Today's mental break workout pulls from something I tried years ago - the HCT12 program designed by wannabebig.com . It's basically just rest-pause training, working up to a heavy 6 and then doing three doubles at the same weight immediately afterward, resting 30-60 seconds between each set to add up to 12 reps at a 6-rep max.
Bench - Sets of 6 @ 45, 95, 115, 135, 155, 185, 205, 225, 245
6 + 2 + 2 + 3 @ 265
After I finished my last double I still felt good and couldn't think of a good reason not to attempt a third rep - still went up nice and fast. I actually felt really good about this workout because my PR with 265 is 7. Granted I did that right after I benched 315 for the first time, but it was still a strong PR and the best I've done so to successfully hit HCT12 at this weight plus an extra rep with good speed felt great.
and now... THE SLED!!!!!!
I just got this thing so I could start doing heavy sled dragging as assistance for deads and squats, but I'll also use it for a bunch of other things, like today:
8 25ft Hand over Hand drags @ 280
4 25ft Facing-Away Overhead Tricep Throws @ 190
I kinda made up that second exercise, or at least haven't seen it before and it's awesome! I'm going to need more rope though. I thought 25 feet would be enough but I must have been thinking about meters because I eat up 25ft in about five good pulls with 180lbs on the sled. I also need to start getting to Brandon's earlier because traffic is getting worse and worse.
Thursday 17 October 2013
Box Squat Work Capacity - Oct 14
Lately I've been beating myself up for my shitty 5/3/1 performances even though I know that it's going to take a back seat until the grading. My last couple of workouts, I've decided to take a bit of a mental break from 5/3/1 and do some different stuff. After the craziness of the grading is over, I'll pick it back up - though I may have to rework some of my numbers. It's really frustrating when you lose momentum, but true strength is measured across years, even decades, not weeks.
I got this idea from Louie Simmons in an athletic development workout he demonstrated during a workshop. He had the athlete do 16 triples, one every 30 seconds with a 1-minute break every four sets. We did it without the breaks, mainly because Brandon and I couldn't figure out a time breakdown where we could get into the rack, set up and squat before it was the other guy's turn. We basically just jumped in as soon as the other was done.
16 x 3 Dynamic Box Squats @ 205 + 90lbs band tension at lockout
We chose the weight based on roughly 50% intensity but while it got the heart rate up and got me breathing a bit heavier, it wasn't what I thought it would be. We were barely resting at all so I guess we would have to change the weight next time.
3 sets Hanging Knees to Elbows
I got this idea from Louie Simmons in an athletic development workout he demonstrated during a workshop. He had the athlete do 16 triples, one every 30 seconds with a 1-minute break every four sets. We did it without the breaks, mainly because Brandon and I couldn't figure out a time breakdown where we could get into the rack, set up and squat before it was the other guy's turn. We basically just jumped in as soon as the other was done.
16 x 3 Dynamic Box Squats @ 205 + 90lbs band tension at lockout
We chose the weight based on roughly 50% intensity but while it got the heart rate up and got me breathing a bit heavier, it wasn't what I thought it would be. We were barely resting at all so I guess we would have to change the weight next time.
3 sets Hanging Knees to Elbows
Wednesday 9 October 2013
Log Pressing Oct 9
Warm-Ups with Barbell
2 x 10 @ 45
1 x 10 @ 65
Log
1 x 10 @ 100
1 x 10 @ 110
5 x 10 @ 120
I felt like a zombie this morning so I decided volume might be a better idea than pushing myself and risking the quality of my mat time later. The presentation I'm doing for my black belt is going to be two parts - one no-gi and wrestling, the other BJJ. Tonight will be the first time I do it all together, so it's going to be pretty exhausting.
1 x 15 Incline DB Press with 50's
This was when I realized it was 9:20 and I had to speed to work :(
2 x 10 @ 45
1 x 10 @ 65
Log
1 x 10 @ 100
1 x 10 @ 110
5 x 10 @ 120
I felt like a zombie this morning so I decided volume might be a better idea than pushing myself and risking the quality of my mat time later. The presentation I'm doing for my black belt is going to be two parts - one no-gi and wrestling, the other BJJ. Tonight will be the first time I do it all together, so it's going to be pretty exhausting.
1 x 15 Incline DB Press with 50's
This was when I realized it was 9:20 and I had to speed to work :(
Sunday 6 October 2013
Bench Oct 6
Warm-Ups
Triples @ 45, 95, 115, 135, 155, 185
5 @ 205
3 @ 230
6 @ 260
Meh. This was okay but I was feeling pretty sluggish. I can't complain too much though, my PR with 265 is 7, and that was when I was just doing a normal BJJ class schedule and mainly powerlifting. Since I started prep for my grading at the end of the month I'm down in weight, doing more conditioning, taking in less calories and doing a lot more mat time. Getting as close to PR territory as I did should feel pretty good but it doesn't really.
1 @ 275
1 @ 295
High Incline DB Press
I did these HCT12 style, working up to a heavy six and then rest-pausing for three doubles immediately afterward with about 30 seconds in between.
6's @ 35, 45, 55, 65, 75
6 + 2 + 2 + 3 @ 85
I did the third rep just on the last set just cause. It was in the tank.
Slingshot Push-Ups - One set of 70 as fast as I could
Face Pulls - 3 x 15
Still have to do demo prep later today and likely some conditioning as well even if it's just a tabata of something.
Triples @ 45, 95, 115, 135, 155, 185
5 @ 205
3 @ 230
6 @ 260
Meh. This was okay but I was feeling pretty sluggish. I can't complain too much though, my PR with 265 is 7, and that was when I was just doing a normal BJJ class schedule and mainly powerlifting. Since I started prep for my grading at the end of the month I'm down in weight, doing more conditioning, taking in less calories and doing a lot more mat time. Getting as close to PR territory as I did should feel pretty good but it doesn't really.
1 @ 275
1 @ 295
High Incline DB Press
I did these HCT12 style, working up to a heavy six and then rest-pausing for three doubles immediately afterward with about 30 seconds in between.
6's @ 35, 45, 55, 65, 75
6 + 2 + 2 + 3 @ 85
I did the third rep just on the last set just cause. It was in the tank.
Slingshot Push-Ups - One set of 70 as fast as I could
Face Pulls - 3 x 15
Still have to do demo prep later today and likely some conditioning as well even if it's just a tabata of something.
Thursday 3 October 2013
Leg Pressing Oct 3
I had planned to squat today but preparing for my demo has set my neck rehab back quite a bit. I'm doing lots of mobility work for it but it has definitely felt like one step forward two steps back with the extra mat time and trying to maintain some kind of lifting schedule. I decided to leg press instead.
Concept 2 Rowing - 5 Minutes easy
Foam Rolling and Gym Ball Neck Work
Sets of 10 with slow negative at:
90, 180, 270, 360, 450, 540, 630, 720
Strip Set:
630 x 16
450 x 12
270 x 12
90 x 60
Concept 2 Rowing - 5 Minutes easy
Foam Rolling and Gym Ball Neck Work
Sets of 10 with slow negative at:
90, 180, 270, 360, 450, 540, 630, 720
Strip Set:
630 x 16
450 x 12
270 x 12
90 x 60
Tabata Intervals Oct 1
Snuck in some training between teaching Kids BJJ and No-Gi today.
Tabata Double 20KG Kettlebell Push Cleans
Push Cleans are a really cool exercise that kills the grip if you do them right, and gets the heart rate up very quickly as well. After you rack the bells, you push them straight out with enough explosiveness that the kettlebells flip over and even out with your arm trajectory - as if you'd swung them up there. Then you activate your lats to pull the kettlebells down into the swing to load the hips at a high velocity. Once the kettlebells are on their way back up you have to activate the lats again to reign them in to the racked position.
For those of you unfamiliar with Tabata, it's a very efficient training protocol called IE1 created by Prof. Izumi Tabata for Olympic speed skaters in Japan. 20s work, 10s rest, repeated 8 times for a total of four minutes. Training this way a few times a week his athletes were able to markedly improve both their anerobic and aerobic capacity, which is impressive considering that the athletes were already Olympic level athletes - the cream of the crop.
My rep counts went as follows:
13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 12
Total: 97 Reps (3880KG volume)
This definitely jacked my heart rate up but I'll use 24's or 28's next time. I never had to stop to rest during an interval and I was having trouble cycling the cleans quickly enough to get more than 12-13 without technique getting crappy.
Tabata Plank w/Knee Tucks - Normal Plank during rest intervals
These were miserable... wasn't even counting, just trying to survive.
Plank Hold for Time - 1:40
Tabata Double 20KG Kettlebell Push Cleans
Push Cleans are a really cool exercise that kills the grip if you do them right, and gets the heart rate up very quickly as well. After you rack the bells, you push them straight out with enough explosiveness that the kettlebells flip over and even out with your arm trajectory - as if you'd swung them up there. Then you activate your lats to pull the kettlebells down into the swing to load the hips at a high velocity. Once the kettlebells are on their way back up you have to activate the lats again to reign them in to the racked position.
For those of you unfamiliar with Tabata, it's a very efficient training protocol called IE1 created by Prof. Izumi Tabata for Olympic speed skaters in Japan. 20s work, 10s rest, repeated 8 times for a total of four minutes. Training this way a few times a week his athletes were able to markedly improve both their anerobic and aerobic capacity, which is impressive considering that the athletes were already Olympic level athletes - the cream of the crop.
My rep counts went as follows:
13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 12
Total: 97 Reps (3880KG volume)
This definitely jacked my heart rate up but I'll use 24's or 28's next time. I never had to stop to rest during an interval and I was having trouble cycling the cleans quickly enough to get more than 12-13 without technique getting crappy.
Tabata Plank w/Knee Tucks - Normal Plank during rest intervals
These were miserable... wasn't even counting, just trying to survive.
Plank Hold for Time - 1:40
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