I go to bed, along with a tall glass of whole milk.

Training:
3x3 Power Clean and Jerk
then
4x400 meter sprints
1 minute rest between each sprint

Progress

I have been taught a lot the last 5 years through really good mentoring and personal experience. Out of all that I have learned the hardest and most challenging ability that I am very slowing picking up is teaching others what I have learned. This is a very fine art. This quote posted by Tim Favreau of Hybrid Fitness says a lot.

Mmmmm, Deadlifts

Everyone that has lifted for any amount of time knows that they are better at some lifts then others. Deadlifts are what I'm naturally better at; so today is something that I look forward to every week. It's also the end of the training week. The weekend offers good rest, food, and other activities that I can't fit into my week of training.

Training:
Deadlift 5x1
then
Conditioning of your choice.

I love this crazy Latvian! Notice his deadlifts are not bounced off the ground. He resets, completely decompressed and then DEADlifts the weight back off the ground. At 837.8lbs. that is incredible!!

Summer Time

This is my first year back in Alabama. The weather is outstanding, which makes me want to stay outside all day. This brings me back to some of the activities that I have abandoned the last couple years. Five Fingers Jogging, Mountain Biking, and yes.... Skateboarding. These are all really great conditioning exercises that I will incorporate into my strength training this summer.

The wrong way.


The right way to run barefoot or in your Vibram Five Fingers

11 Days off

Just got back from my trip. Had a really good time and got some good conditioning done. Yesterday and today I got back into the gym lifting heavy. I started right back up where I left off even though I lost 5 pounds. I'm sticking around a 200 pound body which is where I want to stay. I still have not reached my goal of squatting 315lbs. for sets. This is my current goal along with Power Clean and Jerking 205lbs. I'm on a slow track of accomplishing my squat goal in about 3 months. I made a massive jump in a short amount of time the last couple months. Now that I have had some decompression and recovery time I'm going to go down the same road but at a little slower pace.

Oh, if you've never had beer boiled brats..... go buy a pack of bratwurst , boil them in beer for about 10 min., throw them on the grill, and eat immediately!!!! Accompanied with your favorite beer of course. This will guarantee to increase your squat by about 100lbs.

This video is priceless.

Out of Town

I'm out of town this week, so I wont have a gym to go to. Good opportunity for me to do some conditioning. Jumprope, hill sprints, biking, swimming, Bulgarian T-handle work, dumbbell snatch, etc. I don't have a gym but I did bring a couple tools with me.

New Program

I keep running into a wall with my current training program and can not put my finger on why it is happening. My caloric intake is high, focusing on taking in a lot of protein. My squat and deadlift have become very inconsistent. I do not like this. Physiologically I am shutting down potentially because I am overreaching. If I keep going down this road I will burn out. This means that I will quit lifting and this is definitely not my goal. I know that this will happen because I have gone through it before. I just figured I had lost interest and didn't want to lift anymore. What I think may have happened before, and I am close to doing now is:

"Overreaching. This term has been described as the cumulative effects of a series of workouts, characterized by a short-term decrease in performance, feelings of fatigue, depressed mood, pain, sleep disturbances, and other miscellaneous effects that require up to two weeks to recover from. Certain hormonal changes such as a short-term reduction in testosterone and increase in Cortisol occur at this level (these are among the factors that produce the positive systemic effects of barbell training). A significant problem with this definition is that it differs from that of overtraining only in that "overreaching" can be recovered from with approximately two weeks of reduced work or rest—a rather arbitrary distinction—whereas recovery from overtraining takes longer." (Rippetoe, Kilgore, Pendlay, 2008)

Overreaching from the book Practical Programming defines a lot of what I have been feeling and going through. This gives me a great relief knowing that it is something that I am sure happens to quite a few athletes at some time or other. With all of that said this is completely self diagnosed and it could all be in my head. I do not have a coach to confirm that this is what is happening to me. Regardless, I am decreasing and lightening my work load for two weeks to see how I feel afterwards.

"Moreover, the concept of overreaching defined as a negative effect misses the point. Overreaching simply represents the target stress necessary to disrupt homeostasis, intentionally breaching the maximal workload the trainee has adapted to in order to induce supercompensation. It is more relevant, practical, and understandable to discard the term and simply use the term "overload," since it describes both the load and the stimulus for inducing adaptation in all trainees, regardless of advancement level. Every fitness or performance enhancement training program should include periods of overload, as is required by any practical application of Selye's theory, and these periods should be understood as adaptive, not detrimental. Judging this level of effort can be difficult and requires vigilant monitoring, as a rapid descent into overtraining can occur if loading is too severe or recovery is inadequate." (Rippetoe, Kilgore, Pendlay, 2008)

New Program:
Mon.
Squat 5x3
Pull Ups 10x3

Tue.
Power Clean and Jerk 1x5
then
Condition

Wen.
OFF

Thur.
Squat 5x3
Press 5x3

Fri.
Deadlift 5x1
then
Condition

Week Off

I took last week off. Did a lot of hiking and biking since the weather was so nice. I haven't taken any time off for quite some time so I figured last week would be a good one. I'm really excited to start back this week. I'm going to work a program that incorporates more outdoor activity such as high repetition of 12oz. curls with a goal of working up to 16oz. curls. I really want to focus on proper form here. This can be accomplished by standing next to a grill wile listening to your favorite Metallica album. If you follow this formula you will be on a successful road to blasting your guns in no time.

Achieving Goals

These last two weeks have been outstanding. I reached a long term goal of deadlifting 405lbs and ended up doing it 3 times. I am also back up to squatting 280lbs. 3 sets 5 reps after having a hip flexor issue. I'm feeling very solid and can see 315lbs. right around the corner. I increased my squat by 55lbs. very fast. This put a pressure on me to continue increasing my lifts at this same speed. I had to remind myself why I was lifting and it took the pressure back off. I am not competing or training to compete in anything. This is something that I would like to change in the future but for right now there is no need for me to push my limits to the point of my body shutting down, mentally and physically. So take a step back and remind yourself why you are lifting in the first place.

In the last month I have taken on learning Olympic Lifts. This is a pain in my ass to learn by myself. The video camera is my friend. I am pretty positive that I am developing bad habits, but I am not really too worried about it right now. Clearly my goal is not to have bad form with the Clean & Jerk or the Snatch but I am using very light weight and doing my best to analyze form. If anyone has any coaching tips or good book suggestions suggestions I would appreciate it.

I had talked about Wright Exercise a couple posts ago. I had an issue with the 10lbs. bumper plates with the steel insert coming lose from the rubber. I was practicing Snatch technique with just 10's on each side and dropping them from overhead. This was not a weight that demanded it to be dropped but I wanted to get use to the idea of dropping weight since this is new to me. Well they ended up breaking the seal between the steal insert and the rubber. So I called Wright, told them the issue, they mailed me off a new pair over night, no big deal. Really great service and would recommend them to anyone. The great part about this story is that I talked to two different employees because the first one did not respond to my email. I ended up emailing the same person again to make sure he had gotten my information and see if he had already shipped the new plates. He had gone on vacation and an auto reply message directed me to his associate. I forwarded this person the same email I gave the original employee and he said that he would send them off right away. A couple hours after all this emailing was going on I receive a package in the mail, it was the plates. I thought there was no way he sent the plates same day and figured that the original employee had sent the plates before he went on vacation and the other guy would catch this if he hadn't already. I was wrong and the second employee sent me another pair that I receive the next day. Being the guy that I am, I called Wright and told them about the mistake and they apologized (not really sure why, I'll take free equipment any day) and told me to keep them, it was there mistake.

As far as quality is concerned, the 10lbs. bumpers from Wright might not be the best to drop from overhead but they will replace them with no problem, and if you're lucky they will send you a couple pair. The 45 and 25lbs plates work very well, no issue there. All together great company, great product!!



Really nice Gym!! Wish I had a facility close by that had a nice set up like this...... OH wait I do!! At Suck University where they wont let you drop the weight, or use chalk, or throw out a man growl when its necessary!! Way to suck Suck University!!

What's Stopping You?

Ross Enemait is constantly posting videos that are completely inspiring. What is stopping you from following your dreams? For me it is fear of rejection, not good enough, I'm gonna wait until I have better training, maybe a financial risk, and the list goes on. These are all excuses that will stop me from achieving my goals. What makes a person strong? Is it how much weight they can lift? Marc Herremans is a great reminder not give up on yourself, and to not let obstacles deter you from doing something great.

Wright Exercise Equipment

A lot of things have been going on this last week. I built a lifting platform that works beautifully, bought 160lbs. of bumper plates from Wright Exercise in Birmingham, Alabama for $160 (military discount), and reached one of my goals of deadlifting 405lbs. Actually I lifted it 3 times surprisingly. These were 3 singles, my goal now is to lift it 1 set 5 reps. I'm in the process of creating other goals since the original ones are starting to be reached. I had a hip flexor issue with my squat so I had to evaluate how I was doing this, fix it, and then build it back up. Through the power of video taping I found my flaw which was at the bottom of the squat. I relaxed my hamstrings which caused my knees to come forward and put a lot of tension on my hip flexors. With that found out and some good stretching thrown in, I am back up to 275lbs. My goal is 315lbs. I am confident that I will achieve that shortly. For right now my body weight has gone down to 194lbs. I must have weighed myself on a really full stomach when I hit 200lbs. Nevertheless, my lifts are still increasing and I feel good. Last week I started benching again. I am really glad that I did. I hit the pavement running working with 200lbs. for my sets. I have never been very good at bench and have never worked with this much weight. This makes me very excited for the future of that lift. Right now my goal is just 225lbs. for sets.

Back to Wright Exercise. Really sweet facility. I'm pretty sure if someone was watching me I would have had a smile from ear to ear on my face. Little did I know that they sell A LOT of used equipment, warehouses full of it. The owner of the company was present the day that I was there. Not sure if he is there on a daily basis or not but him included there were only 3 employees working. I had to call there phone from inside the store for someone to help. This did not bother me and the person helping out was very helpful. The plates that I picked up would have been $193 but he worked with me and my Veteran status and let me have them for $160+tax. This brings the price of the bumpers to a dollar a pound with steel inserts. A VERY good deal. Even if you are not military and are looking for a good bumper plate Wright has outstanding prices if you can make it down to there warehouse and pick up the product. As with anything that weights a lot, shipping will eat up your entire budget if you can't.

People that are better then you

Watching videos on YouTube or reading articles about some kid that is under 18, lifting a significant amount of weight more then what you can lift can be very frustrating. It poses the question.... "What am I not doing right?" There are a couple things these little bastards might have that someone like myself might not. Natural ability, better training, may have been lifting longer, etc. Nevertheless it can be very annoying and make you feel like a girly man. At the same time it pushes me mentally to get to that level. As mentioned in earlier posts, lifting is something that should last life long, so why be in such a hurry. Keeping consistency is key. I'm weighing in at 200lbs. and my lifts have grow significantly in the last month or so. This does not mean that when I compare myself to my approximately 200lbs. couch in Wyoming that I will be able to lift the amount that he can. Time and knowledge is the key point here. Favre has been lifting for 10+ years and has a couple personal training certificates and has attended several lifting seminars. A person like this is not what gets under my skin. It makes perfect sense why he is lifting an outstanding amount of weight. Its these crazy young athletic kids that blow me away. It is frustrating and motivating at the same time. Patience is key.

Training: (I say training but I'm not really training for anything because I'm not competing. My goal is to compete. Competitions build motivation to train harder and with a purpose.)

Squat 5 reps x 3 sets
Bench 5x3
Deadlift 1x5

Clean and Jerk

This is an awesome movement. It is the newest movement that I have taken on. What really sucks is that I know that I need a lot of technique work to be taught to me on this one, but can't find a couch to train it. This means that I will be going down a long slow road of video tape, analyze, look up other peoples advise online, etc. Not having a good coach sucks. But this is some of the challenge and fun of lifting. It is going to take a while and that's ok. You are not meant to be the best at everything right out of the gate. Today I will be working technique with this movement with a low but challenging weight.



A little snatch never hurt anyone.

Weight Gained!!

This is for all the guys out their that are striving to maintain a 14 year old girls body. Stop it!! Mid January I started the 70sbig.com mentality of eating food. Since then I have gained about 35lbs. and increased my lifts incredibly. As mentioned in earlier posts, lifting is something that should be long term. When these fast big gains in body mass and weight lifted happen; it creates an impatience because you want that to keep happening. This is because you will go through a "growth spurt", therefore your lifts will have a big gain. For my growth, I am very excited that I reached the weight, but now my goal is to maintain it. This is why goals are very important to set. I set a body weight goal of about 200lbs. +- 5lbs. I am right about there and feel great. I have to admit that I was hesitant to start an eating program that promoted eating everything in sight with a gallon of milk on top. This mass eating is only temporary depending on what your body weight goals are. Once they are reached then you have to find out how much to eat to maintain that body weight and maintain it in a healthy way. Eating everything in sight is not something that I would consider a healthy way, but that is only temporary.

For people that are concerned about how they look when taking on this gain, you need not be concerned. It seems obvious but for all the people that can't get the picture. Eating to grain size should not be taken on if you do not have a strength program or you are fat. With that said, the weight that I have gained I have definitely put on some fat. If I wanted to, I could cut the fat off with conditioning. This would be detrimental to my lifting goals right now. The point is, if you are on a good strength program, this type of eating will be good. You will get big and strong. When the time comes that you might want to lean up a little bit, for whatever reason that is, you will be able to do it easily because your body will already be in outstanding shape.

My difference in lifts from body weight of 165 to 200 in 2 1/2 months.

BW:165lbs.

Bench: 170lbs. 3x5
Squat: 225lbs. 3x5
Press: 95lbs. 3x5
Deadlift: 350lbs. 5x1
Power Clean: 115lbs. 3x5

BW: 200lbs.

Bench: 200lbs. 3x5
Squat: 280lbs. 3x5
Press: 125lbs. 3x5
Deadlift: 375lbs. 5x1
Power Clean: 155lbs. 3x5

Increase in lifts:

Bench: 30lbs.
Squat: 55lbs.
Press: 30lbs.
Deadlift: 25lbs.
Power Clean: 40lbs.

I picked this video specifically because of the music!!

Why?

Remember a couple of posts ago when I was talking about the local University...... yeah they suck. Let me tell you how the conversation went. Me: Hi, I was wondering about membership, Manager: What would you like to know, Me: I visited the other day and saw that you have a great facility for working olympic lifts. I wanted to know if I became a member if I could use your equipment the way that it is supposed to me used. Manager: Well that's kind of a loaded question. Me: What I am asking is if I became a member could I use your bumper plates, lifting platforms, and York bars to drop the weight after I finish a lift. Manager: I don't allow dropping of weights in the gym. Me: So if I came to work a clean and jerk I couldn't drop the weight on the platforms designed for dropping with the bumper plates designed for dropping? Manager: Right, if you have to drop the weight we will come ask you to please lower the amount you are lifting.

There are only 2 facilities in my area that have the right equipment to work olympic lifts. One is the University(they suck), and two is a local Crossfit gym that would be sweet to work on lifts there but would ultimately break the bank. So what is the solution. BUILD YOUR OWN GYM!! Right now I'm in the process of building an 8'x8' lifting platform. Cost will be about 120$ but will last a very long time for a minimal amount of money. I am fortunate enough to live very close to Birmingham, AL where Wright Exercise is located and has outstanding bumper plates with steel inserts for a very good price.

Say you want to become a member at a gym because It's just gonna be too much money to build your own. Lets look at the facts. In my area the going rate for membership (that will ultimately limit you (no chalk, yelling, dropping, etc.) is about 50$ and require a year contract. This comes to 600$. What can you buy with that? As we all know Playitagainsports is the bees knees when it comes to home gym building. I picked up my 300lbs. set of olympic weights and bar for 80$. Lifting platform will run about 120$ (homemade, designs are all over the internet). Squat stands 20$ (homemade). Pull up bar 45$ (homemade). Bumper plates and a nice bar is where the money is gonna be sucked out. At Wright Exercise I can pick up, in pairs: 45, 25, 10 for 192$. If I went with there Wright HD bar it would tack on 255$. Total: 712$, this is with the nice bar that a beginner will not necessarily need, it would just be nice. If you take that off it would bring it to 457$. The only other reason why a person would not rock this amazing buildityourself game plan is space. If this is the problem then.... sorry. Have fun with the faggles at Suck University.

Deadlift

Today I will be working on 370lbs. for 5. This will be a PR for me on my road to 405lbs.

Training:
Work Hang Power Snatch technique
Then
5x1 Deadlift

Long Term Lifting

Lifting is very challenging. The most challenging part for me is to keep with it. After I push my self I sometimes shut down and can't find the motivation to keep going. This typically happens when I have set a hard goal, reached the goal, and can't find the direction after that. This is poor planning. When setting goals try to think past the hard goals. The point is to have long term direction so when that day comes when you want to shut down you know how to defeat it. To know what ignites that motivation to keep pushing is key. These video's are one of those ignitors. Found it on Ross Enamait's web page.

Squats

Today felt extremely heavy. It was my normal 5lbs. increase. After squatting I went and weighed myself. Lost 4 pounds. This would explain one of the reasons it felt heavier. I also could be reaching the point where I will start increasing by 2lbs. each squat day, not 5lbs. I will find out thursday. Until then I will be grazing.

Training:
5x3 Squats
5x3 Press
3 rounds max pull ups

Deaflifts

I've been trying out a couple of gym around town just for the heck of it. They all pretty much offer a one week trial so I figured why not. It just reaffirms why I like my own personal home gym. The biggest reasons is that I can be as loud as I freaking want, throw what ever weight I want, and immediately go drink a tall beer after I'm done. Yesterday I went to do squats at a gym and everyone is looking at you like "why is he going so "deep" (just going to squat depth), what's that chalk on his hand, tell him to quit yelling, and don't drop the weights please." Today I'm going to a local university and try out there facility. It is deadlift day and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get fun looks/a talking to by staff and members. This is not because I'm some amazingly strong lifter or go in with the purpose of pissing people off. Lifting is not easy and if it is then you're not lifting enough. Loud man noises will come out of you. If only everyone in the gym was deaf/mind there own business, life would be a lot better in a lot of gyms around the country. Damn it.... I'm out of coffee. Here's some vids.

Training:
5x1 deadlift
then
Lift something moderately heavy and move fast.
You pick the workout. Get creative.

Notice the music in the background.

Texas Pt. 2 from A.C. on Vimeo.

Dylan Deadlift from A.C. on Vimeo.

Proud Sponsor

Found on the flickr photostream of Lunchbreath

Burger King

Alright, so I'm on the road to gaining a 200lbs. body. How do you do this? For someone that sits on the couch all day that has no physical output whatsoever, this is something that is easy to come by. Me on the other hand, not so much. Eat Eat Eat; when I'm not lifting I'm eating. This is very costly and right now I'm not in the financial position to spend my non-existent paycheck on all the meat/groceries that I want to be eating. What does this mean...... BURGER KING. Come to find out that eating all that meets the eye is expensive wherever you go. Triple Whopper with cheese "Value" meal cost about 8 bucks, and it tastes like shit. I know what your thinking..... "it's Burger King, why would you think your getting a good meal." Lets look at the positives. The "burger" alone contained 71 grams of protein and 1200 calories. It has a surprisingly low amount of sodium to what I was thinking it would have; it is 1380mg. I was thinking in the 2000+ category. Anyways, the positives do not ultimately out weigh the negatives. Negatives consist of being way over priced for what you receive and it tastes absolutely horrible. If you're going to eat a completely unhealthy meal it should taste amazing..... this did not.

Training:
5x3 Squats
5x3 Press
3 rounds max pull ups

Power Clean

I'm looking forward to working these today. Every week I never know what I'm going to get out of my performance with this movement. My goal is not to keep bumping the weight right now; it is to become consistent with good technique.

Training:

5x5 Power Cleans
then
50 push ups
50 sit ups
50 box jumps

Squat

I've been lifting for about 5 years now and just today started video taping myself. If you do not have a coach watching every lift you have to tape yourself. This will allow you to find your faults. Just after watching my first set of squats it showed that I wasn't going as deep as I thought that I was. I definitely was not high, but it wasn't the depth that in my mind I was reaching.

I am still moving my weight up 5 pounds every squat day. It always seems more intimidating then it actually is. The weight never seems light, just consistently heavy. For example, Jan. 14 I was squatting 225lbs. A month later I am squatting 270lbs. This thursday will be 275lbs. That's a 50lbs. increase in about a month; but each squat day does not seem any heavier then the last, just consistently heavy. This is for a couple different reasons. First, I have a great lifting program that I follow by Tim Favreau. Second, I shove as much milk, triple cheese burgers, pounds of salmon/meat in general into my face every chance I get. I am still a novice lifter, lifting a novice amount of weight. The goals that I have will take time to achieve.

Training:
5x3 Squats
5x3 Press
3 rounds max pull ups

BEASTLY!!

Thirsty Thursday

Stay thirsty my friends!! The milk is going down a lot smoother. Today was squat day AGAIN, and it went great. My press is a very slow progression but its coming along. Check out Favre's post on career training. I run into the problem of wanting to be the best right now with power cleans. It is going to take some time to become consistent and I need to accept that. If you push it too fast then you will just end up being pissed off and throwing shit. At least, I tend to act like a baby when I can't figure out my lifting problems. Keep working at it, as recommended by Farve, and I'm sure a lot of other coaches, video tape yourself and the problems will show themselves to you. This is something that I have not been doing. As the weight advances so does the precision of your technique.

Training:
5x3 Squat
5x3 Press
3 rounds max pull ups

Power Cleans

Last week my power cleans were on point. Jumping at the right time, fast elbows, and meeting the bar perfectly. It was a big confidence booster. Today was the complete opposite. I used the same weight as last week to engrain the movement and couldn't even finish the third set. By this point I am completely pissed off. I dropped the weight a little bit and moved back to hang power cleans. I performed them beautifully with no problem whatsoever. Not really sure why my timing was off today but it was.

Training:
3x5 Power Cleans
then
6 Turkish Get Ups
100 rope turns
5 rounds

Not power cleans but fun to watch.

Somebody has a case of the mondays.

Really excited about todays squats. I'll be working with 260lbs. today. I haven't worked with more then 250lbs. in a couple of years. I really hit the milk and triple cheese burgers hard this weekend, so I'm confident that I will get my lifts. I squat without any spotters or safety rails which is typically not the smartest way to go about it. Does anyone know of a cheap way to build safety rails?

It wont let me post the video but here is the link. This girl will make you feel weak.


Training:
Squat 5x3
Press 5x3
3 rounds max pull ups

Friday

Right now I feel completely drained. It's deadlift day so I'm gonna have to man up to get the weight that I want. Milk, eggs, triple cheese burgers, anything that has a high amount of protein will be consumed in the next couple of hours. After I lift the eating process will continue with beer thrown in.

AC Deadlift 495x5x1 from A.C. on Vimeo.

Training:
Deadlift 5x1
then
Whatever conditioning you want.
Have fun, be creative.

Thirsty Thursday!!

Drinking a gallon of milk a day is absolute insanity. I've been working at getting down a half gallon and it is a workout all in itself. Drinking milk paired with a lot of meat will turn you into a smelly monster that will make anyone close to you hate life. I was casually releasing some flatus while updating the blog when my wife stepped in and almost threw up on the spot. Then she threatened to throw away the milk I just bought..... I responded with more flatus. Honestly, if you take on a heavy amount of milk and meat you are going to have to be carful with the potency that you now carry. I recommend air fresheners shoved down the back of your pants. It is tough work but the benefits are proving to be outstanding. I feel very solid in my lifts; they are increasing consistently. As mentioned on 70sbig.com; your stomach will round out, and you may look like a skinny fat guy with small arms/legs until you keep pressing out the programming that you have committed too. When it seems like I can't take in that next glass of milk or that extra bite of food I remind myself of my lifting goals, then I throw my face back into the trough.

"I was in tenth grade the first time it happened. I un-racked the bar on my front deltoids with my elbows high. I stepped back a few feet, got my stance set, and squatted down. I heard a very peculiar ripping sound, and then a quasi-delightful breeze tickled my butt crack. It took a minute or two to realize that I had blown out the back of my boxers front squatting. That was the first time my ass became too big for the clothes I was wearing." (70sbig.com)

"It’s a badge of honor to accidentally (key word here) rip through old clothing. How many seams have you busted today?" (70sbig.com)



This is the best 1036lbs. squat i've ever seen.



Training:
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
3 rounds of max pull ups

What the girls did:
5x5 Squat
5x5 Press
3 rounds max pull ups

Get Pumped!!

The music alone should get you pumped to lift big!!

AC's Powerlifting Meet from A.C. on Vimeo.

I hit a PR yesterday, blew my undies out at the bottom of my squat!! Luckily someone was there to witness it.

Training:
Power Cleans 3x5
then
50 swings
50 push-ups
50 sit-ups
50 squats
Fast as possible
(as prescribed by Hybridfitness.blogspot.com)

You're Not Big Unless Your 70's Big

New experiment time!! I have recently been introduced to 70sBig.com by the great Tim Favreau. That guy is an encyclopedia of knowledge. 70's Big has some really great stuff and would recommend everyone taking time to read a little bit about what they promote and stand for. I am not big on subscribing to one specific ideal for eating. Not to say that I haven't before, this is why I would recommend working with your body. Taking knowledge from a lot of different areas will make you more knowledgable in the do's and don'ts of eating and what your body needs for the type of workout your are doing. Once again it all comes down to your goal. I am going to take in more whole milk a day and focus on a higher protein intake. This will also come with CARB'S. That's right I said the big bad word everyone wants to avoid. Protein is for building, fat is for repair/recovery, and carb's are for fuel. If your goal is to lift heavy then you will have to eat heavy.

Love this video. Work hard play hard. Don't lose sight of why you started lifting in the first place.

Texas Pt. 2 from A.C. on Vimeo.

Training:
Squat 5x3
Press 5x3
3 rounds max pull ups.

Press

I chose this video primarily because of the music!!


Training:

Press 5x3
then
50 double unders
10 pull ups
4 rounds

Good days/Bad days

I am continuing to meet my 5lbs. increase in weight every time I squat. After squatting I worked the deadlift. It was extremely weak today. Typically I will deadlift 5x1 with no less then 350lbs. Today I stopped at 300lbs. Not sure why this happened. I really want to focus on building it up but lately its been deteriorating. Time to hit the books and gain some programming advice.

Gotta break up the insanity.





Training:
Squats 5x3
Deadlift 5x1

Take It Easy!

Nothing has been more frustrating then learning the Power Clean. It has taunted me for months on end, until yesterday. As posted earlier, I reverted back to Hang Power Cleans to understand where I need to explode from on the thigh. Then I evaluated extending off my heals to my toes, fully extending the hips, shrugging the shoulders, keeping my arms straight, moving my elbows fast to catch the bar, keeping the right grip, not slamming into the bar when caught, making sure the bar followed up my stomach and chest until caught, and then letting it back down to go through that entire mental process all over again. What this equalled out to is me yelling at the bar as loud as I could and wanting to throw it through the wall. WHEN this happens to you, just go back to what the movement really is. Jumping with weight attached to your hands. In the great words and wisdom of Dave Tate "just pick the f*cker off the ground." Educating yourself in a movement is outstanding. Over analyzing can be just as deteriorating as never educating yourself to begin with. SO, take a step back and have fun with it. Lifting is something we do because we find personal satisfaction in lifting heavy weight. If you take the enjoyment out of it then you've taken the fundamental reason why you started in the first place.

Chalk

"Chalk is always a good idea, because it dries out the skin, and dry skin is less prone to folding and abrasion than moist skin, and therefore is less prone to problem callus formation. If the weight room is not equipped with chalk, bring your own. If the gym complains, change gyms.” (Rippetoe, Kilgore, 2007)



Training:
3x5 Power Cleans
then
20 double unders
20 push ups
20 26in. box jumps
4 rounds

Diet

I followed "The Zone" diet for about a year. It is a great way to start a good base for nutrition. Through the diet I have learned what my body needs more and less off. With a high output of energy their needs to be an intake of food that is going to fill in what your body has put out. Finding out what works for your body is very important so that you have the best output as well as recover quickly. Because we are not all Nutritionists we have to start with a base of knowledge from someone else. I do not follow "The Zone" verbatim because my body has different needs through my physical output. "The Zone" helped me find what my body needed and what I needed more of as my physical output increased.



Training:
Squat 5x3
Press 5x3
3 rounds max pull-ups

Fun!

Today Hurt!!




Training:

8 Double Unders
8 85lbs. Swings
8 Push Ups
10 Rounds

2nd Day of Squats

Another Great day to push hard!! I squat two times in a week. Each time I squat I increase the weight 5 lbs. This means that every month I increase my squat by 20. Think about that for a second...... In a year I will have increased my squat strength by 240 lbs. with perfect form. Now, all of that sounds great, but as the weight starts to increase significantly I will have to start using a 1 pound increase. Right now I am working with 235-240 lbs. I imagine that I will have to slow down with my weight increase of 5lbs. to 1 pound around the 285-290 lbs range. This is all hypothetical. I could blow past that number or I could hit a wall sooner then I think. Their are a lot of factors that will play into my training. This brings me to Tim Favreau. On his website he mentioned meso-cycle. I had no clue what this meant so I looked it up. There are meso, macro, and microcycles in a training style called Periodization training. Today is the first day that I have researched or read anything on this type of training style. I'm very excited to learn more about it. For right now I am in one through the training that Favre has created.

In earlier blogs I have mentioned how important knowledge is. I could follow Favre the rest of my lifting life and become very strong without ever reading a single paragraph about strength. This is not my goal and I would encourage you to look into the programing that you take on. Too many people follow training programs blindly. P90X, Crossfit, Tony Little Gazelle freestyle elliptical training, etc. When you take on a training program you are going to work you body; the only one you've got. I would want to make sure that the person that you are training under is not going to screw you up. Slipped discs, rotator cuff injury, knee problems, the list goes on. Ask yourself: What are your goals?, How are you going to achieve them?, Why is this training program the best for me?, Is my trainer credible? This will take research therefore creating more knowledge. This will get you to achieving your goals without wasting your time in some training program that is not going to ultimately benefit you.



Training:
Squat 5x3
Press 5x3
3 rounds of max pull-ups