Diary of a Recovering Powerlifter

[TheMachine]

Hello All! I found this exceptional forum the same day I hit a big PR so I decided to start a training log here. I'll let you know more about myself after I fill you in on my big workout:

Bench(After following the 7 week Gillespie peaking routine)
135 x 20
245 x 10
315 x 3
335 x 2
365 x 1
385 x 1
400 x 1 BIG PR!
I got a good video of this lift, I'm not sure if I can post it here. Anyone?

Stability Ball DB Press
2 x 20 x 85's

Pullups
2 x 10

Face Pulls
2 x 15 x purple band

Wrist Roller
4 sets x 25lbs

After spending 2 years pressing in a bench press shirt I realized my raw bench was going nowhere despite my shirted bench increasing 150lbs from 400 to 550. After some soul searching I decided equipped, competitive powerlifting is not for me. I do not criticize or look down on those who choose to use a bench shirt. I have just decided I'd rather shift my training more toward Strongman type stuff.

I am also newly certified by ISSA as a trainer and I'd like to apply some of the sport specific knowledge I've gained over the years to boost my overall conditioning and athleticism. Since starting powerlifting and ballooning up to 220lbs I've started to feel more earthbound than I'd like to. Having been a successful high school sprinter I'm not used to feeling like I have lead shoes on and I'm sick of it.

My goals for the new year are to regain some of my foot speed, improve my vertical jump and toughen up my core. I want to do this all while slimming down to 200lbs. I'd like to keep my bench in the low 400's while working hard to build a good overhead press for Strongman. I have recently done a 275 overhead press. I also have a knee condition, iliotibial ligament syndrome, which has made squatting difficult for me. My best squat is 405 x 1 with doubled minibands. My deadlift has been as high as 600lbs but now hovers in the mid-500's as I have put it on the back burner.


Here's some factoids:
Height 5'7"
Weight 220ish
Chest 52"
Arms 18.5"
100% Deeply committed to Lifetime Drug Free lifting.
Supplements:
Flax Seed Oil
Vitamin B
Multivitamin
120 grams of Whey Protein every day.

[TTT]

Wow impressive lifts. And I'm the first to post in your journal! Yay.
Looking forward to watching your progress!

[debussy]

Great lifting man! It's cool to have another powerlifter on the forum. I just got started with powerlifting about a year ago so I'm relatievely new. It'll be nice to see your progress.

[orbital]

awesome lifts man. look forward to checking out your progress.

[TheMachine]

Squats
135 x 10
245 x 10
Started squatting onto a stability ball. I've found at heavier weights this is the only way I can squat without aggravating my bum knee.
315 x 10
355 x 5
385 x 5
405 x 5
None of these sets were to failure, I'm working on going deep and maintaining good speed.

One Legged DB Squats
2 x 10 x 65's /each leg

Incline GH's
1 x 10 w/ miniband....wasn't digging the miniband today
2 x 10

Incline Situps
1 x 25
2 x 10 + 55lbs

Good quick workout. Tomorrow I'll do some high board presses, maybe 4 or 5 board.

[TheMachine]

5 Board Press
315 x 5
385 x 5
405 x 3
425 x 3
455 x 3
475 x 3
495 x 3
515 x 1 PR
525 x 1

Push Press (I stunk at these today, my legs were sore from squatting last night, no leg drive)
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 3
265 x 1 Failed on 2nd rep, I wanted 3 reps.

Face Down Row (I set my bench on two milk crates and row off of it)
225 x 10
245 x 8
265 x 6

Face Pulls w/ light band
2 x 15

EZ Bar Curl
2 x 8 x 135
Supersetted w/
Pullups
2 x 10

My supersets weren't exactly super, but I got through them okay. This Friday I'm going to start that Gillespie bench routine again.

[rookiebldr]

Nice strength and stats. Welcome to the site and the journals. Good luck on the cut and getting the lifts up.

[ryuage]

some nice strength you have, good luck with your goals.

[Chubrock]

Damn man, you really are a machine. Awesome lifts.

[TheMachine]

Playing with my Captains of Crush Grippers(unless noted, sets/reps are for both hands):

Trainer
2 x 10

#1
1 x 10

#2
2 singles w/ right hand. 5 second hold.
2 negatives w/ left hand, almost got it on the first try

#1
3 x 10 last rep of each set held 10 seconds

Burnout sets w/Trainer
Right hand 48 reps
Left Hand 37 reps

My grip frigging sucks.

[Isaac Wilkins]

I've been contemplating getting some COC's. They sound like a party waiting to happen.

[Shane]

What?!?!? No :spam: ?

Welcome to WBB's journalland machine.

It's obvious from your lifts you live up to the name.

[Chubrock]

Gotta get that iron grip to go with that friggin crazy strength man.

[TheMachine]

Borris, watch out, they'll bite the hand that feeds them. :nod: The first time I used them I injured my left hand on the trainer. If you're not a blue collar type or don't have an established grip routine take it easy on them. They are serious.

Shane- Thank you sir! Glad to be here! I was keeping a training journal on another board but when I decided I'm not going to compete at pl'ing again I decided to move. I like this forum because there's alot of non-weightlifting related discussions going on, between very intelligent people I might add.

[Isaac Wilkins]

I've messed with a trainer and number one that one of the guys at the gym had, they weren't too awfully difficult. I'll bet they'll scale up pretty quickly, though. I did notice that they were a) shorter than I'd like, and b) rough on the hands.

[Adam]

I've been contemplating getting some COC's. They sound like a party waiting to happen.

You should definatelly get some. There fun to use and very hard. They look awesome to cause they have a very high quality build.

Themachine - which contests did you lift at?
Thats a nice bench!

[Anthony]

Wow, very impressive numbers. I'll have to keep an eye on this journal. :D

[TheMachine]

One local unsanctioned meet where I benched 405(Inzer HD blast) and deadlifted 550. Then I did the USAPL March Madness meet where I benched 465(Titan Fury) and pulled 570.

My last meet was an APA bench only that went horribly wrong because I couldn't keep my stupid a$$ on the bench.

I blew up 455 for my opener, then benched 505 3 times in a row like there was no weight on the bar. My butt came up every time. I was good for 30 or 40 more pounds that day.

I can link to the meet results if you like. I'm not doing pl'ing meets anymore because shirted benching is just too easy. I can 3 board 570 in a bench shirt but only 475 without it. Thats like 100lbs of help halfway off my chest!!! I'd rather do Strongman, but I'm going to give myself a year or so to get in shape for it.

Lucky for me NASS just started doing meets in Connecticut and the state chairwoman lives 20 miles away. I'll be going over there to train once a week or so.

Here are some pics from that USAPL meet(where I won best lifter!):
570 Deadlift: http://trainordie.com/bernie.jpg
465 Bench: http://trainordie.com/bernie2.jpg

[Stephen Riddington]

Some heavy lifting you got going on there.

Welcome and good luck with your goals. :)

[-TIM-]

Damn you're weak.

:D

Good luck bro!

[TheMachine]

Screwed around for ten minutes on my Glute Ham:

Reverse Hypers w/ bodyweight
2 x 20

Situps
2 x 25

Glute Ham Raise
2 x 15

Wrist Roller
2 x 25lbs

Bench day tomorrow. I think I'm going to hold off a few weeks before starting the Gillespie routine again. I'll probably do some 2 boards or reverse band bench and lots of back work.

[debussy]

Hey Machine... do you have a link for the Gillespie routine?

[TheMachine]

Here's the layout, one of these days I'll get around to making a spreadsheet for it.

Bill Gillespie's Bench Press Workout

Week (1)
.... lbs. X 5 reps (76%)
.... lbs. x 4 reps (79%)
.... lbs. x 3 reps (81%)
.... lbs. x 8 reps (70%)
.... lbs. x failure (70%)

Week (2)
.... lbs. x 5 reps (78%)
.... lbs. x 4 reps (81%)
.... lbs. x 3 reps (83%)
.... lbs. x 8 reps (72%)
.... lbs. x failure (72%)

Week (3)
.... lbs. x 3 reps (84%)
.... lbs. x 2 reps x 2 sets (87%)
.... lbs. x 1 rep (91%)
.... lbs. x 6 reps x 2 sets (76%)
.... lbs. x failure (76%)

Week (4)
....lbs. x 4 reps (82%)
....lbs. x 3 reps (85%)
....lbs. x 2 reps (89%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (93%)
....lbs. x 6 reps (78%)
....lbs. x failure (78%)

Week (5)
....lbs. x 3 reps (85%)
....lbs. x 2 reps x 2 sets (89%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (93%)
....lbs. x 4 reps x 2 sets (82%)
....lbs. x failure (82%)

Week (6)
....lbs. x 3 reps (87%)
....lbs. x 2 reps (91%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (95%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (97%)
....lbs. x 4 reps (84%)
....lbs. x failure (84%)

Week (7)
....lbs. x 4 reps (66%)
....lbs. x 3 reps (75%)
....lbs. x 2 reps (83%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (89%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (94%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (98%)
....lbs. x 1 rep (102%)

[DoUgL@S]

Damn nice strength!

[debussy]

Here ya go... I was bored enough to write it out the bench routine in Excel. I hope it will be useful to some people.

[TheMachine]

Debussy! Thanks bro! What do you think of the program?

[TheMachine]

Here's a link to the 400lb bench press I did recently. Sorry guys, its at Geocities.

400lb Bench (http://www.geocities.com/bernardhennessey/index.htm)

The bar is loaded with a 100lb, 45lb, 25lb, 5lb and 2.5lb plate on each side.

[TTT]

I've been contemplating getting some COC's. They sound like a party waiting to happen.

Sorry Borris, but this was the funniest thing I've read all day!! :D
And Machine, I can't believe those squats, those are absolutely awesome, I hope to be able to squat 400 or more one day...

[TheMachine]

Bench Press Warmup
135 x 20
245 x 10
315 x 3
365 x 1
2 board
365 x 3
385 x 3
405 x 1
425 x 1
Wasn't feeling too great today so I decided to work on a weakness, generating momentum from a pause, so....
400 x 1
400 x 1
400 x 1
400 x 1
400 x 1 Awesome speed on all five of these singles, paused for several seconds each!

DB Floor Press
2 x 8 x 135's

Pullups
14, 10, 10

DB Standing Curl straight into Overhead Press
2 x 10 x 50's

DB Rear Delt Raises
2 x 12 x 50's

[debussy]

Nice bench workout, Machine. About the Gillespie workout... it looks like fun. However, I'm a little worried about all the failure sets. Just wondering, how many pounds did a cycle put on your bench? Proof is in the pudding I guess. Anyway, I'm going to start up the routine next week... we'll have to see how it works for me.

[TheMachine]

Hmm, I never really max on raw bench, so its hard to say. I've always left a little gas in the tank. I like my pecs where they are, attached to the shoulder. So before the Gillespie routine I had done an easy 375 single and after the Gillespie I did a 400 pretty easy. I gained size in my pecs and feel much more power off my chest.

As far as the failure sets were concerned, I never actually went to failure, because I think failing has a negative training effect. I only benched until I knew I wasn't going to complete the next rep. Usually 2-4 more reps than the previous set he lays out at the same weight.

[Chubrock]

Where ya at Machine....I'm missin' all those huge ass weights flyin around the gym.

[TheMachine]

Here's yesterdays quickie workout:

Captains of Crush
Trainer 1 x 20
#1 2 x 10
#2 2 x 3 right hand
#2 3 10 second holds with left hand
#1 2 x 12
Trainer 1 x 40

Wrist Roller
2 x 30lbs

Standing DB Curl
2 x 12 x 50's

DB Lunges
2 x 10 x 50's

Reverse Hypers
3 x 25

Situps
3 x 25

Watch out Chubrock! I've got a big workout coming tomorrow!

[ericg]

Nice journal man. Lifts look very strong. I will be keeping an eye on this one. Looks like some good stuff here. Good luck with your goals man!

[TheMachine]

Deadlift
315 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 1
500 x 1
500 x 1
500 x 1

Deadlifts off 4" block ( each rep done with a 5 second eccentric phase)
405 x 1
405 x 1
405 x 1
405 x 1
405 x 1

Hammer Row
3 plates x 20
4 plates x 15
5 plates x 10

Weighted Situps
1 x 20 x bodyweight
2 x 10 x 45lbs

Hyperextensions
2 x 15 x 45lbs

[debussy]

Wow nice deadlift workout. The deadlifts off block with the slow eccentric look hard as hell! With the four inch block... isn't the bar pretty much touching your toes? I'm gonna give those a go after I hit a 405 deadlift.

[TheMachine]

Yep, the bar is pretty much on top of my toes. I find that exercise helps to build power off the floor.

[TTT]

Insane. Awesome work man.

[rookiebldr]

Excellent deadlifting!

[Chubrock]

Damn bro, INSANE pullin. Awesome job.

[TheMachine]

3 board
335 x 5
385 x 3
405 x 3
425 x 3
450 x 1
470 x 0 just missed, got it up with a little help
2 x 5 x 405

Push Press
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 8 I was pressed for time so I just did one all out set.

Front raises
2 x 10 x 20's
Supersetted w/
Side Raises
2 x 10 x 20's

EZ Bar Curl
8 x 135
8 x 145

Rotator Cuff work. Done.

[Isaac Wilkins]

Nice lifting, Machine.

Where are you from?

[ericg]

Nice work man. DLs are loking awesome. Impressive

[TheMachine]

Incline Bench
135 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 5
295 x 5
305 x 3
315 x 1
325 x 1
335 x 1
345 x 1 Tied PR

DB Bench
2 x 5 x 145's No steam at all, I usually get 8-10 reps with these.
1 x 20 x 100's

Hammer Lat Pulldown
2 x 10 x 3 plates per side

Close Grip Cable Lat Pulldown
2 x 12 x 220

Tate Press
2 x 12 x 65's

Standing Curl & Press
3 x 8 x 50's

DB Rear Delt Raises
2 x 10 x 50's

EZ Bar Curl
2 x 12 x 125

[DoUgL@S]

Humility is found in THIS journal. Nice sessions.

[TheMachine]

Took it easy today, I had to work out at my old gym and there were no big guys available to spot :whiner:

Bench
135 x 20
225 x 10
315 x 5
365 x 1

3 Board
405 x 3 x 3 Worked on pausing each rep, good speed.

Speed Bench
225 x 3 x 6 + choked large band used various grips

Hammer Row
2 x 10 x 4 PPS
supersetted w/
Barbell Shrugs
2 x 10 x 405

DB Curl
2 x 10 x 65's

Wrist Roller
2 x 25lbs

DB Front Raises
2 x 10 x 45's
Supersetted w/
DB Rear Delt Raises
2 x 10 x 45's

[TTT]

That's so awesome. You do a twenty-rep warmup bench with close to my max.... hehe. Good work man.

[Chubrock]

Another awesome session bro. Great lookin stuff. If you don't mind, is there anyway you could post your split and the lifts you include on a daily basis. If your lifts don't change at all throughout the week, I'll be able to go back and piece together everything, but if they change at all, I was hoping you might could give me an idea of what your split is and what not. I'm looking at starting more of a powerlifting split, and I was looking for some ideas.

[TheMachine]

Oh ****, forgot to include last nights quickie workout:

Rever Hyper w/ bodyweight
3 x 30

Incline Situps
3 x 30

GH's
3 x 20

Captains of Crush Grippers

Trainer 1 x 20
#1 1 x 10
#2 2 reps with right hand
#2 10 second hold with left hand
#2 1 rep with righthand
#2 10 second hold with lefthand
#1 2 x 10 each hand

Done.

Chubrock, I'll PM a response to you.

[TheMachine]

Nice lifting, Machine.

Where are you from?
I am from Belfast, Maine, currently living in Waterbury, Connecticut.

[TheMachine]

Deadlift off 4" block
365x 3
405 x 3
425 x 3
445 x 1
465 x 1
Put on belt
475 x 1
495 x 1 Tied PR!

On all the singles, I lowered the bar slowly, stopping about 2" off the ground and holding it for a 3 count. I find that this really improves my break from the floor.

Hyperextensions
2 x 10 x 35lbs

Weighted Situps
2 x 10 x 45lbs

Hanging Ab Raises
2 x 12

[debussy]

I like your idea about lowering the bar slowly. I remember reading about some great deadlifter doing that. His reasoning was that is helps build a lot of spinal erector muscle. I'm going to start doing this instead of letting the weight slam on the ground.

[Adam]

On all the singles, I lowered the bar slowly, stopping about 2" off the ground and holding it for a 3 count. I find that this really improves my break from the floor.

Thats a good idea!
I'll have to give it a shoot.
I'm assuming you held your breath in for the whole descent?

[TheMachine]

Thats a good idea!
I'll have to give it a shoot.
I'm assuming you held your breath in for the whole descent?

Take a deep breath, flex your abs and try to keep your back as arched as possible during the descent. I wouldn't try doing this with anything close to my max. I pull 600ish, I wouldn't try this with anything over 550.

[Adam]

OK, I'll give that a try next time I do deads.
I might try it on my jumpstretch platform.

[ericg]

Another Mainah I see! Nice workouts!

[TheMachine]

Incline Press
135 x 15
225 x 10
275 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3
315 x 3

HS Lat Pulldown
2 x 12 x 3PPS

HS Row
1 x 10 x 4PPs
1 x 8 x 5PPS

DB Floor Press
2 x 20 x 100's

Tate Press
2 x 15 x 55's

Standing DB Curl and Press
2 x 10 x 50's

Shoulder Raises (I do a front raise, move the db's out to the side, lower them, raise them at my side and move them back to the front and lower them, that counts as one rep)
3 x 10 x 15's

Standing DB Curl
1 x 10 x 60's

[Chubrock]

Impressive incline press bro. In case you don't take a look back at my journal anytime soon, could you link me to some of those rotator cuff lifts??? Thanks man.

[Bruteman]

:omg: Got a little power to you don't ya'? I can only dream of lifting that kind of weight. :bow:

[TheMachine]

Extra GPP Day

Reverse Hypers
2 x 20

GH's
2 x 15

Roman Situps
2 x 30

Wrist Roller
4 x 27.5lbs

Plyo Jumps
2 x 10

Various RC Exercises
8 x 15 x 10lbs

[Shane]

You're incline presses are just sick Machine!

[Chubrock]

Thanks for the links to those RC lifts. I'm gonna give em a go for awhile.

[TheMachine]

I need to give my upper body a rest so I decided to squat......

Box Squat (onto milk crate)
185 x 5
245 x 5
315 x 3
335 x 3
355 x 1
385 x 1
Put 2 45lb plates underneath the milk crate, still a pretty deep squat
405 x 2
425 x 2
445 x 1

I did 10 reverse hypers in between most of the squat sets.

Roman Chair Situps
2 x 30

Roman Chair Twisting Situps (with 15 lbs loaded onto one side of an EZ Curl bar...this obliterated my obliques!!!)
2 x 10 /each side

Hanging Ab Raises
2 x 15

GH Raise
1 x 15 + miniband around neck
2 x 10 + small band

[Adam]

Does the milk crate cave in at all when you sit?
I was scared to try squatin with me(180)+300lbs. So i made a box with 2"x12". Seemed like the milk crate woulda caved in.

[TheMachine]

I didn't actually sink the weight into it so I guess it wasn't really a box squat tuttut

[Isaac Wilkins]

It scares the **** out of me to think about dropping my big ass plus weight on to a milk crate. I look enough like a circus bear anyway, I don't need the help of a crate exploding under me.

I use Reebok steps, but I do sink my weight and disengage my hips.

[TheMachine]

4 Board
335 x 5
385 x 5
405 x 3
425 x 3
450 x 3
460 x 1
475 x 1
485 x 0

Close Grip 4 board
2 x 3 x 405

DB Floor Press
2 x 10 x 130's

Swiss Ball DB Press
3 x 15 x 90's

Chest Rupported Row
225 x 5
255 x 5
275 x 3
295 x 1

Face Pulls w/ green band
2 x 12

EZ Bar Strict Curl
115 x 10
135 x 10
150 x 5

Wrist Roller
4 x 25lbs

[Chubrock]

Crazy workout once again Machine. You're a friggin beast.

[TheMachine]

Extra GPP Day

Reverse Hypers
3 x 20

One Arm DB Snatch
1 x 8 x 60lbs /each arm
2 x 3 x 90lbs /each arm

Glute Ham Raise
1 x 15
2 x 15 + light band

Wrist Roller
4 x 25lbs

Various RC Exercises
8 sets

[TheMachine]

Had a cold and I decided to force the issue since I hadn't worked out in a couple of days, here's what happened:

Deadlift
405 x 3
455 x 3
500 x 3

GM's
135 x 10
225 x 10

One Legged DB Squats
2 x 10 x 80's

Then I sat on a stationary bike and wished for death for 20 minutes or so, had a protein shake and was on my merry way.

[TheMachine]

Decided to start up the Gillespie Bench Routine again. The first workout went ok, I'm still sick, so I didn't really do much more than the benching.

Bench
315 x 5
330 x 4
335 x 3
290 x 8
290 x 8

One Arm DB OHP
1 x 8 x 60
1 x 8 x 80

Pullups
2 x 10

One Arm Tricep Pulldown w/ mini
2 x 50 each arm

[debussy]

Hey man, I was wondering how your warm up looks like before you start hitting those work sets. I had a little trouble completing the whole Gillespie workout the last two weeks. I have a feeling its either my warmups are too much or I entered too high of a 1RM for the routine.

[lilmase1153]

5'7 220lbs and drugfree :bow: thanks for giving us little guys hope.. maybe one day i can hit #s like yours..

[TheMachine]

Debussy, my warmups go like this:
135 x 20
225 x 10
315 x 3

I find with the Gillespie routine you have to be really well hydrated to make it to the last set. You'll see on Friday I was sick and dehydrated and I sucked it up on the failure set. I should have hit 10-12.

Lilmase, thanks bro, eat big! Before protein supps I weighed 180ish, now its hard to stay under 220.

Deadlift
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 1
495 x 1
545 x 1 good speed, started with my hips low, I got this one on video, maybe I'll post it later.

Good Mornings
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 5

Twisting Roman Situps
2 x 10 x 35lbs each side

Supersetted w/

Weighted Situps
2 x 10 x 35lbs

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 10

DB Shrugs
2 x 15 x 145's

Standing Calf Raises
2 x 20 x whole stack on some dumb machine

[TheMachine]

Incline Press
275 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3
315 x 1
335 x 1
350 x 1 PR

Hammer Row
2 x 10 x 4 PPS

Barbell Shrugs
2 x 10 x 405

DB Overhead Press
6 x 75's
6 x 85's
6 x 95's

Standing Curl
2 x 8 x 60's

Rear Delt Raises
15 x 45's
10 x 55's
8 x 60's

Close Grip Pulldown
2 x 10 x 210

Wide Grip Pulldowns
2 x 10 x 210

[lilmase1153]

damn bro that incline is nice congrats on the PR...

[TheMachine]

Goddamit, sometimes I'm like a ****ing sloth on valium. I couldn't crawl out of bed today to save my life, had insomnia last night (I'm a chronic insomniac). Didn't have enough time to do a real workout, so I just screwed around for 15 minutes.

Reverse Hypers
3 x 20

Wrist Roller
6 x 25lbs

Plyo Jumps
4 x 5

Twisting Situps
2 x 10 +35lbs

Glute Hams
1 x 15
1 x 15 +purple band
1 x 8 + green band

[TheMachine]

Gillespie Bench
320 x 5
335 x 4
345 x 3
300 x 8
300 x 8 :bang:

Pullups
4 reps + 60lbs
2 x 5 + 40 lbs

Close Grip 4 board w/ double minis
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 3
345 x 2
I suck at close grip everything, if I'd moved my grip out I'd have gone for 70 more lbs :soapbox:

Front Raises w/ light band
3 x 15

Face Pulls w/ light band
2 x 15

Wrist Roller
2 x 40lbs

Rotator Cuff Stuff
6 sets

[TheMachine]

Deadlift w/ light band looped under feet.
405 x 1
425 x 1
455 x 1
475 x 1
495 x 1
515 x 1

Speed Squat
6 x 3 x 225lbs + large band on each side
This is the fastest I've ever squatted this weight/band combo

Roman Situps
1 x 15 x 55lbs
1 x 15 x 65lbs
1 x 15 x 75lbs

[TheMachine]

Gillespie Bench Routine Week 3
345 x 3
360 x 2
360 x 2
375 x 1 Cake... :cool:
315 x 6
315 x 6
315 x 8

HS Row
1 x 15 x 4PPS
2 x 8 x 5PPS

DB Shrugs
2 x 15 x 145's

Tates Press
1 x 10 x 75's
2 x 8 x 80's

[Frankster]

hey machine.... very impressive lift.. liked the video too... I got a question for you, on the COC, do you touch them togheter? I ordered the no 1,2 and 3... I can close the no. 1 completely, but there is not way I could do reps by touching them each time, when I do my reps with them, there is like an 1/8" left to close the gap I find it's that last little gap the hardest to close.

[TheMachine]

With the COC grippers, you have got to close them. I know what you mean about that last 1/256th of an inch, its so hard! Here's a way around it: Take a handkerchief or a piece of cloth, whatever. Close the gripper with the cloth in between the handles and hold it closed as long as you can, until the cloth falls out. Time yourself and keep records of PR's. That really helps with that last bit of closing strength.

Thanks for the compliments to my lifting!

[TheMachine]

Snatch Grip Deadlift off 4" block
3 x 3 x 405

Speed Deadlift (one single every 30 seconds)
3 x 1 x 405 + purple band
4 x 1 x 405 (crazy speed when I took the band off! )

Weighted Roman Situps
2 x 12 x 75lbs

One Legged DB Squats
2 x 8 x 70's

After I worked out I helped the owner of my gym move some stuff. Very heavy stuff, so thats why I took it easy today. In return he gave me an adjustable incline bench and a competition style bench with plate tree. He welded them himself, very sturdy. I can't wait to try them out in a day or two.

[TheMachine]

Screw Around Day

Reverse Hyper
1 x 50 x bodyweight
Dumbell Snatches
1 x 15 x 40lbs /each arm
Hanging Leg Raises
1 x 15
Face Pulls
1 x 20 x light band
Tricep Pulldown w/ miniband
1 x 50 /each arm
Incline Press (with my new incline bench)
135 x 20
225 x 10
275 x 5
275 x 5
DB Overhead Press
1 x 10 x 65's
2 x 10 x 85's
Pullups w/ 65lbs
3 x 3
Tricep Pulldown w/miniband
1 x 50 /each arm
One Arm Oly Bar Curl
1 x 15 x 45lbs /each arm
Roman Chair Situps
1 x 50
Rhythm Squats ~re:Joe Defranco
1 x 50 x 135lbs + doubled minibands

[Coke]

Wow man, you a really are the Machine...stuff in here is crazy cool.

[TheMachine]

Cocoa-Thanks bro! You do some crazy lifting yourself!

[TheMachine]

Bench Press
340 x 4
350 x 3
370 x 2
385 x 1
325 x 6
325 x 6

Barbell Shrugs
405 x 15
455 x 10
495 x 10 x 2

Wide Grip Pulldown
150 x 20
220 x 10
250 (whole stack) x 10

Close Grip Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

DB Floor Press
1 x 15 x 110's
DB Incline Press
1 x 20 x 85's

Took it easy because I hurt my right forearm while arm wrestling the other day.

[Bruteman]

Insane weight you're throwing around man. Nice!

[Nito]

Sorry for a newbness but what is a Gillespie Bench press?

Your lifts are super impressive, and are insperational to me. After I am jacked, I'm gonna wanna powerlift!

[TheMachine]

Nito, the Gillespie Routine is a peaking program for the bench press. I've done it once before and it brought my bench up alot. On the first page of my training log you'll see that someone was kind enough to post it as an excel spreadsheet.

Bruteman, thanks bro!

[DoUgL@S]

350 on incline is insane. congrats on the PR. your "taking it easy" day still trumps most peoples best day.

[TheMachine]

Reverse Hyper
2 x 20
Various Stretches on Swiss Ball
Wrist Roller
2 x 50lbs

Milk Crate Squat
245 x 5
315 x 3
335 x 2
355 x 2
375 x 2
405 x 2 x 2

Glute Hams
2 x 15 x bodyweight

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 15

Wrist Roller
2 x 50lbs

Twisting Situps
2 x 7 x 35lbs /each side

[debussy]

yo machine... i see the lifts are coming along. ive been done with the gillespie for a few weeks now. one thing i noticed is that i lost a lot of speed in my bench. after doing a few speed bench workouts, i feel a little better. maybe its all mental. anyway, i noticed you dont really do much for speed days... do you not find them helpful?

[TheMachine]

Debussy, I don't do many speed days because I feel that I have a fair amount of natural speed. I was a sprinter in high school and am confident in saying that I am predominantly fast twitch as far as my muscle compostition goes. If I see that my bar speed is slowing down I'll use my bands for some speed days.

Recovery Day

Face Pulls w/ miniband
3 x 20
Tricep Pulldowns
Lots of Sets Lots of Reps
Rotator Cuff Exercises
6 sets x 15 reps
Wrist Roller
3 x 50lbs

Lots of stretching

[Coke]

Unreal type of work on everything but especially with the flat bench and shrugs - :thumbup:

[Bruteman]

50 lb wrist rollers?! You must have some huge forearms. Nice work as always bud.

[lilmase1153]

damn bro bench squat everything is heavy as fcuk.... be careful on those crates we dont need a pic of you on the news stuck with 405 on your back :)

[debussy]

50lbs really is a lot for the wrist roller... i struggle with 20 :\

Machine, do you usuaully roll both ways? like wrist curl motion... and then wrist up(?) motion heh. you know what im saying.

[TheMachine]

Bruteman, thanks bro, yea people have been commenting on my forearms lately.
Debussy, I sometimes roll it both ways. Backwards is alot harder than forwards. I doubt I could 50lbs backwards.
Cocoa, thanks again man, that was the most weight I've ever tried to shrug.
Lilmase, You know I've got those safety bars set just right when I'm
squatting four plates that deep. I'm no fool!

Deadlifts
405 x 3
455 x 1
495 x 1
525 x 1
555 x 1
575 x 1

Wide Stance Good Mornings
5 x 135
5 x 225
5 x 315

Weighted Situps
1 x 10 x 75lbs
2 x 10 x 85lbs

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 10

Seated Calf Raises
2 x 15 x 4plates

Standing Calf Raise
2 x 15 x whole stack

Seated DB Curl
2 x 8 x 60's

DB Lunges
1 x 8 x 80's
2 x 5 x 90's

[lilmase1153]

its good to hear safety first ;)

damn bro 575 is a huge pull and your good am's are crazy.. you are a machine

[Coke]

Very nice stuff Machine, crazy deads...are you near where you were before with the powerlifting?

[TheMachine]

Cocoa, my squat and bench press are as good as they've ever been. I had to take time off from deadlifting, but I'm almost back to where I was. Almost.

Recovery Work

Reverse Hyper
2 x 30

Swiss Ball Crunch
2 x 50

Swiss Ball Twisting Situp
2 x 20

Rotator Cuff
6 sets x 15 reps

Front Raises
2 x 20 x 45lbs

One Arm Oly Bar Curl
1 x 15 x 45lbs
1 x 10 x 50lbs

Lots of stretches w/ miniband

[TheMachine]

NEWSFLASH!!!

I finally got my dragging sled and farmers walk handles from New York Barbell. Once again I am impressed with the quality of their equipment. I tried the farmers walk in my driveway just for fun. Its about a 50 foot driveway, I went down and back for each trip, I listed the total weight for both implements .

270lbs x 1
370lbs x 2 (surprisingly easy!)

[TheMachine]

Bench
350 x 3
370 x 2 x 2
385 x 1
340 x 6

I was supposed to do 2 sets of 4 at 340 but I only got 3 hour of sleep last night, decided to do one all out set. The two sets at 370 totally stunk, way too slow.

Shrugs
405 x 10
495 x 10 x 2

DB Press
2 x 20 x 100's

Wide Grip Pulldowns
2 x 10 x stack
Close Grip Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

[debussy]

Congrats on the new toys man. Just wondering, what brand GHR do you have? I've been looking at the one on nybb, and it looks pretty good for the price. I'm not sure if I should save up some money and spring for the elitefts one though... I could do a lot of other things with that $500 price differential hah.

[TheMachine]

Yea, I got mine from NY Barbell. Its such a simple machine I can't see how Elitefitness would have one that is truly worth $500 more. I read that the guys at Southside gym (billy mimnaugh, vinnie dizenzo etc REAL BIG GUYS) use a NY Barbell glute ham. They used it everyday for five years straight before a bolt got stripped and they had to buy a new one.
Cost: ~$1

So if its good enough for a bunch of 300lb juicers it ought to be just fine for guys like you and me.

[lilmase1153]

damn machine your bench and shrugs are sick.. nice farmers walk and congrats on the toys..

[Coke]

TheMachine doin farmers walks nowadays, lol...good $hit bro, major props on your efforts - :thumbup:

[TheMachine]

Cocoa, I was raised on a farm so its second nature.....here's some more for ya'..... :thumbup:

Reverse Hyper
2 x 20

Farmers Walk 100' w/ turn
1 x 270
3 x 370

Wrist Roller
2 x 50

Barely got these, my grip was already fried

GH's
2 x 15

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 15

[Bruteman]

Oh yeah, it's getting good in here. Do you have any other strongman implements?

[TheMachine]

Bruteman, a sled and farmers walk handles is all I have for now. In the next 6 months I'd like to get a log and yoke.

Quick workout today, felt like a good one though....

Squat
135 x 10 x 2
225 x 10
315 x 3 (squatted onto milk crate, this is my last warmup set)
315 x 22 (placed 2 100lb plates under milk crate)

Shrugs w/ farmers handles
3 x 12 x 205's

Roman Situps
3 x 25

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 15

[lilmase1153]

holy damn machine 315x22 is crazy............

[Isaac Wilkins]

Looking good, man. I've been contemplating picking up a log, too. It might motivate me to work on my pathetic overhead lifting.

The idea of squatting on a milk crate still gives me shivers.

[Coke]

Get outta town with all them squatting reps...very intense stuff in here.

[TheMachine]

Thanks Lilmase and Cocoa!
Borris, you have to understand that this milk crate is a Garelick Farms Super Duty 5000, a top of the line milk crate. :thumbup:

I was supposed to do week 6 of the Gillespie Routine, but my bench is so hopelessly overtrained that I am backing off. Maybe in another few days I'll give it a shot.

Incline DB Press
1 x 15 x 65's
1 x 15 x 90's
2 x 8 x 120's

Speed Overhead Press w/ double minis
6 x 2 x 135

Pullups w/ 45lbs
3 x 5

EZ Bar Curl
1 x 10 x 115
2 x 8 x 145

Wrist Roller
2 x 50lbs

Tricep Pulldown w/ light band
2 x 50

Tonight I'll do some work with my captains of crush grippers.... :cool:

[TheMachine]

COC Grippers

3 x 20 x Trainer
1 x 10 x #1
1 x 1 x #2 (right hand)
1 x 0 x #2 (left hand, did a 20 second negative)
3 x 10 x #1

[Coke]

Like the sessions...good grippers and ez bar curls but them two sets of inclines with the 120 db's are crazy.

[TheMachine]

Deadlift off 4" block
405 x 2
455 x 2
475 x 2 x 3

(Did these reps with a slow eccentric phase. First set I fell forward on the 2nd rep and had to reset, I just let the bar get infront of me. The other two sets were good)

DB Lunges
2 x 10 x 90's

Weighted Roman SItups
2 x 10 x 75lbs
1 x 8 x 85lbs

Seated Calf Raise
3 x 15 x 4plates

Hanging Leg Raise
2 x 15

Wrist Roller
2 x 50lbs

3 Hours Later.....GPP Work!

Farmers Walk
100' x 270lbs
100' x 370lbs (it was raining so I dropped it twice and had a hell of a time making the turn)
150' x 370lbs (used straps)

Reverse Hyper
2 x 30
Standing Calf Raises
2 x 50

[Coke]

Super nice and varied work bro!!

[TheMachine]

First Time Sled Dragging.....on a rubberized track. I have no idea what I was thinking. The rubber gripped the sled really bad. The last set I did on concrete was much easier.

Warmups: Sled + 45lbs
100' Forward x 2
100' Backward x 2
50' Sidestep Right x 2
50' Sidestep Left x 2

Ok, I was feeling that a little more than I'd like to admit....I ought to be good for the real work..... :evillaugh

Work Sets: Sled + 145lbs
100' Forward
50' Backward...Collapse
25' Backward....Collapse again
25' Backward......Stop. Atleast I did that of my own volition.

100' Foward
70' Backward.....Hemorrhage
25' Backward......Collapsed again, this time holding back vomit. Sat and pondered those last elusive 5 feet.

At this point I knew I was pretty much done...and I hadn't even put on the other 100lb plate :whiner: But then an evil thought crossed my mind.... I still had to lug this stuff 200' back to my car........

BERSERKER SET: SLED + 245LBS
200' Forward....... :drooling:

[rookiebldr]

:eek:

[TheMachine]

Seated OHP (haven't done this in a loooong time)
5 x 185
5 x 205
3 x 5 x 215

DB High Incline Press (75 degrees)
2 x 10 x 90's

HS Lat Puldown
1 x 12 x 3PPS
1 x 10 x 3PPS + 10's + 5's

Cable Pulldown Neutral Grip
2 x 10 x stack

Cable Row
2 x 10 x stack

DB Rear Delt Raises
2 x 10 x 60's

[Chubrock]

Damn Machine, you def. live up to your name. Haven't looked in here lately man. You've been killing it. Gonna have to take a little motivation from ya.

[Coke]

No doubt, doing some unreal type $hit mang - :thumbup:

[TheMachine]

Bought a 15lb medicine ball today so I decided to try it out at 4am because I was wired....

Reverse Hypers
2 x 20
Reverse Hyper w/ Med. Ball between ankles
2 x 10
Roman Situps w/ Med. Ball
2 x 20
Situp and Throw to Ceiling
2 x 15
Russian Twists w/ ball
2 x 15
Ballistic Pullthroughs w/ ball
2 x 10

[TheMachine]

Front Squat (Never done these before so I decided for the next few weeks I'll use it as a warmup for squatting)
2 x 5 x 135
2 x 5 x 225
1 x 3 x 315

Back Squats (to just about parallel)
385 x 3
405 x 3
435 x 2
455 x 2
475 x 2 BIG PR!

Farmers Walk 100' w/ turn
1 x 370
2 x 410

Glute Ham w/ Medicine Ball
2 x 10

Jack Knifes w/ Medicine Ball (situp, pass ball to feet from hands, lay down flat, sit up and pass ball back to hands)
2 x 10

I was most pleased with this workout. 465 x 1 was my previous squat PR. 475 x 2 went up like play weight, I left a lot in the tank. In the next few weeks I'll do 500. I'm doing the turn on the farmers carry faster as well.

[Coke]

Major props on this effort!! - powerful and super strong throughout.

[TheMachine]

Bench (I just used flat bench to warm up)
20 x 135
10 x 225
5 x 315
3 x 365

4 Board
3 x 405
3 x 425
1 x 450
1 x 465
1 x 465

Close Grip 4 Board
2 x 6 385

Pullups + 45lbs
3 x 7

[TheMachine]

Midnight Sled Dragging (all plates are 45's)

Forward Drag
2 x 50yds x 2 plates

Forward Drag
4 x 50yds x 4plates

Backward Drag
1 x 50yds x 4 plates
My quads are really weak, that set destroyed me. In strongman comps, my weight class has to backward drag a 500-600lb sled. I really need to work on this event.

Backward Drag
2 x 50yds x 2plates

[Coke]

Really great benching and board work...get out of town with the midnight sled drags - :D

[debussy]

Sick lockout... must be a carryover from your shirted days.

[TheMachine]

DB OHP
1 x 15 x 50's
1 x 10 x 75's
2 x 5 x 100's (OK, I got humbled a little bit here. Everyone deserves to be humbled, today was my day)
2 x 10 x 85's

Standing Military Press
1 x 10 x 135
2 x 8 x 185

HS Row
1 x 10 x 3PPS
1 x 10 x 4PPS
2 x 10 x 5PPS

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 12 x stack

Medium Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

[debussy]

Hey machine... I hear doing the turn on the farmer walks is really tough. Can you go into detail why it's tough? I hear it's kind of tough on the joints too.... dunno

[TheMachine]

Oh, walking with the things is easy, turning is the whole workout. I'm going to start walking zig-zag to make it even harder....yet another idea I got from Joe Defranco's website.

When you turn you need to alternate which side you turn to so you don't keep working out one side of your body. As you turn you plant the turn foot and pivot with your torso (kills the obliques, and QL's) and step through the turn. As you straighten out and start walking forward again the weights now have lateral momentum and want to keep turning. So now you have to walk forward while resisting the momentum with your obliques. It takes a good amount of co-ordination to do it smoothly.

As for being tough on the joints, I feel its strengthening my joints. My bum knee has never felt better.

[TheMachine]

Deadlift
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 1
455 x 1
525 x 4 Big PR! I was shooting for 3 reps, but the 4th was pretty easy.

GM's
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5

Wide Grip Barbell Shrugs
1 x 10 x 405
2 x 8 x 495

Weighted Roman Situps
2 x 10 x 85lbs
1 x 8 x 95lbs

DB Lunges
2 x 10 x 90's

[TheMachine]

Todays workout left me REALLY SORE so I went downstairs and did some stretching on my stability ball, did some reverse hypers, hurdlers stretch, ATF squats holding a medicine ball also...

Wrist Roller
1 x 25lbs
1 x 50lbs
2 x 55lbs PR for weight

Seated Bicep Curls
2 x 10 x 60's

[Coke]

Excellent sessions...props on the big deads and everything else for that matter.

[TheMachine]

Stability Ball DB Press
2 x 20 x 65's

2 Board
2 x 5 x 245
1 x 5 x 315
1 x 5 x 335
2 x 5 x 365

Close Grip 4 Board
2 x 5 x 365

Pullups w/ 60lbs
3 x 3

Face Pulls w/ purple band
3 x 12

Rotator Cuff Work
8 sets

Supine Med. Ball Catch and Throw
1 x 20

[Coke]

Damn dude, you got the boards and $hit this time out - :D ...did some astonishing stuff which appears to be the norm.

[TheMachine]

All Squats were done on a 16" box

Front Squat
8 x 135
5 x 245
5 x 315
3 x 335
1 x 365

Back Squat
5 x 405
5 x 435
5 x 455

Med. Ball Jump and Catch (I'd jump and throw it up in the air with my feet, catch and drop, repeat)
2 x 10

Supersetted w/

GH's w/ Med. Ball
2 x 10

Leg Raises w/ 8lb med. ball between ankles
2 x 10

Supersetted w/

Stability Ball Crunch w/ (you guessed it) 15lb med. ball behind head
2 x 15

Yea, I'm digging the medicine ball. :evillaugh

[TheMachine]

Seated OHP
5 x 185
5 x 205
2 x 3 x 225

Seated DB OHP
1 x 10 x 60's
2 x 6 x 90's

Shrugs w/ Farmers Handles
1 x 15 x 370
2 x 10 x 470

Face Pulls w/ purple band
2 x 12

Wrist Roller
1 x 25lbs
1 x 50lbs
1 x 60lbs

Reverse Wrist Roller
2 x 25lbs

[Coke]

Sweet front and back squats as well as those supersets with the medicine ball and everything else here - :thumbup:

[TheMachine]

Session 1

Deadlift
5 x 135
5 x 225
3 x 315
3 x 405
1 x 455
1 x 495
2 x 2 x 545

Weighted Roman Situps
1 x 10 + 85lbs
2 x 10 + 105lbs

HS Lat Pulldown
2 x 8 x 3PPS + 10's + 5's

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

Standing DB Curls
1 x 10 x 60's
1 x 10 x 65's

Three Hours Later.....

Session 2

Farmers Walk 100' w/ turn
1 x 270
1 x 370
1 x 470 :ninja: the plan on this set was to go 50', stop, rest and then do the return trip. I ended up turning pretty smooth so I went all the way :ninja:
1 x 370
1 x 270

Medicine Ball High Throws
4 x 5

Russian Twists w/ med. ball
2 x 15

Supine Leg Raises w/ med. ball between feet
3 x 10

[Bruteman]

Man you're a beast! Real good work in here.

When do you plan on doing a strongman comp?

[TheMachine]

Thanks Bruteman! I'm going to volunteer at the Massachusetts State Championship meet in July, but I'll just be helping out. I won't compete until I've atleast tried every event. I know I could go in and do some damage in a meet, but I want to atleast appear competent at all the events.

[debussy]

WOW, great job on the farmers walks... you have a vice grip. Let me know if you come up to MA to do a comp, I'll come check it out.

[TheMachine]

Thanks Debussy, yea the grip work is starting to pay off, even though I use straps on deadlift :rolleyes:

You should come to the meet in July, check out the details here:
http://www.totalperformancesports.com/whats_new.htm

[Bruteman]

That's a good idea helping out with one. Help you learn the ropes a little before competing. Can I assume you'll compete in NASS competitions? They seem to be the biggest amatuer organization.

[TheMachine]

Yeah, NASS is the only one I know of. I'm certainly not IFSA material :cry:

[TheMachine]

DB Press
2 x 15 x 65's
1 x 12 x 110's
1 x 8 x 130's
2 x 5 x 145's

Only the sets w/ the 145's were to failure.

Pullups w/ 60lbs
3 x 3
Pullups w/ bodyweight
1 x 15

RC Work
8 sets

Lots of lower body stretching...

[Coke]

No way, makes me want to stay out of here, lol...mindblowing db pressing bro.

[TheMachine]

Front Squat (to 14" box)
5 x bar
5 x 135
5 x 225
3 x 295
1 x 315

Back Squat (onto 17" box)
2 x 405
2 x 435
2 x 455
1 x 475
3 x 500 PR I got a video of this and discovered that even on a 17" box I'm 1-2" from parallel, damn short calves :cry:

One Arm Farmer Handle Deadlift
5 x 185
5 x 235
3 x 265
1 x 285

Incline Situps w/ med. ball
2 x 12

Incline GH
2 x 12

[TheMachine]

Seated Barbell OHP
10 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 205
3 x 225 (not feeling the heavy weight today)
2 x 5 x 205

Seated DB OHP
1 x 10 x 65's (done on stability ball)
2 x 8 x 90's (regular seated)

Push Press
3 x 8 x 185 wanted to work on my form, I mostly popped it up with leg drive and locked it out the last few inches

Rear delt raises
3 x 8 x 65's

Wrist Roller
1 x 25
1 x 50
1 x 60

[Coke]

Past couple of sessions were superb as are all of your efforts, I cannot give enough props!!

[TheMachine]

Deadlift
5 x 135
5 x 225
3 x 315
2 x 405
2 x 455
1 x 495
1 x 545
1 x 585
1 x 605 Tied PR!! When I first pulled 605 oh so many months ago it was a real grinder. This one floated up sooo smooth! I'll post a video in the next few days.

Db Lunges
1 x 10 x 90's
2 x 8 x 100's

Weighted Situps
1 x 10 x 75lbs
2 x 10 x 105lbs

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 12

Later tonight I'll do my second session with farmers handles and the medicine ball.

[debussy]

Damn, congrats with the 605. You did a lot of warm up sets too.

[TheMachine]

Cocoa, Debussy, thank you both for all the kind words and support!

Session 2

Farmers Walk 100' w/ turn
1 x 270
3 x 410

Supine Leg Raises w/ med. ball
3 x 12

Russian Twists
2 x 20

Reverse Hypers
2 x 25

Terminal Knee Extensions
3 x 15 x green band
(explanation here: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=A56711F386A8B57E16962560A08044D4.hydra?id=599774 )

[Coke]

Look out theMachine has got a video - :thumbup:...extreme deads, lunges and farmer's walks.

[TheMachine]

Bench (warm up)
20 x bar
20 x 135
10 x 225
5 x 315

2 board
3 x 365
3 x 3 x 385
1 x 405
0 x 420 :micro: Had to try some singles even though I was pretty burned out

Stabilty Ball DB Press
14 x 110's
12 x 110's Like I said, pretty burned out....

Pullups + 60lbs
3 x 5

Face Pulls w/ light band
2 x 25
Supersetted w/
45lb Plate Raises
2 x 20

[[[[----]]]]

Wow! just lookin at those lifts make my muscles hurt man!

[TheMachine]

Midnight Sled Dragging (245lb sled for all sets)

Forward Drag
2 x 100'

Backward Drag Holding Chains in my hands
4 x 50'

[debussy]

Damn that 605 was fast as hell. It looked like it hitched a tiny bit when you were locking out... but very minor. I could see you doing 20lbs more.

[Coke]

Amazing how swift and smooth the 605 deads came up - you own'em.

[chris mason]

That's a good lift. You hitched a bit at the top, but pulled very solidly up to that point.

[TheMachine]

Cocoa, Debussy, Chris, thanks for the input guys. I know it hitched a wee bit, its more of a form issue. I'll do some pulls against bands to correct it.

[Bruteman]

Wow. That is a hell of a pull. I feel very inadaquate now.
*leaves and contemplates revamping training*

[TheMachine]

Front Squat
5 x 245
5 x 295
3 x 315
3 x 330
3 x 350

Farmers Handle Shrugs
15 x 135's
15 x 205's
10 x 255's

GH w/ light band
2 x 12

Side Bends w/ farmers handle
2 x 15 x 135

[Coke]

Super front squats and everythang mang.

[TheMachine]

Push Press
10 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 205
2 x 5 x 225

Seated Overhead Pin Press (bar 1" above head)
3 x 225
3 x 245
1 x 260
0 x 275
0 x 275
0 x 275 :cry:

Chin Ups
3 x 10

EZ Bar Reverse Curl
10 x bar
10 x 75
10 x 100

EZ Bar Curl
2 x 10 x 125

Wrist Roller
3 x 50lbs

Rotator Cuff Work
8 sets

[debussy]

Looks like youre enjoying those front squats now. Hey, just curious... how thick are the handles on your FW implements? I'm looking to buy a pair... seems like the smaller 1.25"-1.3" handle ones are what I want.

[TheMachine]

Debussy, I got 2" handles, they're easy enough to hold on to.

[lilmase1153]

damn machine still looking mighty beastly bro... ace work all around

[bill]

Great strength and workouts! All of you getting tips and such from Machine and not telling anyone.

[TheMachine]

Thanks Lilmase and Bill!

Farmers Walk x 150' w/ 1 turn
1 x 270lbs
1 x 370lbs

60' w/ 1 turn
2 x 450lbs

30' no turn
2 x 550lbs

Reverse hyper w/ med bal
2 x 10

Spread Eagle Situp w/ med ball
2 x 12

Russian Twist w/ med ball
2 x 15

[debussy]

Those numbers listed for the FW MUST be combined weight in both hands right? 550 lbs in each hand with 2" handles would be freaky as hel.... I never know what to expect from you though hehe.

[TheMachine]

I listed the combined weight. That is still pretty good though :ninja: For my weight class in most strongman comps I'd have to haul 250lbs in each hand.

[Bruteman]

Was watching some of the big boys on espn this afternoon, so had the urge to stop in here today. ;)

You are a f*ckin' powerhouse bud. Didn't realize how close you were to the big dogs of the sport. You could probably do the events they do, with the weights they use, just not quite as well..........yet. :evillaugh

[TheMachine]

Ha! Bruteman, you should check your math, I'm no where near those guys. Thanks anyway though!

Screw Around Upper Body Day

Incline Bench
15 x 135
10 x 225
5 x 275
5 x 300

HS Row
15 x 3PPS
10 x 4PPS
10 x 5PPS

Neutral Grip Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

Tate Press
1 x 20 x 40's
2 x 10 x 75's

Standing DB Curl
2 x 8 x 65's

Standing Side Raise
2 x 10 x 45's
Supersetted w/
Bent Over Rear Delt Raises
2 x 10 x 60's

[TheMachine]

Midnight Sled Dragging Madness!!!

Backward Drag
3 x 100' x 245lbs

Forward Drag
3 x 100' x 245lbs

My backward drag is improving, third set I puttered out toward the end though. Forward Drag I did as a sprint and accelerated the entire distance. Very happy with that! I was going fast enough that after I stopped the sled was sliding and hitting my feet. Not bad for dragging steel on concrete!

[Coke]

Superb upper body work - especially for just screwing around, lol...and I'm speechless on the midnight madness.

[YoBrickWall]

Machine- awesome numbers in here.. which HS rows machine are you using. they have about 4 different ones at the club here. i know i can do three plates for sure on each side but really havent tried more since it is my last excerise. i usually use it as a burn..

YBW

[TheMachine]

I use the Hammer Iso Row. I do it really strict too, last rep of every set I hold my elbows back for as long as possible. Thanks YoBrickwall!

[bill]

Excellent work, do you get a lot of stares when lifting those type of #'s?

[Bruteman]

Awesome sled dragging madness! Have you tried to hook your harness up to a semi yet? You know, just to see.

[TheMachine]

Bruteman, I'd have to buy a harness first! I just run the chain on the sled through my belt and thats pretty secure. When I backward drag I hold the chains in my hands to work my grip.

Bill, back when I wore a bench press shirt and trained for pl'ing comps I'd get A LOT of gawkers. Repping 535 off boards looks badass even if you have an elastic Super-Corset doing half the work.

[bill]

Machine I will stop and give peeps their props, when I see big or interesting lifts.

[debussy]

Hmmm... dragging your sled on concrete. Do you think the sled is going to hold up for long... especialyl with all that weignt on it?

[TheMachine]

Debussy, I checked the underside of the sled the other night and it is scratched a little bit, nothing serious. Its a very well made piece of equipment.

Push Press
10 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 205
5 x 225
2 x 5 x 240

Pullups
1 x 10 x bodyweight
3 x 3 x bodyweight +70lbs

Farmer Handle Shrugs
2 x 10 x 225's
1 x 5 x 275's
Hold for Time
275's x 30 seconds

Stability Ball Db Press
1 x 30 x 65's
1 x 20 x 65's

Rotator Cuff Work
8 sets

[Coke]

Debussy, I checked the underside of the sled the other night and it is scratched a little bit, nothing serious. Its a very well made piece of equipment.

Set some money aside anyways for a replacement down the line - :D ...mean machine at it again, doing great.

[YoBrickWall]

the Machine-you are a badass with numbers like thoses

YBW

YBW

[bill]

Nice work Machine.

[TheMachine]

Thanks Guys!

Starting a new deadlift cycle....

Deadlift
405 x 3
455 x 3
495 x 1
545 x 1 (Lowered bar slowly, maybe a three count)

Weighted Situps
1 x 15 x 65
2 x 10 x 85

Decline Situps
2 x 25

Hanging Ab Raises
2 x 12

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

Wrist Roller
1 x 25lbs
1 x 50
1 x 60

[YoBrickWall]

Machine- sweet.. i usually work towards 500 but 540 is my best. again awesome.

YBW

[Coke]

Impressive deads, good workout overall.

[Shane]

Your lifts make me feel like a little girl.

[TheMachine]

YBW, Cocoa, thanks!

Your lifts make me feel like a little girl.
Last night you said I made you feel like a woman....a natural woman. :p

Squats
10 x 135
10 x 135 (front squat)
5 x 245
5 x 245 (front squat)
3 x 315
Add Stability Ball
3 x 365
3 x 405
Add Belt
3 x 425
1 x 455
1 x 475

I was going to squat tonight but I was pissed at something so I squatted early to blow off steam. I'll do assistance work tonight. Those were some deep squats, really happy with them.

[TheMachine]

UPDATE

Went to a track after work to throw around my medicine ball while my wife ran. Earlier in the day I had dug up my old sprinting spikes....you know where this is going.....

After my med. ball work I put on the spikes and did some sprints. Started off easy, jogged a bit then trotted out a couple of easy hundreds. Then I ripped off an easy 50. Went for it again and really killed this one....surprised myself...I'm still actually fast(I competed at the State Championships for the 60m and 100m way back in high school).

Then I decided to really gun it.....until my hammie went *POP*
:cry:

So far there's no discoloration, it hurts to stretch, not to flex which is good. I definitely set my training back a couple of months though.

[Isaac Wilkins]

Ouch, man. Sorry to hear that. That was my biggest fear when I started sprinting again. Good luck on the recovery!

[Coke]

News not so great bro, except that it gives a little hope to somebody who could even dream of catching up, lol - :D

[bill]

Nice lifts, where all the heavies still front squats (how) lol
Thats why I don't try to sprint any more. Speedy recovery is wished to you.

[YoBrickWall]

Machine- nice squating.. maybe you need to go in pissed off all the time when doing legs. i gotta do them tobight and aint looking forward to it.[B]

YBW

[TheMachine]

bill, Borris, Cocoa, YoBrickWall, your good will means alot. Its not too bad, I'll be healed up in no time.

TKE's w/medium band
3 x 15

Leg Curls w/ medium band
3 x 15

SLDL w/ bar
2 x 15

Deadlift w/ bar
2 x 15

Incline Press (just to see if I can still stabilize with my left leg)
15 x 135
10 x 225
8 x 275
5 x 305

Obviously I can still stabilize with that leg :evillaugh

DB OHP (getting them into position tweaked the hammie)
1 x 20 x 65's

DB Floor Press
1 x 15 x 100's

Stationary Bike
15 minutes @level 7

I brought a mini band to work and I'll keep on stretching and doing leg curls throughout the night. I've got to keep my hammie pumped full of blood to speed up the recovery.

[debussy]

damn, sorry to hear about the hamstring. i'm surprised you pulled it with all the ghr work you do. i guess thats what happens when you push it after a long break.... anyway hope the recovery comes quick.

[Canadian Crippler]

You are a freakin' beast bro... truly "THEMACHINE".

[YoBrickWall]

Machine- i hate SLDLS. it bothers a very low spot on my back but i gotta tell ya it really helped my DLS alot

YBW

[bill]

Good idea about the band n hammie. Where you just doing db floor press for stability work? I thought the mostly help for shirt work? How hard are the db to get into place? enough ?'s he he.

[TheMachine]

Good idea about the band n hammie. Where you just doing db floor press for stability work? I thought the mostly help for shirt work? How hard are the db to get into place? enough ?'s he he.


Bill, here's the story with me and the floor press. My arms are so short and my chest so big (50") I can't do a floor press with a bar. When the bar touches my chest my elbows are still 3 inches off the ground!!! So for me and me alone floor press is great for raw pressing power. I always use dumbells so I can actually touch my elbows to the floor. My PR is 145's for 8 reps.

On that particular day I did floor press so I wouldn't have to stand up and walk around with the dumbells, walking with weight really seems to tweak my bad hammie.

The hammie by the way is doing much better. Now it just feels like I squatted really hard. I'm starting to think the injury isn't as bad as I first thought. Monday I'm going to try some very light deadlifting.

[TheMachine]

Got antsy and did some hammie work, it went really well. In light of what I did tonight I'll just bench tomorrow.

Reverse Hyper
2 x 25

Reverse Hyper w/ med. ball between feet
3 x 10

Leg Curl w/ mini band (only my left leg)
lots of sets x lots of reps

Russian Twists w/ med. ball
3 x 20

Glute Ham Raises
2 x 10 :cool:

Farmer Walk
3 x 100' x 270lbs (total weight)
These were slow as hell, I just can't push off my left leg very hard. Usually I can just take off running with 270lbs, but running is what got me into this mess in the first place :whiner: . Oh yeah, third set I did zig-zag side to side just to make it harder.

Roman Situps
2 x 25 + 25lbs

[debussy]

Haha if you can do glute ham raises with that ham, you should be fine man. Looks like you'll be back in action within a week... two tops.

[bill]

Good reason for the floor press, what type of bench do you use for the med ball glute ham raise.

[TheMachine]

Debussy, you're right but I've still got to play it safe.

Bench
3 x 3 x 350
Definitely had 5-6 reps in me for the first couple of sets.

Hammer Lat Pulldown
2 x 6 x 3PPS + 25's
PR for weight.

DB Shrugs
2 x 20 x 145's

Neutral Grip Lat pulldown
2 x 10 x stack

DB Overhead Press
2 x 15 x 80's

[JeffWillConquer]

holy crap you're strong. Some day...some day.

[TheMachine]

Bill, I have this in my basement:
http://newyorkbarbells.com/82626.gif

I wouldn't recommend doing this on it though:
http://newyorkbarbells.com/82625ani4.gif

JeffWillConquer, keep eating beef jerky bro! I have a food dryer from wal-mart that I use to make 2lbs of beef jerky every week.

[Coke]

Impressive benching, awesome workout overall!!

[TheMachine]

Quickie Workout

Reverse Hypers
2 x 20

Russian Twists w/ med. ball
2 x 20

Leg Curls w/ green band
3 x 15

DB Step-ups
2 x 6 x 60's

GHR
2 x 10

Weighted Roman Situps
1 x 15 x 25lbs
2 x 10 x 75lbs

[bill]

How the @@#%$ did you do the Roman situps with 75, bw breaks me down. lol

[Chubrock]

Hey bro, its been awhile since I've made my way through here. Those lifts are friggin pimp man. Great job. Def. something I'd like to put up one day. One question, how do you do the Roman Situps?

[TheMachine]

A roman situp is a situp with no back support, so I just do them on my glute ham bench.

Oh Bill, that was a light day, I'm up to 105 x 10 on my heavy day. A friend of mine who deadlifts 750 does decline roman situps with 135lbs!!! So I feel weak at this exercise.......

[Chubrock]

Roman Situps sound hardcore bro. Nice job with all the weight.

[Canadian Crippler]

I have a hard time doing situps on the decline bench w/ a 45lb DB. 105 for 10 on a freakin GHR station is just insane bro.

[TheMachine]

Push Press
5 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 225
3 x 3 x 250
Great reps, I'm working on my form more than I'm trying to build power at this. In a month or so I expect I'll shoot for 300ish

Seated Overhead Lockouts (bar 3" above head, pinkys inside rings)
3 x 225
3 x 255
3 x 275
1 x 285
1 x 295

Pullups
2 x 10

Straight Arm Rear Delt Raises
2 x 10 x 25's

RC Exercises
8 sets

[debussy]

****, a 300 push press is very very respectable. Any plans on buying an axle or log anytime soon?

[TheMachine]

****, a 300 push press is very very respectable. Any plans on buying an axle or log anytime soon?

Actually...I'm working 12 hours of overtime this weekend so I can buy a 10" log.

[bill]

How does he hold 135? and you 75? What pin do set the bar for your push press, I think I will go back to those.
Also how many licks to get to the center of a lolli pop. .....

[TheMachine]

How does he hold 135? and you 75? What pin do set the bar for your push press, I think I will go back to those.
Also how many licks to get to the center of a lolli pop. .....

Answers:
1. I don't know how he holds the bar, we don't work out together
2. I hold it in a front squat position with my arms tucked tight over the bar
3. For push presses I front squat the bar out of the rack and take a step back
4. Don't you know its impossible to lick to the center? Don't you watch TV?! That owl has been trying to for years and owls are wise and patient.

[bill]

Very funny reply. I read to do rack press some inches above your head. I suppose it can be done either way.

[TheMachine]

The overhead lockouts I do seated with the bar on pins above my head. I put the safety pins on the 21st hole. Is that what you mean?

[bill]

Oh yeah I see, I was thinking push press was the same thing. I see now you did both.

[Coke]

The $hit in here can be just plain ridiculous, lol.

[bill]

lol, Co your crazy

[TheMachine]

Reverse Hyper
2 x 25

Side Bends w/ farmer handle
2 x 10 x 135

Farmer Handle Shrug(total weight)
1 x 25 x 270

Farmer Handle Deadlift w/ shrug at top
1 x 10 x 270
1 x 3 x 490
1 x 3 x 530
1 x 620 ( no shrug)
1 x 650
1 x 650

GHR
2 x 10

Leg Curl w/ mini band (one leg at a time)
1 x 50

TKE's w/ green band
1 x 50

Roman Situps w/ medicine ball
1 x 50

Hanging Leg Raise
2 x 12

[bill]

heavy workout.

[TheMachine]

Push Press
5 x 135
5 x 185
9 x 225 PR for reps, I just couldn't lockout #10
2 x 5 x 240

Pullups
2 x 12

Stability Ball DB Press
1 x 30 x 85's
1 x 24 x 85's

EZ Bar Reverse Curl
2 x 10 x 100

EZ Bar Curl
2 x 6 x 150

[debussy]

good effort on the push press... it takes a lot of concentration and endurance to pump out 10 reps. lookin forward to seeing 300 soon! :strong:

[Coke]

Past couple of efforts are lookin great, U are mean Machine - ;)

[TheMachine]

COC Grippers
2 x 50 x trainer
2 x 20 x #1

Roman Situps
2 x 50

[TheMachine]

18" Deadlifts
10 x 135
5 x 245
5 x 335
5 x 425
5 x 495
5 x 550

In between sets of dl's I did squats and lunges with a 100lb sand bag I made
Sand Bag Squats and Lunges
8 sets x 10-15 reps

Reverse Hyper w/ med. ball
2 x 10

Single Leg Band Curl
2 x 30 x mini band

Stability Ball Situps w/ sand bag
1 x 40

Roman Chair Situps w/ sand bag
2 x 10

Side Bends w/ sand bag
2 x 12

Russian Twist w/ med. ball
2 x 40

[MM]

Five fitty on the DL and you're only two twenty one? Jeebus. Not to be the jackass, but how tall are you? That number is impressive at any height, but if you're near me or taller I'm going to go stand in the middle of the highway with a slight smile on my face and a little tear in my eye.

[debussy]

damn machine, you beat me to making sandbags. i wish i had the money right now. it sounds like im missing out on a lot of fun. you should try some clean and press ... maybe loading it on a platform too.

[Coke]

Excellente with the sandbags...over the top with the 550 deads.

[TheMachine]

Bench
20 x 135
15 x 225
5 x 315

4 Board Press
5 x 385
5 x 405
5 x 425
3 x 450

Pullups
1 x 10 x bodyweight
2 x 7 x 50lbs

Face Pulls w/ purple band
2 x 15

Farmer Handle Shrugs
2 x 15 x 205's

Rotator Cuffs
10 sets

[TheMachine]

GPP

Dynamic Warm-up
Medicine Ball stuff, band stretches, reverse hypers, situps, TKE's

Sand Bag Squats and Lunges
9 sets x 10-15 reps x 100-150lbs

I did these with very little rest between sets and progressively added weight

Ouch.

[KevinStarke]

Damn man just thought i'd say hi. Im a powerlifter in training myself and your crazy strong, looking forward to seeing your progress!

[TheMachine]

The sand bag work the other day left me abnormally sore so I took it easy today, rack pulls up to a heavy yet manageable single....

Rack Pulls (pin 3, last week I pulled from pin 4)
5 x 245
5 x 335
3 x 425
3 x 515
1 x 565
1 x 585 Easy

In between every set I did 20 reverse hypers

Leg Curls
TKE's
Lunges
Stretching
Done.

[Coke]

Props on those 585 rack pulls - wow, thats 6pps...doing fantastic throughout.

[bill]

Easy work !

[TheMachine]

Push Press
10 x 135
5 x 185
3 x 225
3 x 255
3 x 265 PR

Seated Overhead Lockout (one pin lower than last time, about 1" over my head)
1 x 265
1 x 275
0 x 285 Got it 2" off the pins and held it forever, couldn't move it any further :swear:
0 x 285

45lb Plate Raises
2 x 25

150lb Sandbag squats and lunges
4 sets x 10 reps

Tricep Pulldowns w/ light band
3 x 25

Reverse Curls w/ EZ Bar
2 x 10 x 105

Curls w/ EZ Bar
2 x 10 x 125

Rotator Cuff
8 sets x 15 reps

[TheMachine]

Front Squats (sitting onto a stability ball, did these very deep, well below parallel)
8 x 135
5 x 225
5 x 275
2 x 5 x 315
1 x 3 x 335
1 x 3 x 355

GH Raise
2 x 15

Roman Situps
1 x 10 x 25lbs
2 x 10 x 75lbs

Green Band Ab Pulldown
2 x 25

Russian Twist w/ med. ball
2 x 30

[debussy]

Looks like you've gotten comfortable with the front squats now. I think I may start them up. I heard they help a lot with leg drive on the push presses.

[Coke]

Awesome stuff on those front squats...not too many guys can do that much weight with the regular squats - :thumbup: