No f***ing around

[Off Road]

WTF...you come right back and bust out a PR on squats...amazing!

[brihead301]

Thanks bud!

Just my usual compilation for my own records:

Squat
225 x 13
240 x 11
250 x 10
160 x 20
230 x 13
245 x 12
255 x 10
240 x 10
250 x 11
260 x 8
240 x 15
250 x 12
265 x 6
240 x 20
255 x 5
270 x 3
255 x 6
270 x 3
245 x 11
260 x 3
275 x 4
250 x 11
265 x 7
280 x 3
255 x 12
270 x 5
285 x 3
260 x 10
275 x 5
290 x 3

Bench
170 x 14
180 x 13
190 x 10
140 x 20
175 x 13
185 x 11
195 x 7
180 x 12
190 x 10
200 x 8
185 x 12
195 x 10
205 x 6
185 x 12
200 x 8
210 x 5
200 x 8
210 x 5
190 x 11
205 x 8
215 x 5
195 x 10
205 x 7
220 x 5
200 x 9
210 x 6
225 x 2
215 x 3
230 x 1

Deadlift
315 x 12
335 x 10
350 x 5
325 x 12
340 x 10
360 x 7
235 x 5
330 x 13
345 x 3
365 x 7
330 x 12
350 x 9
370 x 7
335 x 13
355 x 10
375 x 7
355 x 10
375 x 7
340 x 11
360 x 9
380 x 5
345 x 8
365 x 8
385 x 6
350 x 11
370 x 8
390 x 6
355 x 5
375 x 8
395 x 1

OH Press
100 x 12
110 x 10
115 x 9
105 x 11
115 x 9
120 x 7
95 x 5
110 x 11
115 x 7
125 x 7
115 x 10
120 x 7
130 x 4
120 x 8
125 x 7
135 x 4
125 x 7
125 x 8
130 x 6
140 x 3
130 x 6
135 x 5
145 x 1
130 x 6
140 x 4
145 x 0
120 x 9
125 x 8
135 x 4

[borracho]

Nice job on the squats dude! Glad to see them progressing after a break like that!!!

[Coke]

On point with the lifting and MMA...bet you all are pleased with how the kitchen upgrade has come along.

[slashkills]

Damn great work Bri! Congrats on the PR!

[Clover]

Sick that you could come out after a week off and throw down a PR Bri.

[Zorachus]

Lets see some pic's of the Kitchen please. I own a small Millwork business in the Chicago area, dealing with the high end custom Builders, or the few actually still around in this bad market. Also remodeled my house a few years ago, which was originally built in 1928. In the Craftsman and Frank Lloyd Wright style. So would love to see what you did man.

Go HAWKS !!!!

[NickAus]

Looking good!!

[-JM-]

Awesome squat PR Bri! Glad to hear the kitchen project is almost done too, mate. Back to training........

[brihead301]

Nice job on the squats dude! Glad to see them progressing after a break like that!!!

Thanks man! Yup, it helped me recover!


On point with the lifting and MMA...bet you all are pleased with how the kitchen upgrade has come along.

Thanks man...damn right I am!


Damn great work Bri! Congrats on the PR!

Thanks bud!


Sick that you could come out after a week off and throw down a PR Bri.

It was a deload week, so it was no big thing. Thanks man!


Lets see some pic's of the Kitchen please. I own a small Millwork business in the Chicago area, dealing with the high end custom Builders, or the few actually still around in this bad market. Also remodeled my house a few years ago, which was originally built in 1928. In the Craftsman and Frank Lloyd Wright style. So would love to see what you did man.

Go HAWKS !!!!

I'll post pics in a minute.

BTW, go FLYERS BIOTCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:evillaugh::evillaugh::evillaugh::evillaugh:


Looking good!!

Thanks!


Awesome squat PR Bri! Glad to hear the kitchen project is almost done too, mate. Back to training........

Damn right man, thanks!

[brihead301]

This is the only picture I have so far of my almost finished kitchen. It's one my buddy took with his phone after he got done doing the backsplash:

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2043/finishedkitchen.jpg

[brihead301]

6/3/10 - cycle 9, wave 1

I decided to go with a more bodybuilding approach for a few cycles. It's been at least 5 years since I've thought in terms of bodyparts. I have been doing either full body, or upper/lower splits. I decided to do the next couple cycles following this:

Squat day - leg day and abs
Bench day - chest and bi's
Deadlift day - back day and abs
OH Press day - Shoulders and tris

Bench

135 x 5
155 x 5 (65%)
180 x 5 (75%)
205 x 8 (85%) - 9 reps would have been a PR, but again my 'spotter' didn't know how to spot. I was hesitant to ask this guy for a spot, because I know how he is. He's a 'helper' when it comes to spotting. I even gave him a friendly little reminder before the set, "I wanna make sure that I do this all by myself. I never got 9 before with this weight. Don't even put your hands on the bar. Only help if I ask for it...." His reply was, "I'm only here for insurance, don't worry bro". Well, once I started slowing down on the 7th rep, the hands went onto the bar. I even said mid-lift, "Don't touch the bar!!!!" He said, "It's cool man, I got it". Then on the 8th rep, it was an "It's all you" set.....then on the 9th, he helped me a lot. I did not once ask for help......grrrrrrrrrr. How the f*** do you get people to keep their hands of the damn bar????

No rest after the final set
185 x 4
No rest
135 x 7

DB Incline bench

55s x 10
55s x 10
60s x 8
60s x 8
65s x 6

Superset #1 - DB Flies/pushups

30s x 10/bw x 10
30s x 10/bw x 10
30s x 10/bw x 10

Superset #2 - straight bar curls/DB hammer curls

90 x 10/45s x 10
90 x 10/45s x 10

No Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- intense warmup - lots of running, hip escapes, ab work, and pushups
- learned some armbar variations from when you have your opponent's back
- 10 - 15 minutes of rolling

[Zorachus]

Nice kitchen, good work :)

Go HAWKS !!!! ( Pronger is a douche )

[ELmx479]

Kitchen looks great man! The new style of training looks pretty good BUT I think you will miss doing legs on the DL day given you background of training. Bench is doing well, 205x8 is solid. That does really suck about him touching the bar. I could never bench with someone standing over me or touching the bar. I am so used to benching alone in my rack that it would really break my concentration.

[slashkills]

Great work as always bro! I hate asking for spots in my schools gym.

[Clover]

Nice benching dude!! I hear ya about random spotters. I've had one pick the weight up and drop it when I had barely any grip on the bar. I've had some rack the weight after 5 easy reps when I told him I'm going all out. And I've had some that won't let me rack the weight, help me by about 25 lbs, and just tell me to KEEP GOING BRO!!

My friend I'm lifting with now keeps touching the ****ing bar, and he will just keep going and I have to help him or he'll drop the wieght on his throat/chest. All these reps "count".

[Coke]

Good stuff with your benching and all, digging the new kitchen too - I'm impressed!!

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! Nice kitchen too!

[brihead301]

Nice kitchen, good work :)

Go HAWKS !!!! ( Pronger is a douche )

Thanks bud....go Flyers :indian:!!!


Kitchen looks great man! The new style of training looks pretty good BUT I think you will miss doing legs on the DL day given you background of training. Bench is doing well, 205x8 is solid. That does really suck about him touching the bar. I could never bench with someone standing over me or touching the bar. I am so used to benching alone in my rack that it would really break my concentration.

This is very true, I thought of that. I'm just testing this out, and I'll see how it goes. I mean, deads are still a good leg exercise. I just won't have the front squats added on that day anymore. We'll see what happens. Thanks for the words!


Great work as always bro! I hate asking for spots in my schools gym.

Thanks man!


Nice benching dude!! I hear ya about random spotters. I've had one pick the weight up and drop it when I had barely any grip on the bar. I've had some rack the weight after 5 easy reps when I told him I'm going all out. And I've had some that won't let me rack the weight, help me by about 25 lbs, and just tell me to KEEP GOING BRO!!

My friend I'm lifting with now keeps touching the ****ing bar, and he will just keep going and I have to help him or he'll drop the wieght on his throat/chest. All these reps "count".

Haha, ya dude, I just don't get some people. Whatcha gonna do though? Oh well. Thanks for the words bro!


Good stuff with your benching and all, digging the new kitchen too - I'm impressed!!

Thanks bud! It's almost done.


Great work Bri! Nice kitchen too!

Thanks bud!

[brihead301]

6/5/10 - cycle 9, wave 1

I am BEAT THE F*** UP today....actually I was hurtin before I even walked into the gym today. The week off....then the intense squat day...then the new routine all mixed together has me extremely sore. I haven't been this sore in a long time (I like it though!) Anyway, that said today was a less then stellar day at the gym. Oh well, these things happen.

Deadlift

135 x 5
225 x 3
270 x 5 (65%)
310 x 5 (75%)
355 x 5 (85%) - Something just wasn't feeling right today, and my lower back felt very strained after the very first pull w/355. I probably should have just stopped after the first rep, but I didn't want to not hit the target reps, so I just stopped at 5.

Chinups

bw x 12
bw x 11
bw + 25 x 7
bw +25 x 7
bw + 35 x 4

Superset #1 - BB rows/close grip seated cable rows

135 x 10/160 x 10
145 x 10/150 x 10
155 x 10/150 x 10

Hanging leg raise

bw x 10
bw x 10
bw x 10

Notes: When thinking bodyparts, back is one muscle group that I never know if I'm working good enough or not. Deadlift is 'back day' now for me, and I think it should have done enough, but I'm not quite sure. Oh well, I'll stick this routine out for a little while, then possibly switch back to my old upper/lower style of training.

[Off Road]

Bri, the kitchen looks awesome. I really like the colors.
Looks like you did plenty enough for your back.

[Keith]

Dude, your kitchen looks awesome!! Any before pics? Congrats on the project, looks great. Everything go smooth? I hear you on the spotting. Can you not bench in a power rack? Reason # 285 why I don't train at commercial gyms. Mmm...DOMS. Great feeling, huh?

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! I know you didn't hit the reps you wanted, but you still got some good work in. It looks like you did plenty of work for your back too!

[NickAus]

Trained really well, kitchen is nice too!!

Yeah you should put up some before shots so we can compare, always cool.

[Coke]

Session is looking real nice. Keep experimenting until you find what works best for you...you have been doing great up to this point, no doubt you will continue making strides with it all.

[brihead301]

Bri, the kitchen looks awesome. I really like the colors.
Looks like you did plenty enough for your back.

Thanks bud! Ya, I hear ya. Back is the hardest thing for me to 'feel it' in though.


Dude, your kitchen looks awesome!! Any before pics? Congrats on the project, looks great. Everything go smooth? I hear you on the spotting. Can you not bench in a power rack? Reason # 285 why I don't train at commercial gyms. Mmm...DOMS. Great feeling, huh?

I guess I could bench in a power rack. I've never done that before though. I'd love to have a home gym man seriously....but until then, it's a public gym for me. I do love the DOMS though!!!! Pics will be up in a minute.


Great work Bri! I know you didn't hit the reps you wanted, but you still got some good work in. It looks like you did plenty of work for your back too!

Thanks man. Ya, my a** was definately whooped after that session.


Trained really well, kitchen is nice too!!

Yeah you should put up some before shots so we can compare, always cool.

Thanks man, will post pics in a minute.


Session is looking real nice. Keep experimenting until you find what works best for you...you have been doing great up to this point, no doubt you will continue making strides with it all.

Yup, that's the way to do it, just keep experimenting. I'm liking the added attention to each muscle group with this way of training. Thanks for the words!

[brihead301]

Here's some before pics of the kitchen. It's all I had. I wish I took some actual pictures, but these are just some random ones from a party I had one time (That's me doing DAS BOOT in the last one):

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8356/before5.jpg

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2258/before3.png

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2516/before2x.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/392/before1p.jpg

And now:

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/2043/finishedkitchen.jpg

[borracho]

I am diggin the kitchen...the before/after pics def show the effort put in. And glad to see ya back with it...I like the new outline ya got going for the new routine. I thnk it'll be good for you to change it up. I know I need to as well.

[NickAus]

Nice!!

[Keith]

Sick! Great work, broseph!

[brihead301]

Thanks fellas!!!!

6/7/10 - cycle 9, wave 1

OH Press


I did a 10% reset on the press, since I stalled out on my 5/3/1 day last cycle

45 x 7
90 x 5 (65%)
105 x 5 (75%)
120 x 9 (85%) - PR +1 rep

DB OH Press

50s x 10
50s x 10
55s x 8
60s x 3
60s x 3

CGBP

165 x 9
165 x 6
135 x 9
135 x 8

I started to superset some skull crushers in there with the CGBP, but direct tricep work KILLS my elbows, so I stopped after one set...not worth recording.

Superset #1 - DB Lateral raises/front raises

25s x 10/25s x 10
25s x 10/25s x 10
25s x 10/25s x 10

This session felt a bit too easy. I think next shoulder/tricep day, I'm going to include weighted dips. It's been a long time since I've done this bodypart split stuff, and I'm not sure what my thoughts are on it yet. If I'm just not feelin it after a few weeks, I will switch back to my old trusty upper/lower split training.

No gi Jiu-jitsu

- running, jumping jacks, shuffling, etc....for warmup
- arm bar from the mount and guard drilling
- guard passing drills
- 30 minutes of guard pass/sweep drills

Easy day overall.

[slashkills]

Great work on the kitchen! Im sure you will make great progress now that you reset.

[Off Road]

Smart man resetting. Good luck getting all "buffed-out." :)

[gatorman2k6]

Good job resetting! I'm sure you will get this bodybuilding stuff figured out and make it work for you.

[borracho]

Def smart for resetting the OHPs...I think I need to do the same cause I'm about tapped out on that and dont see it getting better unless I take a small step back. Nice job dude.

[NickAus]

Smart thinking stopping doing something that hurts too much!

[Keith]

That's quite the overhead press! Congrats on the PR! My elbows scream at me too when I do any tricep extension. I can only do close-grip presses, dips and I can actually do tricep pushdowns with my bands but keeping my elbows really tucked in - like you do with a close-grip bench. Try that if you haven't already.

[Zorachus]

Thanks fellas!!!!

6/7/10 - cycle 9, wave 1

OH Press


I did a 10% reset on the press, since I stalled out on my 5/3/1 day last cycle

45 x 7
90 x 5 (65%)
105 x 5 (75%)
120 x 9 (85%) - PR +1 rep

DB OH Press

50s x 10
50s x 10
55s x 8
60s x 3
60s x 3



Damn :omg: On those Assistance DB OH Press. Your pumping out 100lbs and again 120lbs for many reps after your main 5/3/1 set ? That is impressive.

On my OH Press days after the main 5/3/1 set I am dropping it to like 50-60% my 1rep max for the Assistance lifts, and doing sets of 10, never thought of doing sets at like 90%

[ELmx479]

Nice pressing, that is crazy you can press 60lb bells. Another thing to keep in mind if you are going after the bodybuilder look is keeping the muscle under tension during the entire lift.

[Zorachus]

Nice pressing, that is crazy you can press 60lb bells. Another thing to keep in mind if you are going after the bodybuilder look is keeping the muscle under tension during the entire lift.


What does that mean exactly ? Like keep a slow and steady controlled movement of the weights ? Few seconds up and down count for each rep ?

[Coke]

The dips would be a good addition to the other tricep movements, they are nice for the chest too.

[Clover]

Nice lifting Bri. It'll be interesting to see how the bodypart split works out, I was going to respond to your thread on the main board but I'm not smart enough to give advice lol. I think I've seen Tom M. advocate the bodypart splits though so there is one good source.

[brihead301]

Great work on the kitchen! Im sure you will make great progress now that you reset.

Thanks man, ya we'll see how it goes.


Smart man resetting. Good luck getting all "buffed-out." :)

Haha, oh I will be buffed out in no time! Thanks bud!


Good job resetting! I'm sure you will get this bodybuilding stuff figured out and make it work for you.

Ya, just a little experiment ya know? Thanks!


Def smart for resetting the OHPs...I think I need to do the same cause I'm about tapped out on that and dont see it getting better unless I take a small step back. Nice job dude.

Thanks man. Ya, I wasn't going beyond 145 anytime soon, so I needed to reset, and try to work my way back up.


Smart thinking stopping doing something that hurts too much!

True that! Thanks for the words bro!


That's quite the overhead press! Congrats on the PR! My elbows scream at me too when I do any tricep extension. I can only do close-grip presses, dips and I can actually do tricep pushdowns with my bands but keeping my elbows really tucked in - like you do with a close-grip bench. Try that if you haven't already.

I will give that a shot because I'm looking for tricep exercises to do that don't kill my elbows. I'm not sure how much I tuck my elbows during the CGBPs though, I'm gonna have to pay attention to that more. Thanks for the suggestions man!


Damn :omg: On those Assistance DB OH Press. Your pumping out 100lbs and again 120lbs for many reps after your main 5/3/1 set ? That is impressive.

On my OH Press days after the main 5/3/1 set I am dropping it to like 50-60% my 1rep max for the Assistance lifts, and doing sets of 10, never thought of doing sets at like 90%

It's funny, when using DB's I never think in terms of percentages. With barbells, and doing the same ilft as the main lift, then I work from %'s, but not with DB's....In fact, my OH press is so low anyway, working at 50% or so isn't even worth it. Thanks for the words man!


Nice pressing, that is crazy you can press 60lb bells. Another thing to keep in mind if you are going after the bodybuilder look is keeping the muscle under tension during the entire lift.

Thanks man...the most I've done was 65s x 6 on DB OH press, but I wasn't so pre-exhausted from doing all the additional pressing beforehand then. Good call on the TUT also, definately something to focus on!


What does that mean exactly ? Like keep a slow and steady controlled movement of the weights ? Few seconds up and down count for each rep ?

Yes, do a search on "Time under tension". I never really payed much attention to it, but it is a bodybuilding theory out there, which there is many articles written on.


The dips would be a good addition to the other tricep movements, they are nice for the chest too.

Thanks bud. Ya I think I'm going to do the dips instead, because they don't seem to bother my elbows like tricep isolation stuff.


Nice lifting Bri. It'll be interesting to see how the bodypart split works out, I was going to respond to your thread on the main board but I'm not smart enough to give advice lol. I think I've seen Tom M. advocate the bodypart splits though so there is one good source.

Ya I'm interested in seeing how it turns out too. Yes, I've seen Tom advocate splits many times before too. It's good to hear everyone's opinion though, no matter what level of experience they are. Thanks bro!

[brihead301]

6/8/10

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- jogging, hip escapes, rolling around, gorrilla walking, etc.... for warmup
- arm bar from mount/arm bar from guard/triangle drilling
- learned a basic sweep, and drilled that
- intense rolling for 15 minutes

[brihead301]

6/9/10

No Gi jiu-jitsu

- jogging, shuffling, hip escaping
- arm bar from mount and guard, triangle from guard, combinations of the two drills
- learned a varation of the arm bar using the gi
- 30 minutes of intense rolling (aka getting my a** kicked, and fighting for my life!)

[Zorachus]

Go HAWKS !!!! :clap:

[brihead301]

Buncha pansies!

[Zorachus]

Philly put up a good fight, way better than San Jose, and Vancouver, you would have killed both those teams, but the HAWKS are just too deep, and can play different styles excellently.

The first three games could have gone either way, Philly up 3-0, or us up 3-0, those first three were any ones, and we barely won those first two, and could have won the third.

Game 4 you killed us, but Game 5 we killed you, and last night was a nail biter, but you guys were not getting called on some blatant fouls in the 2nd Period. And the 3rd Period was a battle, sending it to OT, and Kaner got a crazy shot in that your goalie should have stopped, but that's the way it goes.

[Coke]

Great sole focus on your fight game training the past couple of days.

[brihead301]

Philly put up a good fight, way better than San Jose, and Vancouver, you would have killed both those teams, but the HAWKS are just too deep, and can play different styles excellently.

The first three games could have gone either way, Philly up 3-0, or us up 3-0, those first three were any ones, and we barely won those first two, and could have won the third.

Game 4 you killed us, but Game 5 we killed you, and last night was a nail biter, but you guys were not getting called on some blatant fouls in the 2nd Period. And the 3rd Period was a battle, sending it to OT, and Kaner got a crazy shot in that your goalie should have stopped, but that's the way it goes.

I agree! It was a good series. Congrats on your team winning!


Great sole focus on your fight game training the past couple of days.

Thanks bud!

[brihead301]

6/11/10 - cycle 9, wave 2

I decided to wear some knee sleeves today. I've always squatted without anything, but the thing that worries me the most is that I'm going to one day f*** up my knee if a squat is too heavy for me, and my form fails. I'm now approaching the 300# mark with squats, so I figured I'd start wearing sleeves.....they felt amazing. I did my whole leg session, and I didn't even feel a thing in my knees or legs at all. It wasn't until a few hours later after taking the sleeves off that I felt the fatigue and onset of DOMS in my legs. Those knee sleeves are awesome!

squat

45 x 6
95 x 5
135 x 5
215 x 3 (70%)
245 x 3 (80%)
275 x 5 (90%)

Front squat

135 x 10
155 x 10
175 x 10
185 x 10

SLDL

225 x 10
225 x 10
225 x 10

Superset #1 - Dragon flags/hanging leg raises

bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10

[Off Road]

Great workout Bri. Do the knee sleeves feel supportive, or are they just warming? I have trouble with one of my knees and I'm always worried when I walk out my squat.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! That is some strong squatting! I really like the front squats too!

Off Road- If you have one knee that you are worried about, I'd pick up knee sleeves. I have had problems with one of mine in the past, and I wore one on my bad knee and it made me feel a lot more stable and confident.

[brihead301]

Thanks guys. Yes, I do feel that they do provide support. I'm not sure how much actual support they are providing, but when squatting in them my knees don't even feel any slight discomfort whatsoever (which is not usually the case with me when squatting heavy). If anything, they have a great psychological effect on me...but honestly, I do think they help physically as well. I will continue wearing them from now on for sure. Try them out, and you'll see what I mean.

[jed]

Hey Bri, it's been a while man! Checked the compilation and it still looks like youre getting stronger bro! I like the kitchen, what all did you re-do to it? Interesting choice on the new "BB" approach for your routine, I am interested to see how that turns out for you. I may buy some knee sleeves also when I get this back figured out and I can squat again, thanks for the input on 'em. Keep smashin it big man.

[Clover]

Great workout Bri. You managed to get a lot done in one session.

[brihead301]

Thanks fellas. Jed, I redid everything - new cabinets, floor, backsplash, plumbing, walls, moldings, electrical, appliances, countertop, etc... It's 100% new everything except for fridge and dishwasher!

Here's a transformation of me from last year before I started taking MMA to current:

Before MMA:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6397/220lbs.jpg

Current:

http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/5619/175916093.jpg

[Coke]

Damn dude, looking every bit the mean badass fighter these days!! - bet you get plenty of comments all around you in the form of major compliments. You have done extremely well over the past year.

[borracho]

Nice squats bud..and as for the transformation...DAMN! That is awesome progress dude...you should be super proud of where you've gotten. I am starting to kick the idea around of getting into the BJJ in town..the only ****ty thing is the gym is about 25 miles from home...and about 50 miles from work (which is where I'd be leaving from mostly likely). But I think I am going to check it out some time in the near future..see what the schedule is like and costs.

Cheers again on the transformation bud!

[Keith]

Dude, what a HUGE transformation! You look awesome, bro. You should be very proud. Did you change your diet at all or was it from all the calories you burned during the MMA?

[slashkills]

Thats damn impressive work bri! You should be extremely proud of the progress you have made! congrats man

[Zorachus]

wow those before and current pic's are unreal. Good job Bri.

So were you doing the 5/3/1 back then in the before picture too ? Only change is adding the MMA cardio work ? I don't mean "only", but is that what cut you down so much ?

[jed]

Wow dude, that's some serious awesomeness right there. You look great, freakin yoked dudely. Looks like you have a sick back... Great work.

[brihead301]

Damn dude, looking every bit the mean badass fighter these days!! - bet you get plenty of comments all around you in the form of major compliments. You have done extremely well over the past year.

Thanks a lot man! Ya, I do get some compliments here and there. It always feels good to hear them too! I mainly just like being in shape and feeling strong for myself, but compliments are nice too.


Nice squats bud..and as for the transformation...DAMN! That is awesome progress dude...you should be super proud of where you've gotten. I am starting to kick the idea around of getting into the BJJ in town..the only ****ty thing is the gym is about 25 miles from home...and about 50 miles from work (which is where I'd be leaving from mostly likely). But I think I am going to check it out some time in the near future..see what the schedule is like and costs.

Cheers again on the transformation bud!

Thanks man, I appreciate it! That does sound kinda s***ty that you have to drive that far in order to take BJJ. That's weird, because where I live there's like 20 different places to choose from as far as MMA and BJJ goes. Maybe I live in a more populated area though. It would be cool if you started though. Thanks again for the words!


Dude, what a HUGE transformation! You look awesome, bro. You should be very proud. Did you change your diet at all or was it from all the calories you burned during the MMA?

Thanks a lot man. I did change my diet a little bit, but not right away. The MMA started causing drastic weight loss, and then I started to like the way I was looking much better, so I then decided to start to tighten up my diet. My diet was never great honestly. Really the only thing I ever focused on was trying to get a lot of protien in each day. I never really counted calories or macros or any of that stuff. I just started to choose healthier options, and try to get in a s***load of protien each day.


Thats damn impressive work bri! You should be extremely proud of the progress you have made! congrats man

Thanks man. Yes, I am pretty happy with myself, but I really do enjoy training, so it's not like it was a difficult task or anything. I think it would be more difficult to let myself go and not train at all.


wow those before and current pic's are unreal. Good job Bri.

So were you doing the 5/3/1 back then in the before picture too ? Only change is adding the MMA cardio work ? I don't mean "only", but is that what cut you down so much ?

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think I was just getting started on the 5/3/1 as I joined MMA. Before that I was following low rep routines (starting strength followed by the texas method followed by my own premade routine). When I started 5/3/1, that's when I really started to incorporate higher reps and supersets into my training, and I do think that it definately had an impact in the weight loss. But like I said, I also started to clean up my diet after the MMA started leaning me out, so that had an effect too. It was a mix of the 5/3/1 which is a great 'powerbuilding' routine, the cardio from MMA, and the improved diet.

I wouldn't have been left with much muscle though if I didn't spend 3 years bulking up and building up my base level of strength though.


Wow dude, that's some serious awesomeness right there. You look great, freakin yoked dudely. Looks like you have a sick back... Great work.

Thanks man....I appreciate it!

[brihead301]

6/12/10 - cycle 9, wave 2

Bench

45 x 6
135 x 5
170 x 3 (70%)
190 x 3 (80%)
215 x 3 (90%) - grrrr, got 5 last time

no rest
185 x 5
185 x 5
135 x 10

DB Incline Bench

55s x 10
60s x 10
65s x 10
70s x 10
75s x 6

Superset #1 - DB Flies/pushups

30s x 10/bw x 15
30s x 10/bw x 15
30s x 10/bw x 15

Superset #2 - BB curls/DB hammer curls

90 x 10/45s x 10
90 x 10/45s x 10

BB Preacher curls

85 x 8

I'm not sure if I'm diggin this bodypart split stuff. I don't feel as if I'm getting the frequency as I was before. My back is only getting hit once per cycle, and so are my legs (aside from deads that is, but that's not really much of a leg movement). I think I will go back to my old way after this cycle.....I mean, maybe I should give it a chance, but it's just not feeling like a good balanced routine like I had before.

[Coke]

Liking the session. hearing you on the split though, most of us need balance above all else when hitting each body part.

[Zorachus]

Was thinking of mixing things up for my Accessory lifts in my 5/3/1 ?

Lets say for example on my 5/3/1 Chest day, for an Accessory lift I do some OH Press, "Big But Boring" style like 5x10 of 50% my 1rep max. And then on my 5/3/1 OH press day I do BBB Bench press Accessory lifts, and same for Squat day I do BBB Deadlift accessory, and lastly on my Deadlift day I do a BBB Squat accessory ?

Currently my 5/3/1 schedule is 4 days; Sunday = Squats, Tuesday = Bench, Thursday = Deadlift, Saturday = OH Press.

[ELmx479]

I remember seeing your before and after pics. That is really impressive bro. It should be a lesson to people coming on here looking for a short cut and what supplement to take. You did with plain old hard ass work. We are right around the same bf% I would say.

[NickAus]

Looking real good in the pics bro, well done!!

Good training for sure!!

[gatorman2k6]

Good lifting Bri! That is an awesome transformation as others have said! Great inspiration to the rest of us!

[-JM-]

Awesome squats Bri! I just stopped wearing knee sleeves, lol. They are defo great for warmth though.

I cant see those photos with this PC but will check them out later!

[brihead301]

Liking the session. hearing you on the split though, most of us need balance above all else when hitting each body part.

Thanks man. Ya, I'm working on all the minor details of the program now...still not sure if I'm going to keep the bp split or not, but my sessions are getting better now because I'm selecting the right lifts.


Was thinking of mixing things up for my Accessory lifts in my 5/3/1 ?

Lets say for example on my 5/3/1 Chest day, for an Accessory lift I do some OH Press, "Big But Boring" style like 5x10 of 50% my 1rep max. And then on my 5/3/1 OH press day I do BBB Bench press Accessory lifts, and same for Squat day I do BBB Deadlift accessory, and lastly on my Deadlift day I do a BBB Squat accessory ?

Currently my 5/3/1 schedule is 4 days; Sunday = Squats, Tuesday = Bench, Thursday = Deadlift, Saturday = OH Press.

I don't see anything wrong with that. That's kinda what I did for a while. Deadlift day had 'squat assistance' work, and vise-versa. OH Press day, and bench days were just all around upper body days....but ya, just keep experimenting with the assistance work, and see what works best for you. The main thing is just keep giving every session your 100% effort, and you will be happy!


I remember seeing your before and after pics. That is really impressive bro. It should be a lesson to people coming on here looking for a short cut and what supplement to take. You did with plain old hard ass work. We are right around the same bf% I would say.

Thanks bud. Ya, I was never one to think that supplements are the answer. I knew it required hard work and dedication, but it's a good thing that I enjoy it, otherwise I'd be screwed!


Looking real good in the pics bro, well done!!

Good training for sure!!

Thanks for the words man!


Good lifting Bri! That is an awesome transformation as others have said! Great inspiration to the rest of us!

Glad I could be an inspiration to ya'll thank bud!


Awesome squats Bri! I just stopped wearing knee sleeves, lol. They are defo great for warmth though.

I cant see those photos with this PC but will check them out later!

Ya, I love those sleeves....I'm going to make it a consistent thing wearing them. Thanks for the words bro!

[brihead301]

6/14/10 - cycle 9, wave 2

On Sunday nights I like to treat myself to a nice big ice cream, while I sit on my a** and watch TV....I had a pint of Ben and Jerry's 'milk and cookies' flavored ice cream this past Sunday. Damn that s*** was good!!!! All those carbs stay in my system, and really help me to train hard the following day. That is why Monday's sessions are always such good ones for me!

Deadlift

135 x 5
225 x 3
290 x 3 (70%)
330 x 3 (80%)
375 x 8 (90%) - PR. What a difference from last deadlift day. Last time, I could barely get the first rep off the ground, and it was only 355. This session, all 8 reps were pretty easy. I credit the ice cream from the night before.

Big superset #1 - pullups/BB rows/ seated cable rows

bw x 12/155 x 10/150 x 10
bw x 9/155 x 10/150 x 10
bw x 9/155 x 10/150 x 10

Weighted pullups

bw + 25 x 5
bw + 25 x 3

Superset #2 - weighted decline situps/hanging leg raises

bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10

Skipped Jiu-jitsu yesterday, because I was really in the mood to go home and play guitar....so I did that instead!

[borracho]

Thats a big back day dude!!! Looks like a lot of volume on the pullups...looking good.

[Off Road]

Nice PR, looks like the rest did you good.

[slashkills]

Great past two sessions! Ill let you slide for skipping training just because you played guitar. Thats the only acceptable reason.

[Coke]

Good deal on the Ben & Jerry's ice cream, can't beat that, lol - the guitar playing rocks too.

[Keith]

Huge pull, bud!! Crediting ice cream is probably accurate. That's an insane superset, too. I don't know how you do all that back-to-back but it probably sure helps with your conditioning.

[brihead301]

Thats a big back day dude!!! Looks like a lot of volume on the pullups...looking good.

Thanks man...ya, my back is sore as hell today!


Nice PR, looks like the rest did you good.

Thanks man....yup rest is always a helpful thing!


Great past two sessions! Ill let you slide for skipping training just because you played guitar. Thats the only acceptable reason.

Thanks for letting me slide, haha. Yes, guitar trumps all!


Good deal on the Ben & Jerry's ice cream, can't beat that, lol - the guitar playing rocks too.

Gotta love the Ben and Jerry's !!! Thanks for the words man!


Huge pull, bud!! Crediting ice cream is probably accurate. That's an insane superset, too. I don't know how you do all that back-to-back but it probably sure helps with your conditioning.

Haha, it's just my rationalization for eating a whole pint of that icey creamy goodness!!! Thanks man....ya the supersets are really just to conserve on time, but they surely probably do help my conditioning too!

[brihead301]

6/15/10 - cycle 9, wave 2

OH press

45 x 7
100 x 3 (70%)
110 x 3 (80%)
125 x 8 (90%)

Superset #1 - Clean and press/DB OH press

140 x 5/50s x 10
140 x 5/50s x 10
140 x 5/55s x 10
140 x 5/55s x 8

Superset #2 - CGBP/DB Lateral raises

155 x 10/25s x 8
155 x 10/25s x 8
155 x 8/25s x 8

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- warmup, which kicked my a** because I was so beat up from the gym....lots of hip escape drills
- arm bar drilling
- 35 - 40 minutes of rolling, which still involved me mostly trying not to get submitted!

[Off Road]

Your shoulders must have been screaming for mercy. Getting some good weight overhead.

[RonnyB]

Just curious, what MMA gym do you train at?

[slashkills]

Great work! Im going to keep stealing these super sets from you.

[Time+Patience]

That definitely had to be a killer Shoulder session. I just started doing Cleans again, they work amazing for my traps. I'm finding overhead presses to be very hard when standing-- do you have the same problem by chance? They seem much easier when seated, I assume due to the fact that I have to stabilize my entire body while standing.

[Coke]

Killer day with the workout and MMA man.

[Clover]

Past couple of workouts have been intense Bri. Awesome cut you did there too, looking swole. Did you continue to get stronger during it?

[-JM-]

Great pressing session Bri! No PRs though, not like you man?

A pint of Ben and Jerrys you say? Im squatting tomorrow so I feel I should try that, lol.

[NickAus]

So much shoulder work, dont think I have ever done that.

Should pay off no doubt!!

[brihead301]

Your shoulders must have been screaming for mercy. Getting some good weight overhead.

Eh, it wasn't so bad. Thanks though!


Just curious, what MMA gym do you train at?

Why do you live near me or something?


Great work! Im going to keep stealing these super sets from you.

Haha, no prob. Thanks man!


That definitely had to be a killer Shoulder session. I just started doing Cleans again, they work amazing for my traps. I'm finding overhead presses to be very hard when standing-- do you have the same problem by chance? They seem much easier when seated, I assume due to the fact that I have to stabilize my entire body while standing.

Damn right, cleans are amazing for trap.....I kinda think presses are hard both ways honestly, but when seated I tend to cheat by leaning back, and making it into more of an incline bench press. I think that may be why they are slightly easier.


Killer day with the workout and MMA man.

Thanks bro!


Past couple of workouts have been intense Bri. Awesome cut you did there too, looking swole. Did you continue to get stronger during it?

Thanks man. Nah, I lost some strength. My highest squat was 325 x 5, bench was 255, deadlift was 420...I'm almost back to that though, so I'm happy!


Great pressing session Bri! No PRs though, not like you man?

A pint of Ben and Jerrys you say? Im squatting tomorrow so I feel I should try that, lol.

I highly recommend it....it tastes good, and it makes you strong as a bastard!


So much shoulder work, dont think I have ever done that.

Should pay off no doubt!!

I'm new to this bodypart split stuff, so I'm not sure how much is too much shoulder work. I'm not sure if I like this way of training though, honestly. Thanks for the words though!

[borracho]

Killer supersets Bri!! And nice work on the OHP too!

[Keith]

Damn that's a solid overhead press, bud!! Your shoulders must have been fried after that workout - they never got a break!

[brihead301]

Killer supersets Bri!! And nice work on the OHP too!

Thanks bud!


Damn that's a solid overhead press, bud!! Your shoulders must have been fried after that workout - they never got a break!

HAha, thanks....hell no, I destroyed those shoulders. Of any particular muscle group I want to get HUGE it would be my shoulders and traps!

[brihead301]

6/18/10 - cycle 9, wave 3

Squat

45 x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
230 x 5 (75%)
260 x 3 (85%)
290 x 3 (95%) - I really love my knee sleeves. I'm so happy I started wearing them again, because my knees feel 100% fine during and after every single squat session now....not that they hurt terribly before, or I was using horrible form or anything, it's just that my knees always felt as if they were the weak link in my legs, and at any point that may blow out (probably just mental crap)....but I feel super strong and supported with knee sleeves on. Now that I'm starting to get up around 300 lbs. again for the first time in almost 1.5 years, I like the extra support (if only mental!)

Front squat

135 x 10
155 x 10
165 x 10
175 x 10
185 x 10

Superset #1 - SLDL/dragon flags/hanging leg raises

225 x 10/bw x 10/bw x 10
225 x 10/bw x 10/bw x 10
225 x 10/bw x 10/bw x 10

That was fun!

[Coke]

Good deal with the knee sleeves, baddass leg work going on bro.

[ELmx479]

Solid work man. I should look into some knee sleeves myself to help my weak ass squat.

[Off Road]

Nice squat session Bri.

[Keith]

Of any particular muscle group I want to get HUGE it would be my shoulders and traps!

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Keith]

Nice squatting, bro. Your squat is definitely a lot stronger than mine. For some reason I thought we were on par at some point, lol. I think mine's declining for some reason though lol, oh well, **** squatting. I feel the exact same about my knee sleeves. Which ones do you have? I have ATP knee sleeves. They're awesome and I feel the keep them tight and warm which is just what I'm looking for. Huge front squats, too! Damn!

[slashkills]

Beastly **** bro! Good news on the squats.

[Mark!]

Like Keith said, what knee sleeves do you have? I just bought some Inzer knee sleeves, waiting for them to get here. Squats look mighty fine, and the superset looks fun, dragon flags FTW!

[LuNa]

Wow Bri, great numbers you are putting up. You are making great progress dude, keep it up!

[NickAus]

Looking very good!!

The super sets look hard!!

[jed]

Glad to hear those sleeves are working well for you, dude. Amazing about that Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I didn't even think about that. I will have to try that. I'm a fan of Blue Bunny Cookies and Cream, is 'Milk and Cookies' the same or different? Workouts have been awesome man. You should post up a link or two to some of your guitar peices.

[Cmanuel]

Good stuff in here dude. Keep it up!!! Can you comment on your progression so far on 5-3-1? Or have you already done that recently?

[gatorman2k6]

Great work lately Bri! I should probably start wearing my sleeves again now that I'm squatting, especially because my good knee felt a little strange last night.

[brihead301]

Good deal with the knee sleeves, baddass leg work going on bro.

Thanks brotha! As always, your words are always much appreciated!


Solid work man. I should look into some knee sleeves myself to help my weak ass squat.

Thanks man...nah, they won't really help your squat, but they do give you the feeling that your knees are more stable.


Nice squat session Bri.

Thanks bud!


Nice squatting, bro. Your squat is definitely a lot stronger than mine. For some reason I thought we were on par at some point, lol. I think mine's declining for some reason though lol, oh well, **** squatting. I feel the exact same about my knee sleeves. Which ones do you have? I have ATP knee sleeves. They're awesome and I feel the keep them tight and warm which is just what I'm looking for. Huge front squats, too! Damn!

Haha, I sometimes think **** squatting...but that's only because I'm bad them....and that's EXACTLY why I should work HARDER on them.

My knee sleeves are McDavid brand. I got them at sports authority. They do the job! Thanks for the words bro!


Beastly **** bro! Good news on the squats.

Thanks man!


Like Keith said, what knee sleeves do you have? I just bought some Inzer knee sleeves, waiting for them to get here. Squats look mighty fine, and the superset looks fun, dragon flags FTW!

McDavid knee sleeves....thanks brotha!! Gotta love those dragon flags.


Wow Bri, great numbers you are putting up. You are making great progress dude, keep it up!

Thanks bro!


Looking very good!!

The super sets look hard!!

Nah, they were easy! Thanks man!


Glad to hear those sleeves are working well for you, dude. Amazing about that Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I didn't even think about that. I will have to try that. I'm a fan of Blue Bunny Cookies and Cream, is 'Milk and Cookies' the same or different? Workouts have been awesome man. You should post up a link or two to some of your guitar peices.

Milk and cookies is kinda like cookies and cream, except Ben and Jerry's hooked it up with more s*** like swirls and stuff....you know how they roll? It's good s***!!! I'm now studying classical guitar, and maybe once I get good at it, I will post up a piece or 2! Thanks for the words brotha!


Good stuff in here dude. Keep it up!!! Can you comment on your progression so far on 5-3-1? Or have you already done that recently?

Progression is going very well....deads and squats are constantly moving up. I stalled on OHP, but I did a reset, and hopefully I can break my plateau of 145 lbs. I'm nearing a stall on the bench too. If I were to eat more and gain weight, I'd probably get a hell of a lot stronger, but at this point I'm fine at just 180 lbs. and focusing on my Jiu Jitsu skills!

Here's a link of my progress:

http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?117358-No-f***ing-around&p=2342130#post2342130


Great work lately Bri! I should probably start wearing my sleeves again now that I'm squatting, especially because my good knee felt a little strange last night.

Thanks man! Ya, the sleeves definately can't hurt...

[brihead301]

6/22/10

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- basic warmup of jogging, hip escaping, and crunches
- armbar from mount and guard drilling, triangle drilling
- 25 minutes of rolling

[Keith]

McDavid? LOL, I sell those at my work. They're okay, but I compared them to my APTs, and it makes a pretty big difference. But you get what you pay for and yeah, McDavid's do the job.

[brihead301]

Eh, I'm not too picky about brand names (unless it's involving guitar stuff!). They do the trick, so that's all I'm concerned about.

6/23/10 - cycle 9, wave 3

Bench

45 x 7
135 x 5
180 x 5 (75%)
205 x 3 (85%)
230 x 1 (95%) - almost got 2, but just couldn't lock it out

Drop sets
185 x 8
135 x 10

DB Incline Bench press

55s x 10
60s x 10
65s x 10
70s x 10
75s x 6

Superset #1 - DB Flies/pushups

30s x 10/bw x 15
30s x 10/bw x 15
30s x 10/bw x 15

Superset #2 - straight BB curls/DB hammer curls

90 x 10/45s x 10
90 x 10/45s x 10

Preacher curls

85 x 8

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- jogging, hip escapes, ab stuff
- learned 2 variations of the basic lappel choke (2 from mount, 2 from guard)
- 30 minutes of rolling

My Jiujitsu goes in waves. Sometimes I feel like I'm improving, sometimes I feel like I totally suck.....that's some crazy s*** that BJJ!!! I could definately see it taking me a lifetime to master!

[Time+Patience]

I see you like to incorporate a good deal of supersets into your workouts. Is your focus on endurance? I've been trying to add more supersets also, and they are very taxing! They take a good deal of focus especially if you are incorporating a bigger exercise within the superset.

[Off Road]

How's the bodybuilding going? Noticing anything yet?

[brihead301]

I see you like to incorporate a good deal of supersets into your workouts. Is your focus on endurance? I've been trying to add more supersets also, and they are very taxing! They take a good deal of focus especially if you are incorporating a bigger exercise within the superset.

Endurance and conditioning has always been a major focus of mine since I started MMA. Lately, I've been concerned with hypertrophy though (still endurance though!)...but the increased volume has been causing some bad tendonitus in my elbows. Thanks for the words brotha!


How's the bodybuilding going? Noticing anything yet?

I think I am noticing an improved physique....but as I said above, all this extra volume with the pressing is killing my elbows. I have to figure out what to do about this, and still continue to keep the volume relatively high.

[borracho]

I think I am noticing an improved physique....but as I said above, all this extra volume with the pressing is killing my elbows. I have to figure out what to do about this, and still continue to keep the volume relatively high.
What movements are irritating it? Bench? OHP? How is your form on bench (tuck elbows/flare elbows)?

[brihead301]

I'm not sure what caused it honestly...but yesterday, it was wave 3 on bench, and it was hurting my elbows badly. It hurts to the touch, and it also hurts by doing any type of 'skull crusher' movement with my arm.

I'm thinking that the combination of Jiujitsu and the increased volume is seriously irritating my elbows.

[gatorman2k6]

Good benching Bri! Tons of volume.

[mchicia1]

I'm not sure what caused it honestly...but yesterday, it was wave 3 on bench, and it was hurting my elbows badly. It hurts to the touch, and it also hurts by doing any type of 'skull crusher' movement with my arm.

I'm thinking that the combination of Jiujitsu and the increased volume is seriously irritating my elbows.

How close of a grip do you use on bench? I ask because I do a lot of pressing and am the type where if the wind is blowing strong that day, I may get injured. However, I have never once had elbow pain on a pressing movement where I used a wide grip...but close grip definitely would stress the hell out of it. You may just need to alter your grip.

Or it may be that your upper back/lats are not taking the pressure as you descend towards your chest and your elbows have to work more to stabilize it. Kind of like how people bend at the knees rather than bear all the load on their hips in the squat.

[mchicia1]

6/15/10 - cycle 9, wave 2

OH press

45 x 7
100 x 3 (70%)
110 x 3 (80%)
125 x 8 (90%)


Really nice pressing....125x8 is really good. You generally won't see the average gym guy doing a strict press with over 100....

I consider the press to be the hardest exercise to add weight to. Its humbling for sure.

[Coke]

Keep holding on strong, especially with the fight game man.

[-JM-]

Bri,

Have you tried ice and heat after every session of both weights and BJJ? I found that really helped with elbow pain. 20 mins ice and 20 mins heat rotated for as long as you can.

Nice OHP too Bri.

[brihead301]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. My bench form isn't the greatest, I know that. I have a general understanding of proper powerlifting bench form, but I know I don't use it....for some reason bench is just one of those lifts where good form is extremely hard for me to achieve. Basically there's not one single person at my gym that I can talk to about what good form actually is on any single lift.....luckily I spent a year obsessing over how to properly squat, so I figured that out for myself (still no one is there to correct me if I slip though)....it's the same for bench, but I just never had the obsessive drive to achieve perfect form like I did for the squat.

I have to learn to engage my lats more I know that. Good suggestion Mchicia, thanks!

And Flynn, I will give the ice/heat thing a shot. Do you use heat packs for the heat part? Or do you have something that you can plug in or something?

[mchicia1]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. My bench form isn't the greatest, I know that. I have a general understanding of proper powerlifting bench form, but I know I don't use it....for some reason bench is just one of those lifts where good form is extremely hard for me to achieve. Basically there's not one single person at my gym that I can talk to about what good form actually is on any single lift.....luckily I spent a year obsessing over how to properly squat, so I figured that out for myself (still no one is there to correct me if I slip though)....it's the same for bench, but I just never had the obsessive drive to achieve perfect form like I did for the squat.

I have to learn to engage my lats more I know that. Good suggestion Mchicia, thanks!

And Flynn, I will give the ice/heat thing a shot. Do you use heat packs for the heat part? Or do you have something that you can plug in or something?

I believe I have pretty good bench form now, but I was like you before...didn't really understand what everyone meant by leg drive. I never actually felt like it was possible to drive with the legs on bench until a few weeks ago. I hate taking videos in a commercial gym though...makes me feel like a douche for some reason. If no one is in there though ill have my wife videotape my setup and post it.

[brihead301]

^^^I feel the same way. Eh, it's a work in progress though.

6/25/10 - cycle 9, wave 3

Deadlift

135 x 5
225 x 3
310 x 5 (75%)
350 x 3 (85%)
395 x 1 (95%) - I'm a little upset that I was only able to get this off the ground once. I got 390 x 6 last cycle....oh well, I must have been tired or something.

Big superset #1 - Chinups/BB rows/Seated cable rows

bw x 12/155 x 10/150 x 10
bw x 10/155 x 10/150 x 10
bw x 10/155 x 10/150 x 10

superset #2 - weighted decline situps/hanging leg raises

bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10

[Off Road]

Sorry about the deadlift. That was the one thing I didn't like about 5/3/1; if you had a bad session, it was another month before you got to have your revenge.

[-JM-]

Deadlift is fickle. Sometimes it flies up sometimes its nailed down. You can never tell what sort of day it might be. Either way you are left thinking WTF?, lol.

You forgot to eat a pint of Ben and Jerrys the night before maybe? Solid effort anyway mate.

For the ice and heat I use 4 gel packs. two hot and two cold and rotate them one elbow hot and one cold at the same time while the other two are heating and cooling respectively. Dont think I explained that very well, lol.

[borracho]

I'm a little upset that I was only able to get this off the ground once.

Its def just one of those days, no biggie. I am sure you'll surpass that and then some next go around dude.

[gatorman2k6]

Not what you wanted, but still great work Bri! Crazy supersets as usual too!

[NickAus]

Awesome work Bri!!

[slashkills]

Keep beastin bud

[Coke]

Pulling serious weight man.

[Keith]

Sorry I haven't been in here lately, bro -- life's been busy! It must suck not having a single go-to person in your gym to discuss form and technique. Pressing 230 at your weight and not utilizing proper powerlifting technique is a good sign though, man. Perfect your form like you did with squatting, even if it takes you a year! That's by far the most important thing and once you have that down, you'll have your whole life to work on numbers.

About your deadlift, do you usually have that little warm-up sets? I usually need plenty if I'm pulling something heavy. Because you're doing 5/3/1 and your first work set (75%) is only 310, I guess warm-ups aren't the biggest deal, but just a thought. Something must have been off because that's quite a difference. I know you'll bounce back, though. Not a bad attitude considering.

Your supersets are always ****ing nutty!! That'll definitely help with your conditioning for BJJ! Speaking of MMA, did you see the Fedor/Werdum fight? I couldn't believe my eyes! I must have say "oh my god" about a hundred times. The feeling I had was like a high school breakup haha.

[ThomasG]

You'll get your revenge next time around with deads, whats your 1rm pr? Do you compete or plan on it?

[Zorachus]

I have been doing the 5/3/1 for awhile now and love it. But lately on some of my core lifts I can't muster up beyond the specified amount. Like today was Week 2 bench press, and I just could not lift a 4th rep on the final set. Am I still getting a workout on the 5/3/1 if I can only do the prescribed number of lifts on the final set and not much more if any at all beyond that ?

On Leg days I can always do double the lifts.

My log;
http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?136154-36yrs-old-5-3-1-Journal&p=2352072#post2352072

[brihead301]

Sorry about the deadlift. That was the one thing I didn't like about 5/3/1; if you had a bad session, it was another month before you got to have your revenge.

Ya, but that's only for the heaviest weight of that cycle you have to wait another month for....Every single session, I'm always shooting for some sort of a rep PR against previous cycles. Over time, I'll be using this weight on earlier waves....that's exactly why I like this program so much.


Deadlift is fickle. Sometimes it flies up sometimes its nailed down. You can never tell what sort of day it might be. Either way you are left thinking WTF?, lol.

You forgot to eat a pint of Ben and Jerrys the night before maybe? Solid effort anyway mate.

For the ice and heat I use 4 gel packs. two hot and two cold and rotate them one elbow hot and one cold at the same time while the other two are heating and cooling respectively. Dont think I explained that very well, lol.

Ya I hear that about the deads man....I'm definately blaming it on the lack of Ben and Jerry's! I hear ya on about the gel packs, while one elbow is getting the cold pack, the other is getting the hot, then switch! Thanks for the advice. I may give this a shot if this problem keeps up!


Its def just one of those days, no biggie. I am sure you'll surpass that and then some next go around dude.

I like your optimism, thanks brotha!


Not what you wanted, but still great work Bri! Crazy supersets as usual too!

Thanks a lot man!


Awesome work Bri!!
Thanks bud!


Keep beastin bud

Haha, will do thanks!


Pulling serious weight man.

Thanks brotha, not serious enough though....I want those 5 plates!


Sorry I haven't been in here lately, bro -- life's been busy! It must suck not having a single go-to person in your gym to discuss form and technique. Pressing 230 at your weight and not utilizing proper powerlifting technique is a good sign though, man. Perfect your form like you did with squatting, even if it takes you a year! That's by far the most important thing and once you have that down, you'll have your whole life to work on numbers.

About your deadlift, do you usually have that little warm-up sets? I usually need plenty if I'm pulling something heavy. Because you're doing 5/3/1 and your first work set (75%) is only 310, I guess warm-ups aren't the biggest deal, but just a thought. Something must have been off because that's quite a difference. I know you'll bounce back, though. Not a bad attitude considering.

Your supersets are always ****ing nutty!! That'll definitely help with your conditioning for BJJ! Speaking of MMA, did you see the Fedor/Werdum fight? I couldn't believe my eyes! I must have say "oh my god" about a hundred times. The feeling I had was like a high school breakup haha.

Ya, the additional training definately helps me with the BJJ. Other guys give up and get winded when I have tons of gas left in the tank, I like it! Ya, I just saw that fight on youtube yesterday actually. I was never really a Fedor fan (I only have a few guys in UFC that I pay attention to). But Fedor definately looked like he made a huge mistake.....You don't dive in to a high-ranked BJJ expert with flailing arms, you are going to get armbarred or triangled!

I'm always working on form too man!!! Thanks for the words!


You'll get your revenge next time around with deads, whats your 1rm pr? Do you compete or plan on it?

Ya, sometimes I just have a bad day here and there. Thanks for the words! I'm not sure what my 1RM is. The most I ever did was 420 x 1, but I also weighed 40 more lbs. when I pulled that. At my current weight, the most I have pulled was what I did last session of 395 x 1. Nah, no competing for me. I will do a Jiu-jitsu tournament if anything, but not PLing.


I have been doing the 5/3/1 for awhile now and love it. But lately on some of my core lifts I can't muster up beyond the specified amount. Like today was Week 2 bench press, and I just could not lift a 4th rep on the final set. Am I still getting a workout on the 5/3/1 if I can only do the prescribed number of lifts on the final set and not much more if any at all beyond that ?

On Leg days I can always do double the lifts.

My log;
http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?136154-36yrs-old-5-3-1-Journal&p=2352072#post2352072

I'm like that too. Bench and OH press get very hard to make PR's on once you reach a certain point. Squats and deads tend to go on a lot longer before a stall occurs. Wendler points out that as long as you hit the prescribed reps each session, you are good! Anything more then that just builds character he says.

[brihead301]

6/29/10 - cycle 9, wave 3

My elbows were bothering me as soon as I did the first set of OH press, but I tried something that a buddy suggested to me. He told me to do high rep, single arm tricep pushdowns to warm up the elbow joint. I tried it out, and they hurt my elbow at first, but then the pain went away completely!!! So between every set of presses that I did, I just went and did light pushdowns. It definately helped a ton, and allowed me to get through this session completely pain-free!

OH Press

45 x 6
105 x 5 (75%)
120 x 3 (85%)
135 x 4 (95%) - I reset back 10% this cycle, since I stalled out in cycle 8....but I'm not sure if it's helping.

superset #1 - Clean and press/DB OH press

140 x 5/50s x 10
140 x 5/50s x 10
140 x 5/55s x 9
140 x 5/55s x 8

Superset #2 - DB lateral raises/DB front raises

25s x 8/25s x 8
25s x 8/25s x 8
25s x 8/25s x 8

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- no warmup, just went straight to learning a cool triangle setup!!! I really liked this new thing I learned
- 30 minutes of straight rolling. No breaks, no switching partners...just 30 straight minutes!! My a** was whooped, but luckily I was going up against someone who was lighter then me....although this person was a fiesty little bastard, don't know where he got all his energy from, but he jumped around like a little monkey the entire time. That definately tired me out!

[Off Road]

I've been having a little elbow pain myself the last couple of days. I think I was coming down too far on the Military Press (touching my chest).

Anyway, that was an impressive shoulder day. Lots of good exercises with good weight. Laughing at the monkey guy -- Haha

[gatorman2k6]

Great work with the weights and Jiu-Jitsu Bri!

[borracho]

Daaamn?! 30 min straight rolling? That's intense right there.

Nice workout...I foresee the OHPs taking a climb now that you've reset it. And those SS's are looking crazy as ever, too! No doubt that helps in the JJ stuff.

[LuNa]

Nice lifting Bri, putting up decent numbers as always. Good to hear pain was minimal.

[Coke]

Looks like keeping blood flow hot around the elbows does the trick for you.

Glad to see the new triangle technique.

[Keith]

Interesting about the elbow pain. Are your elbows flared out or tucked in during the overhead press? Great work regardless. 30 minutes of rolling sounds absolutely brutal!

[NickAus]

Right on track for some new PR's!!

[brihead301]

I've been having a little elbow pain myself the last couple of days. I think I was coming down too far on the Military Press (touching my chest).

Anyway, that was an impressive shoulder day. Lots of good exercises with good weight. Laughing at the monkey guy -- Haha

My elbow pain is from Jiu jitsu. There's a lot of "skull crusher" motion going on, when trying to keep people off me, so that's what's affecting my elbow.

Thanks for the words man!


Great work with the weights and Jiu-Jitsu Bri!

Thanks!


Daaamn?! 30 min straight rolling? That's intense right there.

Nice workout...I foresee the OHPs taking a climb now that you've reset it. And those SS's are looking crazy as ever, too! No doubt that helps in the JJ stuff.

Thanks man, but we'll see about the OHPs....that's the one lift I struggle with like crazy to add weight to...but we'll see what happens.


Nice lifting Bri, putting up decent numbers as always. Good to hear pain was minimal.

Thanks man!


Looks like keeping blood flow hot around the elbows does the trick for you.

Glad to see the new triangle technique.

Yes, it seems like that definately did the trick! Thanks man!


Interesting about the elbow pain. Are your elbows flared out or tucked in during the overhead press? Great work regardless. 30 minutes of rolling sounds absolutely brutal!

I'm not sure if they are flared or not....I'm thinking that they are flared slightly. I should pay more attention to my form on the bench and OHP. Thanks for the words man!


Right on track for some new PR's!!

Well see! Thanks man!

[brihead301]

7/1/10 - cycle 9, deload

Squat

95 x 7
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 5

Superset #1 - dragon flags/hanging leg raises

bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10

No gi Jiu-Jitsu

- jogging and hip escaping for warmup
- armbar, triangle, and omoplata drilling
- drilled the omoplata submission
- 20 minutes of intense rolling

[Off Road]

I was thinking, "WTF is Bri doing?" Until i read it was a deload -- Haha

[Keith]

I'm not sure if they are flared or not....I'm thinking that they are flared slightly. I should pay more attention to my form on the bench and OHP. Thanks for the words man!

Yeah, try paying attention next time and really keep them tucked in. I'd be surprised if you experience elbow pain if you did them that way. I know any extension with my elbows flared puts me in a ton of pain! Almost everything I do now is eblows tucked, even getting out of a chair, haha.

[gatorman2k6]

Nice deload Bri! Ok, I've been wondering this for a while and I'm too lazy to youtube, what the heck are dragon flags??

[ELmx479]

Doing really good man, OH Press is strong. I know all about elbow pain having 14 pieces of loose bone removed from mine, haha. Looks like you are going to stick with the 5/3/1 program for some time.

[Clover]

Pretty intense stuff up until the deload Bri. Sucks about the elbow pain. I've lucked out and had no pain in my elbows, but I've probably had it just about everywhere else before. The hot/cold pack really helped me when I tweeked my shoulder, I would throw it under my shirt on the walk to the gym. Got some blood flowing and loosened things up.

[borracho]

I was thinking, "WTF is Bri doing?" Until i read it was a deload -- Haha
:hello:
Me too!!!

[brihead301]

Thanks for all the words guys.....I'm dead today....actually, I've been dead since the weekend. I didn't get to the gym yesterday, I'm pi**ed that I skipped! But I did go to BJJ though.

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- jogging, ab work, stretching
- practiced 3 different side-control gi chokes
- 30 minutes of rolling

I need to lift again soon, I'm feeling weak and out of shape.....it's no good.

[NickAus]

Still plenty of training overall!!

[Keith]

How can you feel out of shape with all this Jui-Jitsu? Speaking of MMA, I can't get it out of my mind these days. I've been thinking of joining a near by very reputable Muay Thai club. With Judo experience, the combination would be great. It doesn't help seeing your Jiu-Jistu training in here, lol. Right now I just don't have the time or money, but man, I'd love to join as soon as I have the resources. Do you enjoy it more and more as you become more experienced and skilled?

[Off Road]

Maybe you are feeling a little fatigued...possibly eat a little more :)

[brihead301]

I'll be back at it today to begin cycle 10! I'm going directly from work!

Keith, yes I love BJJ. I don't do MMA anymore (meaning no standup, or wrestling, or muai thai, etc...). I just focus 100% on jiu jitsu. When I was taking MMA, there were too many things to focus on, and I don't feel as if I was getting good at any single thing. With BJJ, I feel I'm improving because I'm training it 2 - 3 times a week. It's really a great martial art to study, and I could go my whole life and never actually master it....it's one of those things that you can never stop improving in. If I stopped training all together with the gym, I still would continue to do the jiu jitsu.

[Brian C]

Hey bro, been a while. Your JJ/MMA has been awesome. Wish I had your stamina. Your still putting in solid work. Keep it up. One of these days maybe we can mee\t up and talk about your form issues. Love to train with you some day.

[JSully]

fight yet?

haha, j/k bro. training looking good, keep it up!!

[brihead301]

Hey bro, been a while. Your JJ/MMA has been awesome. Wish I had your stamina. Your still putting in solid work. Keep it up. One of these days maybe we can mee\t up and talk about your form issues. Love to train with you some day.

Thanks man. Ya, that would be cool. I'm sure you could show me a thing or two about how to properly bench. Unfortunately, I have no one else aside from the internet peoples to show me what to do.


fight yet?

haha, j/k bro. training looking good, keep it up!!

Thanks man....actually, I will be doing some BJJ tournaments definately. It's not quite an MMA cage fight....but I love jiu-jitsu!

[brihead301]

Squat
225 x 13
240 x 11
250 x 10
160 x 20
230 x 13
245 x 12
255 x 10
240 x 10
250 x 11
260 x 8
240 x 15
250 x 12
265 x 6
240 x 20
255 x 5
270 x 3
255 x 6
270 x 3
245 x 11
260 x 3
275 x 4
250 x 11
265 x 7
280 x 3
255 x 12
270 x 5
285 x 3
260 x 10
275 x 5
290 x 3
265 x 8
265 x 10
265 x 11
280 x 5
295 x 3

Bench
170 x 14
180 x 13
190 x 10
140 x 20
175 x 13
185 x 11
195 x 7
180 x 12
190 x 10
200 x 8
185 x 12
195 x 10
205 x 6
185 x 12
200 x 8
210 x 5
200 x 8
210 x 5
190 x 11
205 x 8
215 x 5
195 x 10
205 x 7
220 x 5
200 x 9
210 x 6
225 x 2
215 x 3
230 x 1
210 x 5
210 x 5
220 x 4
235 x 1

Deadlift
315 x 12
335 x 10
350 x 5
325 x 12
340 x 10
360 x 7
235 x 5
330 x 13
345 x 3
365 x 7
330 x 12
350 x 9
370 x 7
335 x 13
355 x 10
375 x 7
355 x 10
375 x 7
340 x 11
360 x 9
380 x 5
345 x 8
365 x 8
385 x 6
350 x 11
370 x 8
390 x 6
355 x 5
375 x 8
395 x 1
355 x 11
355 x 11
380 x 5
400 x 3

OH Press
100 x 12
110 x 10
115 x 9
105 x 11
115 x 9
120 x 7
95 x 5
110 x 11
115 x 7
125 x 7
115 x 10
120 x 7
130 x 4
120 x 8
125 x 7
135 x 4
125 x 7
125 x 8
130 x 6
140 x 3
130 x 6
135 x 5
145 x 1
130 x 6
140 x 4
145 x 0
120 x 9
125 x 8
135 x 4
125 x 8
125 x 8
130 x 6
140 x 3

[brihead301]

7/8/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

It's been 1 year now that I've been on the 5/3/1 program. The above compilation shows all my "all out rep max" sets for every single day of the program so far. Overall, I don't know if my absolute 1RM's have increased by much considering I started at 10% less then my actual 1RM's, coupled with the fact that I started the program at a weight of about 185 lbs., and my last recorded 1RM's were done when I was 220 lbs.

Basically, I lost a bunch of weight, then estimated what I thought my 1RM's were (obviously less then they were when I was 220), then I took 10% off that and started the program.

What I do know is that I have gotten stronger in other rep ranges aside from my 1RM though. I always look at my progression compilation, and whatever weight I'm training with that day, I try to beat what I previously did with that same weight. For instance, just yesterday I did 265 x 8....last time I trained with 265 for my final set, I only did 7 reps....Most of the time I do beat my previous session, so it's a general upwards trend.

This was all done with no weight gain either. I've basically been floating between 170 and 185 throughout the entire program. I'm 180 now. By this time next year, if everything goes as planned, I will be repping my previous 1RM's!!!! I'm in no rush to get the big numbers.....I'd much rather be able to handle the big numbers with ease.

Squiznat

45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
200 x 5 (65%)
235 x 5 (75%)
265 x 8 (85%) - PR? I dunno. All I know is that 265 x 8 was easy for me.....That wasn't the case last year.

Superset #1 - DB Bulgarian split squat/hack squat superset

40s x 10/245 x 10
40s x 10/245 x 10
40s x 10/245 x 10

Superset #2 - dragon flags/hanging leg raise

bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10

No gi Jiu-jitsu

- warmup
- practiced a few guard passes
- 10 minutes of rolling

Kind of a beat class....but I did successfully submit my partner with a triange. That was a first for me! There's 3 types of people in BJJ - those that you are better then, those that are the same, and those that are better. The guy I rolled with, was one that I was better then because I have been training longer. But people like that really allow you to put your stuff into practice.....and it's amazing that it all works!!!! Now, trying to do that on a higher belt then myself won't be quite as easy, but it is nice to know that I'm improving to the point where I can totally dominate someone less trained then me. My teacher said that every 6 months I will notice as huge jump in progress....well, I'm 7 months in, and I feel as if I'm not a total clueless newb anymore to BJJ!!!!

Good day overall yesterday!

[Off Road]

As long as the numbers are going up, then that's progress. Do that for five years and you'll be a beast!

[borracho]

Seems like you have the right mindset to make lots of long term progress Bri! And congrats on the successful triangle..I am sure that felt awesome.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work the last year Bri! You've put in a ton of hard work and it's paying off! Congrats on the triangle too!

[Coke]

Good news man, you pay your dues with the BJJ and with the weights as well.

[Clover]

Pretty cool that you threw down a triangle.

Does your strength training carry over well to BJJ? I see some MMA fighters that have massive upper bodies with bird legs and wonder if that is just ignorance or good for fighting.

[brihead301]

As long as the numbers are going up, then that's progress. Do that for five years and you'll be a beast!

Hellz ya man!! That's the way I like to look at it. I plan on sticking with this for another 5 years, but you never know what can happen. We shall see!


Seems like you have the right mindset to make lots of long term progress Bri! And congrats on the successful triangle..I am sure that felt awesome.

Thanks bud! Yes it did feel awesome knowing that I'm getting better at BJJ.


Great work the last year Bri! You've put in a ton of hard work and it's paying off! Congrats on the triangle too!

Thanks bud!! Some may call it hard work, I just think it's fun!


Good news man, you pay your dues with the BJJ and with the weights as well.

Thanks man...as said above, it's all fun man. I'd hate to NOT lift and train jiu jitsu.


Pretty cool that you threw down a triangle.

Does your strength training carry over well to BJJ? I see some MMA fighters that have massive upper bodies with bird legs and wonder if that is just ignorance or good for fighting.

Thanks man. At this point I'm a white belt, and white belts generally need to focus on survival. Although I'm constantly learning, I still don't have the techniques down well enough to fare against a blue or purple belt. I can kick other new guys' a**es, but against guys that are trained it's all about not getting submitted. Now, being strong REALLY helps to fight my way through, and not let them get me right away....and against a guy my own size, with the same level of experience, but not as strong....I have the upper hand!

So at this point, yes strength is helping me...but eventually BJJ becomes about technique rather then strength. It's all based on leverages and putting forth minimal effort to beat another person, no matter how big or strong. But hey, why not be strong too? It certainly can't hurt!

[brihead301]

7/10/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

Bench

45 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 5 (65%)
185 x 5 (75%)
210 x 5 (85%) - This was hard today, but I still hit the target amount of reps.

Big superset #1 - DB OH press/pullups/reverse grip BB Rows

50s x 10/bw x 10/135 x 10
55s x 10/bw x 10/135 x 10
60s x 6/bw x 10/135 x 10

Dips

bw x 20
bw x 20

Short and and to the point!

[Keith]

Great progress, bud! Being 35 lbs lighter AND pushing around higher numbers than last year is a huge improvement. Good to see you're enjoying 5/3/1 and it's working well for you. Sweet successfully submitting someone with a triangle! 6 months is definitely a long time to progress in any MMA, keep at it! Solid squatting, too! That superset followed by the squats is insane, I couldn't imagine doing anything after BSS. Great benching, too. I need to catch up to your numbers. Our stats are pretty similar but you have an edge on me with your strength, I'm coming after you!

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! Crazy superset as usual and 2 sets of high rep dips is killer!

[NickAus]

You will be tapping purple belts in no time!!

[Coke]

Stay with it, you will eventually become one of the more advanced guys at your fight gym.

[ELmx479]

1 year on the 5/3/1 is awesome! Most people can't stick to the same program for 1 month. What are your plans for the next 12 months?

[KoSh]

Well done with the triangle. I'm more of a guillotine guy myself, but I primarily look to ground n' pound.

What kind of triangle? The one with the guy in your guard where you pass one arm?

[brihead301]

Great progress, bud! Being 35 lbs lighter AND pushing around higher numbers than last year is a huge improvement. Good to see you're enjoying 5/3/1 and it's working well for you. Sweet successfully submitting someone with a triangle! 6 months is definitely a long time to progress in any MMA, keep at it! Solid squatting, too! That superset followed by the squats is insane, I couldn't imagine doing anything after BSS. Great benching, too. I need to catch up to your numbers. Our stats are pretty similar but you have an edge on me with your strength, I'm coming after you!

Thanks man!!! Ya, I see you're putting up some big number too. I'd say we're about even. I might have you on squats but that's about it! Yup, the triangle felt damn good too!!


Great work Bri! Crazy superset as usual and 2 sets of high rep dips is killer!

thanks bud!!


You will be tapping purple belts in no time!!

Tapping a purple belt seems so far away from now....but yes, one day I will be there! Thanks man!!


Stay with it, you will eventually become one of the more advanced guys at your fight gym.

Damn right I will be!! I will stick with it for as long as I can!!


Well done with the triangle. I'm more of a guillotine guy myself, but I primarily look to ground n' pound.

What kind of triangle? The one with the guy in your guard where you pass one arm?

I don't do MMA anymore, so it's only BJJ. Guillotines are nice for when you start out on your feet, but that's not the case with my training. It was just a regular triangle from the guard...but something I always had trouble pulling off.

[brihead301]

7/12/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

Deadlift

135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 5 (65%)
315 x 5 (75%)
355 x 11 (85%) - PR +1 rep

Front squat

45 x 6
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 5 - PR both in weight and reps

Superset #1 - weighted decline situps/hanging leg raises

bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10

[Off Road]

That's an insane amount of reps on the deadlift. I would be pooped for days. Nice work.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! How did you have any energy after those deads?

[borracho]

Awesome job on both PRs...11 reps is silly. Well done, bud!

[Coke]

Looking stellar there bro.

[NickAus]

Congrats on the front squat PR!!

[brihead301]

Thanks guys! Ya, the deads definately tired me out for sure!

7/14/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

OH Press

45 x 5
95 x 5 (65%)
110 x 5 (75%)
125 x 8 (85%)

superset #1 - clean and press/CGBP

140 x 5/185 x 5
140 x 5/185 x 5
140 x 5/185 x 4
140 x 5/185 x 3

Superset #2 - straight bar curls/DB hammer curls

90 x 10/45s x 10
90 x 10/45s x 10

Gi Jiu-Jitsu

- trained open guard the whole class w/ positional sparring for the last 10 - 15 minutes

I'll be in Florida until Monday, so no training till then. Sucks I'm forced to take another deload, but at least I'll be on the beach drinking cold beers!!

[Zorachus]

Pretty sweet OH Press; 125 x 8 is impressive

[Time+Patience]

11 reps on Deads are always tough, especially with 355. You definitely have a good deal of Deadlift strength. Would you say that is a particular strength for you?

How do you hold/position the bar during Front Squats? I've seen Tom M. hold it with his hands under the bar, but I normally try to cross my arms. The arms crossed doesn't work out too well for me.

[brihead301]

Thanks Zorrachus!


11 reps on Deads are always tough, especially with 355. You definitely have a good deal of Deadlift strength. Would you say that is a particular strength for you?

How do you hold/position the bar during Front Squats? I've seen Tom M. hold it with his hands under the bar, but I normally try to cross my arms. The arms crossed doesn't work out too well for me.

Thanks bud. Ya, I'd say that of all my lifts that deadlifts are definately my strong point. Although I'm not super strong with them as far as my 1RM goes, but I can do a lot of reps with a relatively heavy weight (10+ reps @ 2x bodyweight).

I never did arms crossed front squats either. I always do them as if I just racked a power clean. They used to hurt my wrists, but now it doens't bother me at all, and it's a very natural position for me.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! 125x8 is some strong overhead pressing! Nice supersets as usual. Enjoy your deload in Florida!

[Coke]

You deserve a small break, have a great time down in Florida man.

[NickAus]

(10+ reps @ 2x bodyweight).

NICE!!

[ELmx479]

Enjoy the beach bro! I will be on my way Saturday!!

[borracho]

Nice upper session..enjoy the break in Florida!! Sounds awesome

[Off Road]

Enjoy.

[Keith]

Didn't you just come back from a vaca?!?! Enjoy, bud!! Eat up and be sure to help the elderly across the street!

[Clover]

Enjoy the vacation Bri.

[borracho]

be sure to help the elderly across the street!

Just like on Mr Deeds where he throws the old dude over his shoulder and shuttles his old ass across the road!

[brihead301]

Thanks fellas!

I've decided to repeat wave 1 of this cycle, since I took another 6 days off due to vacation. Plus, I'm going away again in the 3rd week of August, so it makes perfect sense to do a complete cycle now, and then use the week I go away as deload week.

7/19/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

Squat

45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
200 x 5 (65%)
235 x 5 (75%)
265 x 10 (85%) - PR +2 reps!

superset #1 - DB bulgarian split squats/hack squats

40s x 10/245 x 10
40s x 10/245 x 10 - I was only able to do sets, I was DEAD and feeling dizzy so I stopped here.

superset #2 - dragon flags/hanging leg raise

bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10

No Gi Jiu-jitsu

- warmup involving lots of crazy stretches
- learned to get into the "S" mount properly, and do armbars and americanas from there
- 10 minutes of rolling

[Off Road]

Split squats and Hack squats as a superset...that's got to be painful.

[borracho]

Nice dude, the squats are climbing! And smart thinking as far as your plan is concerned. Where you heading off to for this next vacation/trip?

[Coke]

Right back at it with some killer stuff bro.

[Keith]

Awesome PR, bud! 265x10 is sick. BSS + hack squats must have been brutal! I can see why you got lightheaded there.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! That's awesome that you got a 2 rep PR after the vacation!

[NickAus]

Nice squats bro!!

[brihead301]

Thanks fellas!

Borracho, I'm going to the folk fest in August. It's kinda like Woodstock, only the bands there aren't as cool....but the party is the same!

7/20/10

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- warmup consisting of running, ab stuff, and hip escaping
- did some half-guard work (escapes, half guard pass)
- 30 minutes of positional sparring against the higher belts.

[LuNa]

Nice numbers on the main lifts and really nice supersets!

[Brian C]

Great squatting B! Numbers are looking real good

[Keith]

Page 69 FTW!

[brihead301]

Thanks guys!

Good call Keith!

7/21/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

Bench

45 x 5
135 x 4
160 x 5 (65%)
185 x 5 (75%)
210 x 5 (85%)

Big superset #1 - DB OH press/chinups/reverse grip BB rows

50s x 10/bw x 10/135 x 10
55s x 10/bw x 10/135 x 10
60s x 8/bw x 10/135 x 10
65s x 5/bw x 10/135 x 10

Dips

bw x 20
bw x 20

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- learned a bunch of half guard stuff - sweeps and a choke when you're in someone's halfguard
- 20 minutes of rolling

[StLRPh]

great job on everything in here Bri, how long have you been doing BJJ?

[gatorman2k6]

Good work Bri! Crazy accessory work as usual!

[Time+Patience]

Your bench numbers look very solid. You have to a rather conditioned individual with all of the extra work and the super sets that you do. I've always found supersets to be rather intense and hard to do! I see you do them religiously.

[Clover]

Nice sessions lately Bri!!

Looks like you had a similar squat day to my last one, except you kicked its ass!

[Coke]

Glad to hear you are becoming a more skillful and technically sound fighter these days.

[slashkills]

beastin bri!

[-JM-]

Great job on the Squat PR Bri! All the numbers moving along steadily. You are consistent across the board. Great to see.

[brihead301]

great job on everything in here Bri, how long have you been doing BJJ?

Thanks man! I've been focusing purely on BJJ for about 8 months now. Before that I did MMA for a year, but I found that it wasn't really for me.


Good work Bri! Crazy accessory work as usual!

Thanks bud!


Your bench numbers look very solid. You have to a rather conditioned individual with all of the extra work and the super sets that you do. I've always found supersets to be rather intense and hard to do! I see you do them religiously.

Thanks bud! Yes they are tough. I try to do them with minimal rest, but sometimes my rest times last longer then I would like. They are great for fat burning purposes, and they allow you to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. I like that I can get a bunch of stuff done in under 1 hour.


Nice sessions lately Bri!!

Looks like you had a similar squat day to my last one, except you kicked its ass!

Thanks man! Yes, I was happy with this last squat day.


Glad to hear you are becoming a more skillful and technically sound fighter these days.

Thanks man....yup, all the training is definately helping me to make sense of BJJ.


beastin bri!

Haha, thanks man!


Great job on the Squat PR Bri! All the numbers moving along steadily. You are consistent across the board. Great to see.

Right on brotha, thanks for checkin in!

[brihead301]

This was my food p0rn from yesterday:

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/6724/sushig.jpg

[StLRPh]

From what I remember there are some pretty good BJJ schools in the Philly area. How did you like the switch from non-Gi (I assume that's what you did in MMA) to Gi work?

[brihead301]

When I first signed up for the BJJ classes at my school, I had planned to continue with MMA and only take no-gi classes.... I had no interest in wearing that "karate uniform", and I didn't even understand the point. I then started hearing lots of things about how training gi BJJ makes your no-gi game much better because if you can escape from inferior positions with the gi on, then goint to train without the gi on it's MUCH easier to escape. After I heard that, I decided I'd start doing a gi class here and there....I still was only interested in no-gi though, and I kinda had to force myself to make it to the gi classes....Mainly I just didn't want to see my $100 that I spent on the gi go to waste, so I made myself go to some gi classes!

After a few gi classes though, I REALLY started to like it. Eventually, I found myself wanting to only go to gi classes, and if I was going to skip a class...it would be a no-gi one. It was a total change in thinking! I guess I kinda got lucky in the fact that I ended up pursuing what I wasn't really interested in, because I'm now EXTREMELY interested in it!

Gi is awesome! There are many people like myself that don't have any interest in taking the gi classes, because they don't know what it's all about. They think, "Why would I want to wear that thick, hot uniform and learn BJJ in that? It's not like I'd be wearing the gi in a real street fight! I'll just train no-gi since that's more like a real street fight." But they don't realize, that by training the gi techniques (which now incorporates the 'gripping' component), that they are getting better at BJJ overall - both in gi and no-gi.

See, with gi you have to know where to grip the person at, and where exactly your hands are supposed to be placed in order for the technique to be effective. In no-gi, that is a factor that is somewhat overlooked since there is no gripping involved. Even without the ability to grip, the placement of your hands still makes a differece in the effectiveness of the technique - every single inch affects the leverage. If I were to only take no-gi classes, I would overlook these subtle (yet VERY important) aspects of the techniques. Training with the gi forces you to learn these additional subtleties that would typically be overlooked in no-gi. When I go to roll with someone in the no-gi class, I do MUCH better even without having the ability to grip because I still position my hands in the same spots as if I was going to grip them up.

Even though I'm only 8 months into my training, I can pretty much completely dominate a brand new white belt in the no-gi class. I was rolling with a new guy the other night, and I actually amazed myself at how EVERYTHING was working - sweeps, submissions, escapes!!! I couldn't believe it! I still have a LOOONNNNGGG way to go, but I attribute my recent improvements and 'breakthroughs' to the fact that I have been putting a lot of time into gi training!

[Coke]

Great read ...awesome how you've come to appreciate and understand your game.

[Keith]

Great bench numbers as usual, bud. Sorry, not a fan of your food pr0n - I hate sushi! I've been yelled at before for that comment, but it's an acquired taste that I can't get into. Dude, I used to LOVE wearing my gi! It's something I couldn't go without and wouldn't have learned at the same rate as I did using it. Although there was no option for no gi judo classes.

[brihead301]

Great read ...awesome how you've come to appreciate and understand your game.

Thanks man....still got a long ways to go. It's comin along though!


Great bench numbers as usual, bud. Sorry, not a fan of your food pr0n - I hate sushi! I've been yelled at before for that comment, but it's an acquired taste that I can't get into. Dude, I used to LOVE wearing my gi! It's something I couldn't go without and wouldn't have learned at the same rate as I did using it. Although there was no option for no gi judo classes.

Eh, I guess it's not for everyone. I just started liking it within the past couple years, and now I love it....good stuff!!! That's awesome that you used to train BJJ and Judo as well. Thanks for the words as always man!!

[brihead301]

7/23/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

Deadlift

135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 5 (65%)
315 x 5 (75%)
355 x 11 (85%) - exactly the same as last 'cycle 10, wave 1'. I could have probably gotten a 12th....but f*** that!!!! Every single rep was a killer this day, and since I'm constantly trying to break rep PR's everytime I repeat a weight, I don't want to have to beat 12 next time.

Front squat

45 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 5

Superset #1 - weighted decline situps/hanging leg raises

bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10
bw + 45 x 10/bw x 10

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! I don't blame you for not wanting to beat 12 reps on deads! Anything over 5 reps is already cardio.

[Coke]

That's killer stuff with those deads.

[KoSh]

Great deadlifting and the like in here, Bri. That food pr0n pic I also have a problem with...

I thought originally that you might be sharing... But sharing that would be a disservice... No wonder why you're getting good at BJJ so fast, you have three freakin' hands!

[borracho]

Awesome DLs bud...super high reps!

[NickAus]

Weights and BJJ going very well, great to hear!!

[brihead301]

Thanks guys! Sushi is awesome....if you never tried it, you should. I used to think it was gross too, but then I gave it a shot, and now I love it!

7/27/10 - cycle 10, wave 1

OH Press

45 x 7
95 x 5 (65%)
110 x 5 (75%)
125 x 8 (85%)

Superset #1 - clean and press/CGBP

140 x 5/185 x 5
140 x 5/185 x 5
140 x 5/185 x 5
140 x 5/185 x 5

Superset #2 - BB curls/DB hammer curls

90 x 10/45s x 10
90 x 10/45s x 10

Preacher curls

85 x 10

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- I just went for the warmup. I thought I had a bunch of mosquito bites on my feet from this party I went to this past Saturday, but when I got to class my buddy pointed out that it might be poison ivy. I thought about it, and out of respect for others I decided not to put anyone else at risk for catching it from me...so I left. It sucks too, because I really wanted to train too!

[Off Road]

You really hammered thos gunz...nice pressing numbers BTW, are those strict?

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! How are you doing after resetting the OH press? Hitting PRs? That sucks about the poison ivy on your feet, but that was nice of you to not put the others at risk of getting it too.

[Coke]

Good day for the delts and arms dude.

[borracho]

so was this dude that planted the poison ivy seed in your head equal/lower than you in skill? If that is the case then perhaps he was just trying to get you out of class for a day so you dont dominate his ass during sparring? :D

Nice lifting...I'll echo the above question in regards to the OHPs..they feeling better/stronger now?

[brihead301]

Thanks guys! Yup always strict OHP's.....I haven't gotten back up to where I was since the reset though, so I haven't even attempted any PR's. Remember the 5/3/1 moves very slow.

Nah, the guy who thought it was poision ivy had a good point, because it really did look like it. I'm pi**ed that I had to miss a day though, because I only have enough time for 2 this week....now I'm down to only 1.

[brihead301]

7/28/10

Gi Jiu-jitsu

- Basic warmup
- learned a few techniques from the rear mount (3 armbar variations, and a bow & arrow choke)
- 10 - 15 minutes of rolling

[brihead301]

7/29/10 - cycle 10, wave 2

Squat

45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
210 x 3 (70%)
250 x 3 (80%)
280 x 5 (90%)

Superset #1 - DB bulgarian split squats/BB hack squats

40s x 10/245 x 10
40s x 10/245 x 10
40s x 10/245 x 10

Superset #2 - dragon flags/hanging leg raise

bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10
bw x 10/bw x 10

[StLRPh]

Great googley moogley that's a lot of leg work :)

[Off Road]

Nice session Bri.

[ELmx479]

Nice squats, that's right where I'd like to be. My short term goal is 275x6. That supper set has to be brutal with split squats. I can barely walk after doing them alone. Solid effort.

[Coke]

Steadily making strides guys, them are some nice squats.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! Strong squatting and crazy supersets...just the usual for you.

[Keith]

Damn, I forgot you squat this much! Crazy super set, too. 40x10x3 BSS would leave me walking like a penguin for a few days.

[LuNa]

Nice squats and amazing supersets as always Bri.

[NickAus]

That leg day looked very good, must have hurt I think ha ha.

[Clover]

Moving along very well lately Bri. Those deadlifts are very impressive.

[Time+Patience]

How do you like doing the BB Hack Squats? I've never done them as I'm not sure how they would feel?

[brihead301]

Great googley moogley that's a lot of leg work :)

My thoughts exactly!!! Thanks bud!


Nice session Bri.

Thanks bud!


Nice squats, that's right where I'd like to be. My short term goal is 275x6. That supper set has to be brutal with split squats. I can barely walk after doing them alone. Solid effort.

It was killer at first, but I'm used to it now, so it's not so bad. Thanks for the words man!


Steadily making strides guys, them are some nice squats.

Thanks Coke...one day I will be squatting 9 million lbs. like you though!!!


Great work Bri! Strong squatting and crazy supersets...just the usual for you.

Thanks bud!


Damn, I forgot you squat this much! Crazy super set, too. 40x10x3 BSS would leave me walking like a penguin for a few days.

It used to do that to me, now I'm adapted to it, so I'm okay. I can't wait till I'm squatting 3 wheels again! Thanks for the words!


Nice squats and amazing supersets as always Bri.

Thanks bud!


That leg day looked very good, must have hurt I think ha ha.

Nah, it felt good...thanks though!


Moving along very well lately Bri. Those deadlifts are very impressive.

Thanks man...ya deads are my stronger point I think!


How do you like doing the BB Hack Squats? I've never done them as I'm not sure how they would feel?

I love hack squats. Try them some time. They are kinda like a deadlift, but with more emphasis on the quads. They are fun....give them a shot!

[brihead301]

8/2/10 - cycle 10, wave 2

Bench

45 x 8
135 x 5
170 x 3 (70%)
195 x 3 (80%)
220 x 4 (90%)

Big superset #1 - DB OH Press/pullups/reverse grip BB rows/Dips

50s x 10/bw x 10/145 x 10
55s x 10/bw x 10/145 x 10
60s x 8/bw x 10/145 x 10/bw x 20
65s x 4/bw x 10/145 x 10/bw x 20

No gi Jiu-jitsu

- jogging, rolling, flipping, etc....for warm up
- learned a few variations of the kamora
- learned a side control to taking the back move
- 10 - 15 minutes of rolling.

No gi is so not as fun as Gi BJJ!!!

[StLRPh]

Got a lot of good work done

[Coke]

Fine fight game prep and lifting, killer giants sets.

[gatorman2k6]

Great work Bri! Your superset makes me want to puke!

[Zorachus]

Dude your crazy on those super sets. You are always commenting on my volume I add into my 5/3/1 but Damn those supers look like tons of volume cranked up to 11 :) that's like a cardio work out almost. Keep it up Bro.

[Keith]

Dude, those aren't even supersets - they're GIANT sets! And they make me want to puke! Solid benching, too! Is it increasing steadily? You should get some videos up in here of your lifts, you got a camera, right?

[Zorachus]

looks like another dude joined the 5/3/1 dark side :evillaugh:
http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?137942-Boring-but-not-yet-big&p=2365135#post2365135