06/30/09

Due to the back injury, I was not posting, despite getting a few workouts in. And, despite eating a lot of Primal delights, I also ate a ton of garbage and consumed a lot of alcohol.

Anyway, the injury seems to be improving, to the point that I may attempt a lower body routine on Thursday 07/02/09. Before doing that I will try to add a total body move in today for my Max Effort Upper Body (PULL) routine. I'm thinking The Snatch is in order, albeit with a lighter weight.

Weighted Pull-Ups:

• 5x5: 15, 15, 20, 20, 20
• 2x3: 30, 30
• 3x1: 40, 40, 45

The Snatch: I used 45 and up to 75 - petty much working on speed and form, and did not want to push it today.

My back held up!!!

06/26/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PUSH)

Upper Body Movement - Weighted Dips

• 5x5: 36, 41, 45, 50, 50
• 2x3: 65, 65
• 3x1: 70, 75, 80

Total Body Movement - none

Ancillary Work - none

06/23/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PULL)

Upper Body Movement - Weighted Pull-ups

• 5x5: 10, 20, 30, 30, 30
• 2x3: 40, 40
• 3x1: 45, 50, 50

Total Body Movement - none

Ancillary Work - on 3 machines focusing on upper and middle back - 3x8 each

06/21/09

REST Day

Happy Fathers Day!!!

06/20/09

2 days ago I had done my 4th day in a row of killing it on the Concept II Rower. The next day (6/19) I was then demonstrating what ALL-OUT meant to one of my clients. I felt it immediately in my lower back. It was not too bad, but it got my attention.

Today, I had to do Max Effort Lower Body

• Lower Body Movement: Squats - 5x5 Pause Squats @ 60% 1RM (155lbs)
• Total Body Movement: The Snatch
  

Earlier in the day, I was demonstrating a bodyweight squat and I had a back spasm. Later on during the warm-up, while doing bodyweight prisoner squats, it happened again. Being the stubborn asshole that I am, I proceeded with the workout. I did not feel it with the weight on my back oddly enough, so I also did the 5x5 Total Body Movement. Instead of Deadlifts, which I feel more on my back than any other Total Body Movement, I went with The Snatch. It still felt fine, albeit a little stiff. I then went to stretch, and I had spasms again. I spent over an hour foam rolling and stretching, but nothing worked. I went home, laid down and about an hour later I was feeling even worse. I then popped 800 mg of Ibuprofen, boke out the heating pad, laid down, and slept for a few hours. Felt a little better.

This morning (6/21) it was a little stiff, but it feels infinitely better. I think I'll be fine, but I need to lay off the rowing until further notice.

I don't have sqaust again until next Saturday, so we'll see what happens between now and then. Also, when I do the Max Effort Upper Body, I will likely skip the Total Body Movement and just do ancillary work that will not compromise my back in any way.

The moral of the story is simple, don't overdo it on the rower, especially if you are currently doing a demanding routine like the MEBB. That and don't be stubborn - you don't train to get injured, so know your limitations and know when to fold up and walk away.

On a positive note, my pec and bicep are doing great!

06/19/09

REST Day

Boy do I need it!!! Not only was it a tough week of workouts, but my work week was even more brutal. I'll try to catch up on as much sleep and rest as possible - not much else to do - all it does is rain here in New Seattle...I mean New Jersey.

06/18/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PULL)

• Upper Body Movement: Weighted Pull-ups 5x5, done explosively
  
• Total Body Movement: Snatch 5x5
  
• Ancillary Work: Low Row and Upper Back Machines

My right Pectoral muscle was fine - no issues with that. My lower back is quite stiff from all the rowing and demonstrating, and now my right bicep/forearm (inside elbow) is very sore from doing the pull-ups. I should have waited another day to do the routine above - they were still sore from the routine 2 days ago. Of course it flared up on the 5th and final set of pull-ups. I will continue to work on the Trigger Points to accelerate the healing process - it worked wonders for the pec and shoulder

Diet was on point most of the day, but I got into some chocolate in the evening. I wish my wife would stop buying so much fucking junk and stop leaving it out where I can see it - ugh

06/17/09

MetCon Day

• Box Jumps 10 x 10 on a 36" box with 30 sec rest
  
• Jump Squats 3 x 15 with 20 seconds rest
  
• Run Stance Squat (with direction switch) 4 x 14 with 20 seconds rest
• 20 second all-out Rowing on the Concept II Rower - 4 rounds with 40 seconds rest
  

The upcoming week is lighter weight (60% 1RM) done explosively. The pec feels fantastic. I "may" be able to do Upper Body (PULL) tomorrow. We'll see.

Yet another Primal diet day. I did have a small amount of Starbucks Java Chip Ice Cream in the evening, but I stayed well below 150 grams of Carbs - just over 100 actually

06/16/09

My pec was killing today ever since I woke up. I have no idea how long I'll be out of the game, but I really don't think it's all that bad. My guess is that Dips and Benching is out for 2 weeks. Press and Pull-ups for at least a week.

Fortunately, the Row (Supine, hanging, etc) is fine.

I did 5000 meters on the rower non-stop, averaging 2:15/500 meters. I then did hanging rows, rows on the Technogym (TG) row, and the TG lower back machine. My shoulder/pec was perfectly fine. I added Preacher Curls and Tricep Pushdowns (which were also fine), to the mix to finish it up. I coolled down with another 750 meters of rowing at a slow pace.

Yet another Primal day diet wise so far...

06/15/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PUSH)

Well that was the plan anyway. Unfortunately, did did not warm up enough, and on the 2nd set of weighted dips, I tweaked my right pec!

Later on in the day after my shift, I did 10 rounds of 500 meter sprints on the Concept II Rower. I averaged just under 2:02/500 meters

I ate very clean/primal all day

06/14/09

REST Day

Diet was Primal disaster - I don't even want to get into details on this one, but it was horrific!

06/13/09

Max Effort Lower Body

• Lower Body Movement: Back Squats - 10x1
• Total Body Movement: Deadlifts - 5x5

Warm-up sets with 135 and 185, then 225, 240, 245, 250, 255, 255 (my spotter fucked me up - his knee hit me when I was dropping down. As such I got wasted under the bar, and that took a lot out of me. I resumed with 250, 245, 240, 245, 250

I then did deadlifts @ 205

That workout was absolutely brutal!!!

Ever since, my appetite has been ravenous. I cannot stop eating.

06/12/09

Ended up being a REST Day. A wanted to reserve all of my energy for the upcoming Max Effort Lower Body Day

Celebrated my birthday with a few drinks - I'm sure that will not help me with tomorrows routine. Aside from that, it was a Primal day throughout

06/11/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PULL)

• Upper Body Movement: Weighted Pull-ups
• Total Body Movement: Power Cleans from the hang position

5 sets wide grip @ 35, 40, 45, 47.5, 50lbs
5 Set close/inside grip @ 50, 60, 65, 70, 70lbs

Power Cleans: 5x5 @ 135lbs

Finished with a set of Amazing Spiderman Push-ups, and a set of Combat Push-ups

I can already tell that I will be very sore for a few days after that one! I also noticed that I am ravenous today.

Diet is 100% Primal...so far...

06/10/09

REST Day

This time I actually rested.

Diet ended up a mess today while watching a movie at night. It was Primal all day leading up to that though.

06/09/09

MetCon Day:

• Tabata Rowing
• Manmakers
• KB Swings

About 30 minutes of all out intensity. Short but sweet!

It was my Birthday, but I ended up working, so the day was shot. I ate mostly Primal, but I had 2 drinks (Scotch & Water) as a nightcap

06/08/009

Today is a scheduled REST Day.

However, I felt like doing some rowing. The plan was to just get 7 rounds of 500 meters in, but at a medium pace (average time of 2:15 to 2:20 or so). That didn't last too long - I upped the pace in the 2nd round, and I averaged 2:05 over 7 rounds. When I did this as a MetCon routine 2 weeks ago I averaged 1:55 over 7 rounds. Amazing what a difference 10 seconds makes!!!

06/07/09

Max Effort Lower Body

• Lower Body Movement: Front Squats 7x3, 3x1
• Total Body Movement: Deadlifts 5x5

I ended up doing 4 sets of front squats before switching over to back squats, due to pain in the wrists.

• Front Squats: 4x3 @175
• Back Squats: 4x3 @ 215, and 4x1 @ 230,240,245. I did a bonus set @ 250; my PR!!!
• Did Deadlifts @ only 185, but after all 12 sets of squats, it was plenty!

I'm still feeling the effects of Max Effort Upper Body Day! - I love this routine, the MEBB kicks ass!!!

Strength and Mass Gains continue, while body fat continues to drop

Doing some BBQ right now: Ribs, and maybe some burgers, or who knows what else....

06/06/09

MetCon Day - 45 minutes of:

• Concept II Rower Intervals
• KB Swings
• Burpees

Primal diet during the day.

I then had 4 outstanding beers at Triumph Brewing Company with a friend. Cannot believe how much of an effect they had on me - ugh

A Tasty Snack

• Small amount of Coconut Oil - enough to lightly coat
• Nuts - a handful or 2 (so far Cashews worked the best)
• Unsweetened Flaked Coconut - to taste

 Roast in a skillet until.  Can it be any easier?

06/05/09

Max Effort Upper Body (PUSH)

• Upper Body Movement: Weighted Dips: 7x3, 3x1
• Total Body Movement: The Snatch
• Ancillary Work: Overhead Squat, Amazing Spiderman Push-ups, 10 minutes of Mixed Ab/Core Work, and 1 set of Pull-ups just for fun

Food so far today:

• Amazing Chocolate Shake
• Salmon & Salad
• Chicken and Veggies

More to come...

06/04/09

This was supposed to be a Max Effort Day, but my ill advised attempt at The Bear the other day, left me no choice but to add another rest day.

Again, diet was nearly perfect.

I've been experimenting with some interesting Protein shakes lately. Here are a few:

I don't even know what to call this one
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1T Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Blueberries...or blueberries and mango
24 Grams Chocolate Whey Protein
3/4 Cup Salad Greens OR Spinach
1/2 Cup Water

A friend of mine uses egg protein, He has a friend that told him to use 1/2 chicken breast instead. As gross as that sounds, I tasted it, and it was great!

---

Amazing Chocolate Shake
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1T Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup Coconut Milk
24 Grams Chocolate Whey Protein
1/2 Cup Water

This was the richest & thickest chocolate shake I have ever had. I will be making this one often!

---

Blueberry Chocolate Smoothie
1/2 Blueberries
1T Coconut Oil
7 oz Fage Total Greek Yogurt
30 Grams Chocolate Whey Protein
1 Cup of Ice

Use smoothie setting on blender - makes 2 servings

06/03/09

REST Day

Diet was Primal, but I did have a few pieces of Dark Chocolate in the evening

06/02/09

MetCon Day: I did The Bear, I did it with a lighter load than usual, but even still, it became apparent very quickly that this was not the best choice - my performance was very weak and I really felt it in the shoulders. It just goes to show you - these max effort days really take a long time to recover from. If weight is to be used for MetCon, it needs to be much lighter than usual, and it's really about the cardio aspect. Bodyweight exercises are great for this. Examples would be:

• Burpees
• Manmakers
• Plyo
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Running
• Crossfit Bodyweight routines
• etc

Diet was dead on Primal!

A few more things regarding the Max Effort Black Box (MEBB)

• Overhead Reverse Lunges are great for ancillary work, but not as a 5x5 exercise - a change has been made on the main post
• Certain moves make more sense than others as 5x5 exercises. On Lower Body Days, the Deadlift is the perfect choice, since it also compliments the squats. Cleans and the Snatch are also great choices. On Upper Body Days, the Power Clean and Power Snatch are great choices, as are Overhead Squats. Those are merely suggestions. Feel free to experiment
  

06/01/09

Day 4: REST Day

Looking forward to it! Legs are smoked from yesterday's routine :D

Food list:

• Fage Total Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries
• Protein Shake: vanilla whey, coconut milk, water
• Scallops cooked and served in in coconut oil, seasoned with pepper, with some lime juice added after plated
• Simple Salad
  
• Hamburger with cheese, and tomato slice - no bun - lettuce wrap instead
• Cashews, mixed with a small amount of coconut oil, and then sprinkled with coconut flakes
• A few glasses of water with lemon or lime
  

05/31/09

As usual, I got up early. I was up at 3am for no good reason, especially since I was off. I fasted until 9am, and I had an excellent omelet with extra poblano chilies, and 3 slices of bacon.

I was feeling tired from lack of sleep, and a long week with less sleep than I should be getting, but I went to the gym at 11am to get in my Day 3: Max Effort Lower Body. It was a great workout!!! - I LOVE Max Effort Days and going HEAVY! It's a nice change of pace from the MetCon/Circuit Training routines and the 5x5 or 3x8 routines. I don't get winded, and I almost don't feel like I'm doing enough, but I resist the urge do to more or shorten the breaks between sets.

We have a chart at the gym that shows weight progressions: i.e. if you can do 5 reps with 195, your 3 rep weight is 210 and your 1 rep weight is 230. This is what I used as a guideline for the 5x5, 2x3, 3x1 progression for the day. On the 3x1's I did 230, 235, and 240 - mind you these are DEEP squats, not the 90 degree "partial" squats I did 340 with previously. So 240 is my current best. By the 3rd cycle it should be higher. Not too shabby for a 158-160lb medium-framed ectomorph

As for diet, I had a small portion of chicken and veggies post workout, and I had a small chicken salad shortly thereafter while catching some rays at the pool. It was at this point that I realized I forgot to to the 5x5 Total Body Movement - I must have been tired!!!

When I got back home, I ate a Fage Total Greek yogurt with blueberries, then 18 cherries (yay, cherries are back in season), and a bunch of cashews - I was suddenly ravenous.

I then passed out on the sofa, and slept for 11 hours...I needed it!