Eric's Lifting Journal - Back At It

[sandman24]

"speed" work, huh? 330 on friday. get it.

[Eric Adolph]

"speed" work, huh? 330 on friday. get it.

"Speed" = there is speed some speed involved, just not the normally fast kind, Lol

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3/13/2012 (Tuesday): Max Effort SQ/DL

Conventional Deadlift- +Belt Only
135x8
225, 315, 405x1
455x4

Dimel Deadlifts-
225, 275x10
315x15

~12 (4 Blocks) Box Squat- (Close Stance) +Belt Only
135, 185x5
225, 245x1
260x8

Seated Cable Row- (Narrow V-Handle)
80, 120, 150x10
180x8
200x10

Ab Machine-
70x20
90x15
110x8
100x12

1-Arm Rear Delt Machine Flies-
170x10

OK workout; was a bit pissed about deads. I think I grabbed the bar too wide and it was making the lockout a bitch. Probably could have squeezed out the 5 I wanted but didn't want to make it that much of an ugly max effort. Next conventional workout I'll tighten up my belt and start using my dealdift slippers, and doing 3s. Hopefully an easy 465x3 week one. Hit Dimel Deads for the first time ever after that since my lockout was feeling crappy. Today my entire back feels it! 260x8 on the low box squats felt pretty solid, and form felt good for such a low position. Could have grinded out a couple of more, but wanted to save myself for Satrday's geared Squat workout.

[Eric Adolph]

3/15/2012 (Thursday): Cookie Day

[CHASE TRUSNOVEC]

cookies!!!!!!! i love cookies...you bake eric???

[Eric Adolph]

cookies!!!!!!! i love cookies...you bake eric???

I tried to bake cup cakes once ... they imploded, Lol. These were catered cookies, haha
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3/16/2012 (Friday): Max Effort Bench

1-Board Press- (Comp Grip)
[+ 130 lbs of Chains]
45, 95, 135x3
165x2
185xM
175x1
{+ Metal Pro Shirt}
185x1 (2-Board)
225x1 (1-Board)
245x1
265xM

Tried to do some straight weight at this point, but was not in any condition for that!

Incline DB Press-
40s x 10
60s x 8
80s x 7

1-Arm Tri Pushdowns-
40, 50, 60, 70, 80x10

Rough workout! Didn't think the chains would make THAT much of a difference, but they really kicked my ass!

[Coke]

Rough workout! Didn't think the chains would make THAT much of a difference, but they really kicked my ass!

No joke, chains are killer - good job throughout.

[Eric Adolph]

No joke, chains are killer - good job throughout.

I def. need to get some revenge against them next time, Lol
__________

Video from bench workout:

[Eric Adolph]

3/17/2012: Geared Squat Workout

Squat- + Inzer Canvas Suit, Metal Briefs, & Belt
150x8
240x3
330x1
420x1
420 + 090 lbs of Chain x 1
420 + 160 lbs of Chain x 1 (+ Inzer Gripper Knee Wraps)
470 + 160 lbs of Chain x 1 (+ Inzer Gripper Knee Wraps)


(Realized it was 160 chain; not 150)

Glute-Ham Raise-
1x15
1x12 + 10 lbs
1x10 + 25 lbs
1x08 + 30 lbs
1x10 + 25 lbs (+) 1x5 (no extra weight)

Hammer Chest-Supported Rows-
135, 185x10
225, 250x8
275x10

[u}Decline Situps[/u]- (+weight behind head)
1x15 + 10 lbs
1x8 + 25 lbs
1x5 + 37.5 lbs

Lat Pulldowns- (Underhand)
70, 100, 130x10

Made up for the previous night's shitty bench workout! Wanted to get back in my gear while still focusing on working my mid-range, so did a bunch of straight weight sets and then started adding chains. Smashed 420 with the 160 lbs of chains, and then decided to go up in weight instead of adding more chains, so it wouldn't be too easy at the bottom and heavy as hell at the top. Ended up as one brutal rep from bottom to top, as you can see in the video, Lol. That really beat the shit out of me; had trouble doing the top-set on each piece of assistance work, barley got out of bed on Sunday, and my head still hurts today, Lol.

[CHASE TRUSNOVEC]

nasty rep homeboy but looking awesome and strong as always!!!!!!

[sandman24]

wow man. what a grinder. chains are helping you for sure.

[Barbaccio]

Your knees scare the living sh1t out of me. Good grind on the squat though!

[Eric Adolph]

Your knees scare the living sh1t out of me. Good grind on the squat though!

My right knee has a tendency to lean inpretty bad .... I think it's actually from my hips being offset (one higher than the other. I actually hardly notice it when I squat. At the meet last month I managed to do a real good job of forcing it out.... on this squat, not so much, LOL.

____________

3/19/2012 (Monday): Speed Bench Press

Speed Bench Press-
[+ Doubled MiniBand]
5@125x3 (close grip)
5@135x3 (med grip)
5@145x3 (comp grip)
{Add SlingShot / Med Grip}
165, 185, 205x3

Strict Standing Overhead Press- (Close Grip)
45x8
95, 115x1
135, 145, 155x5

Incline Tate Extensions-
20s, 30s x 15
40s x 12
50s x 10

Tri Pushdowns- (M-Bar; Wide Grip)
50, 70, 90, 110, 130x10

Solid workout. My speed sets felt extra snap at the top for the first time in a while. I'll probably go to a Monster Mini with a little less weight next week and see if I can explode through that just as good. Really wanted to concentrate on exerting maximum force, so just took a few triples with the SlingShot instead of going to heavier singles like I usually end up doing. Hammered assistance work really good and my tris were shot after.

[Eric Adolph]

3/20/2012: Max Effort SQ / Speed DL

Speed Sumo Deadlift- + belt Only
135x8
3@225x1
6@315x1

~14" (5 Blocks) Box Squat- (Med Stance) +Belt Only
135, 185x5
225, 255, 275x1
285x10

"Speed" Sumo Deadlift- + Titan Suit & Titan Briefs & Belt
135x8
225, 315, 405, 455x1 (straps down)
3@505x1 (straps up)
5@405x3 (straps down)

Lat Pulldowns- (O-Hand; Wide)
70, 110, 150, 180x8
195x10

Ab Machine-
70x20
90x15
110x9
100x10

Was supposed to start with squats, but someone was using the rack, so I started pulling. After a bunch of sets with 315, they stopped, so I figured I better grab the rack while I could. I think this actually helped because I felt much less tight when warming up on the box squats! 285x10 felt great, only the last rep got a little ugly. Starting to feel a bit more comfortable with my medium stance raw - usually squatting with anything wider then my conventional DL stance feels weird or hurts. This stance is not too much wider, but my form feels much better and I think it will translate better to my geared squat. I looked back in my log and last cycle I did 285x8 and 300x6 two weeks after that. So, looking for 300x8 next time I'm on this height box. Deads were ok, but 505 should feel easier. I tried it with 3 slightly different stance, and they all felt about the same. Kind of baffled how I was pulling in the mid 500s over the summer, and now everything is stronger (raw squats, geared squats, back/hamsrtring assistance work), yet my pull is significantly lower, Grrrrrrr! - Meet at All Natural this week, so no squatting. Actually happy about that because even though I feel great I think a few things need a bit of extra recover time!

[CHASE TRUSNOVEC]

good squatting brotha...go get that pr!!

[Eric Adolph]

good squatting brotha...go get that pr!!

Thanks Chase! See you Friday?
_____

3/23/2012 (Friday): Max Effort Bench Press

1-Board Press- (Comp Grip)
135, 185, 225x3
245, 265x1

Bench Press- + Metal Pro Shirt
265, 295, 315x1
330x1
300x3

Decent enough workout. Haven't done a regular 1-Board in forever, but my all-time PR is 290, so hopefully I can bump this up to 275 soon. Did some full range shirt work after and hit 10 lbs more than I hit last meet relatively smooth. Can't complain about that! Would have done some lockout stuff after, but we had to start setting up for Blue Collar Barbell meet at All Natural Gym the next morning.

[Eric Adolph]

Video of bench workout above:

[sandman24]

330 looked sick! great comeback from the week before, dude. may have been good for 340...

[Eric Adolph]

330 looked sick! great comeback from the week before, dude. may have been good for 340...

Thanks man; slowly but surely it should come together!!
______

3/24/2012 (Saturday): Skipped Geared SQ - Had our Blue Collar Barbell APF New York State meet at All Natural Gym
______

3/26/2012 (Monday): Skipped Speed BP - Went to Atlantic City instead!
______

3/27/2012 (Tuesday): Max Effort SQ/DL


Conventional Deadlifts- + Belt Only
[+ 80 lbs of Chain]
135, 225, 315, 365x1
405, 410x3
425x2


~12 (4 Blocks) Box Squat- (Close Stance) +Belt Only
135, 185, 225x1
225, 255, 275x1
3@275x3

Seated Cable Rows- (Wider V-Handle)
70, 100, 130, 150, 170x8

Lat Pulldowns- (Overhand / Strict)
70, 100x10
130x10

Situps on Glut-Ham Machine- (+ weight behind head)
1x15 + 00 lbs
1x12 + 10 lbs
1x10 + 20 lbs
1x10 + 30 lbs

Strict Standing Ovehead Axle Press-
80x8
130x5
150x3
170x2
130x11

Tough workout!! Was scheduled to work up to 465x3 straight weight, but since I got to train at All Natural I figured I might as well use some chains. Went with 80 lbs of chains so I could keep the weight decently heavy through the whole range-of-motion. All of the chains were off the floor a few inches before lockout, so that was even more fun, Lol. I did 405x3, but it didn't video tape for some reason do I decided to do another set even though I was gonna stop there. Made it 410 and tripled it slightly easier, so I went to 425. Second rep there was even harder than the 3rd rep on the previous two sets. Tried to squat afterwards, but instead of getting the planned 8 with 275, I could barley muster 2 sets of 3; ouch. Have a lot of assistance work, and jumped in with Sandy and Anthony at the end to do some over-head work with the axle. I missed my regular overhead work the day before, so that worked out good.

[sandman24]

good random day to get down there man. deadlifts look strong as hell.

[Eric Adolph]

good random day to get down there man. deadlifts look strong as hell.

Glad we both made it; hopefully not too long until we can do it again!

_____

3/30/2012 (Friday): Max Effort Bench Press

1-Board Press- (Med Grip)
135, 185, 225x3
250, 270x1
{Add SlingShot}
295x1
315xM

3-Board Press- + Metal Pro Shirt
315x3
345, 370x1
385xM (soooo close; had 383.50 in me, Lol)

4-Board Press- (Med Grip)
185, 225x10
255x4

Tri Pushdowns- ( ^ Bar)
60, 80, 100, 120, 140x10

Good workout since I was pretty shot from Tuesday's deadlift training! Hit some 1-Board presses raw for the second week in a row, and went 5 lbs heavier; didn't have anything left on it, though. Then did some mid-range board work with the shirt to feel something in my hands and work the upper-end. Hit a solid 370 to beat what I've hit lately, and then came realllllly close on 385. Broke it off the boards a few inches, but couldn't quite finish it without a minor tap to the bar. Did some 4-boards after, but was shot and couldn't really so much. Next week looking to hit a solid 260 full-range raw bench and 350 shirted 2-board.

[Eric Adolph]

Video from above bench workout:

[Eric Adolph]

3/31/2012 (Saturday): Speed SQ Workout

Safety Squat Bar Box Squats- + Titan Briefs& Belt
[+GreenBand]
~14.5" Box
5@220x2

~14.25" Box
5@220x2

~14.00" Box
5@220x2
250, 275, 300x1



Bent-Over Barbell Rows- (Bench Grip)
135, 185x8
225, 255x5
285x8

Glute-Ham Raises-
1x15
1x12 + 10 lbs
1x8 + 25 lbs
1x6 + 30 lbs + 1x6 (bodyweight)

Lat Pulldown/Apart Cybex Machine-
135, 185x10
225x12

Decline Situps- (+weigh behind head)
1x15 + 10 lbs
1x8 + 25 lbs
1x6 + 35 lbs

Great workout. Was supposed to do a free squat with my canvas on with straps down and no wraps. But, it was just me and one other guy training, so I scraped that idea. Decided to hit some SSB speed work instead, with bands. Killed all of the sets much easier than the last time I did these. Took a few singles after, with the last one almost break me, Lol. Speed seems to coming back, and back feels like it is getting stronger. Pounded the assistance work after to be sure the keeps up!

[Eric Adolph]

4/2/2012 (Monday): Speed Bench Press Day

Speed Bench Press-
[+ Doubled MonsterMiniBand]
5@095x3 (close grip)
5@105x3 (med grip)
5@115x3 (comp grip)
[Med Grip Singles]
135, 155, 175x1
{Add SlingShot}
190, 200, 210x1


Standing Strict Overhead Press- (Close Grip)
45x12
95, 115, 135x1
150, 160, 170x1
180x1 -- PR

Rolling DB Extensions-
25s, 40s x 15
50s, 60s x 12

Awesome training session. All my speed triples had great speed, and the singles I took were all really easy too. Then did some overhead pressing and somehow managed to hit a PR, even though my tris were pretty shot and I was using a bar that was bent and kept rolling in my hands. Hit some high rep extensions and then had to go. Maybe I will actually have a shot at benching 350-ish this year!

[Eric Adolph]

4/3/2012 (Tuesday): Max Effort SQ/Speed DL Workout

~14" (5 Blocks) Box Squat- (Med Stance) +Belt Only
135, 185, 225x1
255, 285x1
300x8 -- PR

Speed Sumo Deadlifts- +Belt Only
[+ Quaded MiniBand]
3@135x1
3@185x1
3@225x1
3@275x1
3@315x1
2@340x1

Lat Pulldowns-
95, 135, 175x8
200x10

Shoulder Horn-
20s, 30s x 10
45s x 9

Ab Machine-
70x20
90x15
100x12

Another great training session; especially since my lower back and hips still feel pretty torn up from this past Saturday and last Tuesday. I really didn't want to push it today and I pretty much managed to stick with the plan. Hit my goal of 300x8 on the box squats, and really didn't have to put a maximal effort into any of the reps. Pulled with some good band tension after and all of those felt solid too. Banged out some basic assistance, and now will heal up for Friday and Saturday. Feel like I am getting stronger all-around and leaner as well.

[Coke]

Feel like I am getting stronger all-around and leaner as well.

This is obvious man, making it happen, doing great!!