Bar Placement

Haven't done this to myself in quite a while, but I thought it would make an interesting illustration on proper bar placement when squating. Note that the bar should ride below the traps, not on them. When I finally figured this out I quit having neck and shoulder problems that came along with heavy squating.

Also, the camera angle hides my gut, which is a good thing. I think this is why Chris Shugart is standing backwards in his little avatar on T-Nation.

Although having your flesh torn by a knurled steel bar is unpleasant, no one will argue that you didn't sandbag your squats. Meg suggested that I put a pad on the bar. In fact, she noted that if it were her, she would want a pink pad on the bar. I didn't know how to respond to that.

end of week rally

so it came together for me today. after a monday and wed. arse whooping I managed to go big on the squat and to celebrate I did a hellish workout in a 102 degree garage. here's how she went:

squats:
WU
340 x 5
390 x 3
440 x 1
465 x 1

Went deep on that last one and faught to get it, but it went. thought an eye was going to pop out and somehow that was motivational. Here's the rest of the session:

front squats (deep knee bend, close stance)
115 x 10 x 3
135 x 15 x 1 That cleaned out the sweat glands!

Leg extensions on bowflex
everythingonthegaymachine x 12 x 3 burned like hell.

somes situps
some ab wheelies

drank a beer, got dressed, and went directly to unload shingles on top of a house that we're to roof tomorrow. Thought I was going to throw-up a couple of time hiking up the roof with an armload of shingles. couldn't even feel my legs. they just wouldn't do what I kept telling them to. stupid things. they're not strong enough.

peace. out.

Horchata

Hmm...Lets see. It's Firday. I'm sitting at my desk trying to stay awake. Not a lot going on so far. It is "favorite band Friday". We all get to wear t-shirts from our favorite bands. Somehow this is supposed to raise morale. So far my Living Sacrifice shirt has only built on everyone's assumption that I'm a serial killer.
Wednesday was bench day:
275 x 5
305 x 3
325 x 1
325 was easy. Should have hammered out a few more but wanted to go for a higher single. shot for 365 and missed it. Wasn't too disappointed here. I got 355 three weeks ago. It would have been a long shot to move up ten pounds in three weeks. Also, my lats were destroyed from Monday so I was having some issues keeping the bar stable when it got heavy. Guess I need to get stronger.

Today is squat day. Hooray!

Monday

Well. I still suck at deadlifting. I missed 505 yesterday, again. I'm starting to think it's a mental block. Or it could be that I've spent the last two weeks being very unhealthy and staying up late everynight. Or it could be that I'm just too damn weak to pick up five hundred pounds. Whatever the reason, I've got more work to do.
I've gotta give some props to Mike. He pulled 505 and he's been training his deadlift for roughly two minutes now. That dude will be pulling six within a year.
Bench tomorrow.

Friday Freak Fest

New PR's all around!

Over Head press:
185 x 5
205 x 3
235 x 1
255 x 1
Last one is a ten pound personal best for me. it was definitely all there, but I locked it out solid and fast. I was having a lot of trouble getting my head in the game at the start. We couldn't get the stereo to work so the loudest thing in the gym was Bryant's flatulence. 185 felt like a ton and I had to re-rack 205 once just to get my head on straight. Finally got some tunes and ammonia going and 255 went up like a rocket. I've never really put a lot of focus on this lift for heavy singles, but now that I think of it, could be kind of fun to lock out 300 overhead.

the rest of the workout was like getting punched in balls by a tall skinny guy.

ho hum

squats:
365 x 3
385 x 3
405 x 3

Boring but healthy.

Monday Madness

Bench press day!

Flat bench:
285 x 3
305 x 3
325 x 3

Floor press:
275 x 10 3 sets

Incline DB flys:
35 x 12 3 sets

Push ups:
30
15
18

Skull crushers/CG bench:
70 x 10 - failure 3 sets

Nothing above my belly button is working properly today. Pure Awesomeness!

Friday

Pulled on Friday

405 x 3
425 x 3
455 x 3

That hurt like a B. Just now getting some stability back. Oh well. No injury, just pain! Good to go.

Ketchup

Missed Monday/squat day due to Shawn and K being in town. Spent all day at the lake, so I guess that was good excersice.

Friday: Bench Press
265 x 5
285 x 5
305 x 5

Monday: Squats
Opted for a sunburn.

Wed: Overhead Press
175 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3

Excerpt

In making my way through this world, I decided some time ago to choose the essential over the unnecessary. There are many ways to live a life. There are fewer ways, I think, to live an honest one. Sometimes a choice is necessary.

This I know. There are valleys, unlike others, where stones are gathered into great cairns. No tribute to battle is more sparse. No monument of a heroic life is more cut from the earth that gave this life its bearing and origin. Today our monuments lack simplicity. We have forgotten this earthy nobility that older cultures teach us. We have silenced these stones.

I have seen men of great strength lift stones that required of them no less than all their strength. Here there was no surfeit of effort. All was necessary, and yet it is expected of a man of great size that he should lift an amount equal to his stature, his girth. His accomplishment is often equal to our expectations, perhaps his own.

I am interested in the man who overcomes his strength by returning to the location of his most recent attempt, where his strength failed him but his will did not, and attempts to lift again the stone that would not be lifted. In his return his success is complete despite a measure of height or the distance of a toss.

Strength has a limit. It is easily measured by the kilo. Character understands that limit is a choice. It is measured in the attempt to hoist again the stone, to try one more. Character is measured in the return.

I cannot say of myself that I am a lifter of stones. But I understand something of the precision of the stone’s simplicity, and the required fidelity to the stone’s challenge. Ascent is the key. For myself, I trust in the climber’s imperative for higher ground, in the challenge of a mountain top. Beyond what one can see, these stony monoliths offer the mind and body an equal assurance: Effort is its own reward. I do not doubt the stonelifter would agree.

-Philip Arnold

Gross

Well, you asked for it...

Chiti Chiti Bang Bang

Yeah, those after shots are coming. I'm waiting to get skinnier. Ha. Ha.
So anyway, my workouts are coming along most excellently. My workout yesterday went like this:

Overhead press:
Warm up
5 x 185
5 x 205
5 x 215

And then a bunch of other crap that made me sweat, scream, curse, and swallow back vommit. Good session overall. At one point on the second set of OH presses I cracked myself in the chin. Your mind goes through some interesting senarios quickly when you've nearly knocked yourself out throwing 200+ lbs over your noggin. I think I cracked a tooth. Oh well, I've got more.

Cheers.