29 Dec 2013 - Snowstorms, Ice Storms, and Power Outages.

1010 hrs

This tree used to straight. 

Clock is still messed up in the gym so i am guessing on the time if it really matters. I took my time and just smashed it up after 2 weeks of battle Snow and Ice from Home. I went and saw my Parents only to be trapped by the weather for 4 days. Then i came home in time for an Ice storm and power outages. Oh and yeah i blew a tire on my car just before the ice storm hit. Good times. Everything is cool. I have a wood stove and every time the power has come back on we have prepped that much more. (it is gone out 4 times in the last week. The power line is clinging precariously to my house so i am sure it will go out at least once more before 2013 is done.)

Icy Winter Wonderland

I found these the last two weeks and have been doing them daily. I did them today as my warm up.
Banded Pull-A-Part Series - David Allen
Banded Hip Series -David Allen

SSB Box Squat (Approx 1 inch high)
(For Clarification the bar is 45 lbs because the bar is always 45 lbs)
2 x 7 x Bar
2 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 185 Added Knee Wraps (Light Wrap)
1 x 3 x 185
2 x 3 x 205
2 x 3 x 225 Added Belt
1 x 2 x 275
1 x 1 x 295
1 x 1 x 315
1 x 5 x 225 No belt or Wraps
1 x 11 x 185
This was not preplanned other than i was going to use the SSB and i was going to use a box to take some stress off my hip. I pushed the ROM work and in all things my hip cpasule fought back A LOT. to the point where i ceased the ROM work, only done the banded hip work (it seems to be helping), and taking some vitamin "I" (Ibuprofen). It has been a week of Vitamin I so i will come off it tomorrow and see how things are. The Box Squats were fun and did not seem to irritate anything. The SSB is a whole different animal making it fun.

Sumo Deadlift (Weight does not include the bar)
1 x 7 x 60 kg
4 x 7 x 70 kg
This was done simply as glute work and to try and keep my hip stretch out. Pushed the pace a little and threw in a few sets of EZ bar curls to mix things up.

After 2 weeks away i almost need one. 

EZ Curl Bar Curls (bar weight not included)
3 x 6 x 40 kg

I will finish the year up strong the next 2 days with a few roughed out plans. Then flesh things out as i go. Then back on the path Thursday. I will also be doing a lot more single leg work for the next 6 weeks to even things out further. Another plan is to continue with the SSB onto a box for the next 6 weeks to let my hip rest a little more. i will also be forced to do a lot of short sessions getting into the gym 2 times a day instead. which will help with the post Christmas Rush.

Machete's For Christmas are awesome.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

20 Dec 2013 - Day before the shortest day of the year.

0230 hrs
Hip and Low back were fighting each other. Not painful but definitely discomforting. So i got up, threw a log on the fire and headed to the basement. 30 min of Active ROM work and foam rolling. I could feel my low back is out just a touch. As long as i keep my hip stretched out and my piriformis relaxed all is good. Then back to bed for a 0600 wake up, probably closer to 0630. It is my holidays after all.

0815 hrs
The real work begins. I could get into my Deadlift position pain   free but it also felt like i had to have everything spot on with little room for error. But this is all sub maximal lifting so i knew it would go well enough.

20 min of Hip /Low back ROM work Again making sure everything was as loose and relaxed as i could get it. Once i was warmed up everything felt fantastic.

Deadlift
2 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 165
1 x 3 x 205
1 x 5 x 245
1 x 3 x 280
1 x 2 x 310

Joker Set
1 x 1 x 345 lbs

First /Last
5 x 5 x 225

310 went up very well, twice. So i made the jump to 345. It went up smooth enough but i figured anything beyond that might be playing with Fire. No reason to cripple myself a few days before Christmas. Dropped down to 225 instead the regularly scheduled 245. I wanted to work technique and i cut the rest down on these sets to less than a minute. Conditioning? Just lift weights faster.

TKE 2 x 21 x EFS Gray Band
Head Harness
1 x 15 /17 /15 x 20 /35 /44 lbs
1 x 15 x 44 lbs
The knee wanted some attention so i gave it some. The weather changes are causing havoc with my scar tissue. The head harness i did not want to waste a lot of time warming up this increase in poundage's worked out well. Great neck pump. Low back was starting to complain after the second set so i shut things down. As i could feel my hip starting to cramp i pulled the Lax ball and KB out for some extra work.

Hip Floss Take a Lax Ball and put it on your lower abdomen /Hip flexor area. Now put a 53 Lbs KB on top of it. Flex and relax. Move the lax ball around for 10 min. Eventually everything that was starting to cramp up relaxed wonderfully. So i could go about my day. Low back is still out of joint a little but not debilitating.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

19 Dec 2013 - 5 mths until my birthday

0710 hrs
Still on Holiday so i took my time. Let my body get a little more sleep than usual. Up and ready to get at it though.

yeah i always consider this on Bench day. HA!

45 Back Ext 3 x 11
Band Pull-A-Parts 4 x 21 x EFS Red Band
Bench
3 x 5 x bar
2 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 105
1 x 5 x 125
1 x 3 x 145
1 x 5 x 160
1 x 9 x 125*
2 x 7 x 125*
Everything felt solid and smooth in the set up. Things are still progressing and staying even. Now i am working on "bending the bar" and keeping my upper back as tight as possible. leg drive is coming along as well. The sets with the * i did close grip to see how things would hold up.

Db Bench
1 x 31 x 30 lbs
1 x 21 x 40 lbs
1 x 17 x 50 lbs
1 x 7 x 60 lbs
1 x 19 x 45 lbs
I am continuing to use the DB Bench to build the symmetry and balance between the two halves. The ^0 lbs felt the best a semi heavy Db has felt in awhile. Next cycle i will start pushing the weight.

Incline Bench Rear Delt /Lat Row
1 x 31 x 20 lbs
1 x 11 x 40 lbs
1 x 11 /13 /19 x 40 /30 /20 lbs

So EFS every year sells a charity book filled with amazing programs that directly benefit the Make a wish foundation in Ohio and Kentucky area. You should buy a copy of either volume 1 or volume 2. both are equally awesome. Out of Volume 1 is a Prowler Program written by my coach, mentor and Friend harry Selkow. I am going to give it a run for the next few months.
Book 1
Book 2

So today i ran myself through the Entry level test to see where i was at conditioning wise.
So knowing the standard going in, at least for me anyhow, it does change slightly from person to person.

Prowler 
10 x 40 yards x 90 lbs
Time 11 min 58 sec (let's just call it 12 min even)
I started out well enough but somewhere midway through my 8th trip things went from bad to worse. I think i heard Ravens cawing and i may have seen Odin himself. Yup entry level of the Prowler Flu set in. I kept pushing till the end. So now i know where i stand and i know how far off the mark for the entry test.

This time last year....

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

18 Dec 2013 -Squatt'n 5 /3 /1 Day

0840 hrs
I am on Holidays so took my time going in today. I will get to my absence in just a minute. I really took my time warming up my hips today to make sure everything was moving and grooving for lifting today. The end of the first 5 /3 /1 cycle so next week will be a quasi deload or i may jump into the next cycel depending on how things play out over the next few days.

90 /90 Hip Traction /Stretch 3 min each position
Mobility Series X a ton of reps for ea exercise.

Squats
2 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 165
1 x 5 x 195
1 x 5 x 245
1 x 3 x 280
1 x 3 x 310

Everything felt very solid and smooth. My big focus today was keeping everything tight and maximally trying to make room in my hips and driving my knees out in the process. The problem or issue i found is that i lose my arch when i do this. My hip felt a lot better but the lack of ROM through my low troubles me because that ROM has to come from some where. No injuries today but i will keep work at this. 310 felt decent a smooth.
Squats
1 x 5 x 245
3 x 5 x 225

I had 5 sets of 7 reps with 245 lbs in my book but that simply was not in the cards today. My hip is feeling great but i could feel it fatiguing quickly so i dropped the reps and then i dropped the weight.

GHR  2 x 9, 1 x 7
Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 7

GHR felt very solid today until that third set then form seemed to disappear. I will do some more tomorrow.

Odds & Sodds:

Last Friday felt great. Then while relaxing on the couch i seemed to tweak my shoulder some how. It felt like I had pinched the muscle some how. Just picking up my coat to shoulder level was painfully. I drove to see my parents (about 5 hrs of travel stopping to Christmas shop along the way) and when i got there it did feel drastically better. The weather was shitty the whole time i was home visiting so getting out to the gym was trouble some. My should recovered my Sunday and then my hip seemed to go in reverse. Things do have to get worse before they get better. I am hoping that this was the case because i spent Saturday night until Tuesday when i left doing everything i could think of to work out my hip. It felt a lot better today which is why i went ahead with Sunday Squat work out. Last Sunday this probably would have been a disaster or a 2 plus hr squat session.

So a few days at my parents place eating and relaxing and stretching. Now i am home. Now i can train through the holidays. I am hoping the roads are clear on Christmas day so i can get a decent Ruck march in early in the AM before opening gifts.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

13 Dec 2013 - two sessions. one morning.

0630 hrs

I really was on track to be at the gym early. Then mother nature called. Then one of the dogs got up. before i knew it an hr had passed. so i was a wee bit delayed. But the focus was only going to be Deadlifts anyhow. I got the required work completed and then went to work.
Deadlifts
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 165
1 x 3 x 205
1 x 3 x 235
1 x 3 x 265
1 x 3 x 295

..And that was it for the morning session. I will be happy to spend some actual time deadlifting next week. These felt solid but the 295 felt heavier than it should have. I reset after every rep to try and fix it.
I have a EFS Texas Power Bar in my basement now. Plates to be bought shortly. So hopefully i can get some decent video for critiquing to figure out where the issue is with my Deadlift form. It might just be my hip adjusting as it opens back up but i don't like excuses.

1050 hrs
Session number 2 for the day and the actual lifting that is supposed to be happening on a Friday. I watched another Awesome video from J.L. Holdsworth, Owner of The Spot Athletics. It was about shoulder integrity. Anyhow he gave me some new ideas for shoulder warm ups with the bands.

Touchdown Poses 2 x 21 x Orange EFS Mini band
Modified Scare Crows 2 x 11 x Orange EFS Mini Band
Band Pull-A-Parts 1 x 31
OH Press
2 x 11 x bar
1 x 5 x 55
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 3 x 80
1 x 3 x 90
1 x 3 x 105
1 x 6 x 115
4 x 9 x 90
Banded Incline Push ups 3 x 11 x 2Orange EFS Mini Bands
Shoulders were tight and tired going into this so I did not push too hard but got the work done. Things are starting to very solid. Now i just need to feel strong doing these again. Finished up with some banded Push Ups for lock out of all my pressing Movements.

This definitely applied to my training this week. 

So the week of maintenance is over. SilverBack Saturday tomorrow. I will be at my parents for Squats on Sunday so i will be training at my original gym, that is always exciting. I will be able to take my time and do some longer training sessions for the next 3 weeks. i will be bringing Ruck sessions back as well as Prowler work, sprint /Tempo work. I don't relax on holidays i ramp things up.

Keep moving Forward, keep getting Strong(er)

12 Dec 3013

11 Dec 2013

0555 hrs
Band Pull-A-Parts 4 x 21 x Red EFS Band
Bench
3 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 5 x 100
1 x 3 x 105
1 x 3 x 120
1 x 3 x 140
1 x 11 x 155
Single Arm Barbell Row
1 x 9 x 25 lbs
2 x 7 x 50 lbs
1 x 13 x 25 lbs

Nothing terribly impressive. but every week is building on the preceding week. Which means big impressive things will come with time and patience. The Band Pull-A-Parts were done in between sets of bench. The Single Arm barbell row was to get some sort of assistance work completed. This week has turned into a bare bones maintenance week. Looking forward to having 3 weeks off to train.

12 Dec 2013

Nothing. Other than some 90 /90 Hip Stretching /Activation. I had an unplanned middle of the night session that kept me up. So i needed the extra hr of sleep. This week calorie wise has been insane. I feel bloated and gross. It will be good to relax and ramp things up training and recovery-wise. I will get in two short sessions to make up for a little bit of lost time.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

10 Dec 2013 Don't blink, it was that quick

09 Dec 2013

The day was pretty much a write off for training from beginning to end unless i really forced the issue and i think my low back really needed a rest so i relented. Ate food. Relaxed.

0555 hrs

A quick cup of coffee on the way across to the mainland and then hit the gym up for a lightning session. Bare bones work probably all this week.
Sumo Deadlift (weights not incl bar)
2 x 9 x 40 kg
2 x 9 x 60 kg
2 x 7 x 60 kg
SSB Shrugs (weight of bar is 45 lbs because all bars weigh 45 lbs)
2 x 11 x Bar
4 x 11 x 65 lbs
Band Pull-A-Parts 2 x 31 x Red EFS Band

That's it. That's All. 30 min total. The Sumo's felt heavy so i focused on technique, Hip pushing through in particular. The SSB Shrugs i will work on. I have to do a consult on technique to make sure i am getting the most i can from them.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

08 Dec 2013 It Works! It Works!

I got up this morning. Relaxed. had some coffee. made myself and the girl some bacon and Eggs. Then got myself on the ferry to test out the Hip via some Squats.

1010 hrs

Hip Mobility Series X  lots each leg
90 /90 Hip Traction /Opener 5 min ea hip
Banded Side Step 1 x 20 (L&R)

Squats
2 x 10 x bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 165
1 x 3 x 195
1 x 3 x 230
1 x 3 x 265
1 x 10 x 295
(No Joker sets)
First /Last
3 x 5 x 230

To say this went well is understatement. This was by far the best Squat session i have had since before the injury. There was no shifting as my hip readily wanted to go done in a straight line very smoothly. So there was no torque on my right MCL from trying to force the Squat path. My low back naturally arched and stayed that way down and up. My hips /Glutes /Hamstrings loaded and propelled me upwards. Everything clicked. The set with 295 was definitely in the zone. I lost my tightness /technique ever so slightly on the way up of the 10th rep so i called it there. This has been a long time coming and the more i think about it the more excited i am. if next week goes this smoothly i will add the Joker Sets back in.

Good Mornings
4 x 7 x 135
1 x 7 x 95*
*(done at the end of the first set of Split Lunges)

Split Lunges
1 x 7 x 95*
1 x 7 x 115

The Good mornings i did down to high pins today. I was starting to feel a low back pump during the Lunges so i called it early. I also did the lunges slow, strict and to a touch on the pins, creating a dead stop before driving back up.

Upright Rows (Wide /Medium /Close Grips)
3 x 7/7/7 x 95
Kirkawoski Shrugs (Wide /Medium /Close Grips)
1 x 7/7/7 x 185
1 x 7/5/0 x 185**
1 x 7/7/7 x 135
GHR 5, 7, 7
Wipers 9, 11, 13
Band Pull-A-Parts 1 x 21 x Red EFS band
Shoulder stand (Inversion), Various Stretches for about 15 min

** Something went bow, bow in my right low back glute area. As i sit here it is a little tight. i will still be able to train tomorrow i may just need to throw some blue heat and take a little longer to warm up.

So an excellent day over all. Pretty drained physically and mentally. Squat day is the day where i seem to focus all my energy and emotion into one solid session. I was pretty amped up for that set with 295, afterward i had to walk around for a few minutes to gather myself. i have been grumpy and verbose the rest of the day. it burned me out a little. hard to explain. But to be able to pull together everything i have been shown in the last year and be able to finally bring it together kind of hit me. Big things have been coming for a long time. It is starting to feel like that they are starting to arrive. Now if I can just figure out how to enjoy Christmas.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

07 Dec 2013- The Silverback grows Strong(er)

0912 hrs

90 /90 Hip Capsule stretch /activate 2 x approx 5 min
Pull Ups 10 x 5 reps
Push Ups 6 x 17 reps
Bosu Sit Ups 6 x 27 reps
Head Harness 
1 x 17 x 25
1 x 17 x 35
1 x 17 x 45
1 x 14 x 55
1 x 23 x 45

Oly bar Curl
1 x 137 reps x Bar

The Pull Ups felt great. Mixing in the 90 /90 Hip Capsule work and the Head harness slowed things down a little bit.
But i noticed today that doing Pull ups and then getting down right away to do Push Ups was not making me suck wind. So it is a good sign my body is adapting to the volume well. I will scale back the extra stuff between sets next week to test this theory. As with every week i do the 6 sets of push ups then move into the Bosu sit Ups after Pull Ups until all sets completed.
Why Bosu Sit Ups? They seem to traction my back a little, they allow T spine movement, and i like how my obliques fire harder as well as my abs getting a decent stretch.
The Oly bar curl started out with a little bit of dis-interest ( i really did not want to make myself suffer). I literally popped a switch in my head, berated myself internally (externally and i might be escorted out) and then found a rhythm. The bar pretty much fell out of my hands as i came down from the 137th Rep.The Goal is to break 200 reps and then i add 10lbs to the bar.
The head Harness work today felt fun. The set with 55 lbs matches my PR weight. Although today the weight felt very comfortable and controlled. 14 reps was all i was getting today though.

45 Deg Back Ext /Side Bend 4 x 13
Fat Man Row 4 x 15

This made me sweat and breath. Simply back and forth. I think i did my last set of head harness during the initial sets of this as well. Fat man Rows are still to change movements patterns and to build endurance for later when i am doing sets of 10, 11, 12, or 13 reps. I do like the range of motion of the doing the inverted Row and how my upper back flexes into it.

Db's not so much a problem in my gym. It is the damn barbells no one seems to want to unload.

Tricep Push Downs (EFS Strap)
4 x 9 x 70 lbs
Face Pulls (EFS Strap) 
2 x 13 x 55 lbs
2 x 15 x 55 lbs

The Face Pulls took 2 sets to warm up, the actually felt a little heavy the first two sets. The Tricep Pushdowns is an increase of 2 reps from last week on every set. I simply feel more solid in my lats /upper back which is carrying over to my triceps.

1 Mile Run  7 min 33 sec
KB Swing 1 x 33 x 70 lbs
90 /90 Hip Capsule stretch /activate 1 x approx 5 min
Hip Traction with Gray Band 10 min (various directions and positions)(does that read and sound dirty to you?)

 The 1 Mile run felt a lot slower than the 7.5 min it ended up being. After missing so many conditioning sessions i had to get it done some where. My calf cramped 400 m into it ever so slightly, which made the whole running experience even more enjoyable. The 5 Km "fun Run" earlier this week was also a reminder that although i do not need to be an efficient and dominating runner just yet, i do need to have it in my training schedule a few times a week to keep muscle patterns used to running.
KB swings i use to activate /fatigue my glutes so when i traction my hip the seem to fire harder keeping the stress of the band on my hip flexors where i want it to be.
The 90 /90 Hip Capsule is actually a few positions. I will see if i can get pics of the positions and then explain what it entails. It is definitely working as my ROM is improving and maintaining. Tomorrow is Squats s that will be the true test if i can get it to carry over into a heavy functional movement.

Keep moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

06 Dec - the Knee study, The Pressing, and The Shaman

The Knee Study
So the Day started with a little bit of a sleep into 0545 hrs. Then bacon and Eggs with lots of Coffee. My appointment at the hospital was for 0830. Everything went extremely well. I have the print outs from today and she showed me the graphs from 1 yr ago. Exciting stuff. I will either get the sheets scanned and put them up or take close ups of the sheets and get them up by the end of the weekend.
But to sum it the numbers go something like this.:
The Test is done on a Biodex machine that measures force out put. It also reacts only to what it is given so it is safe for damaged joints.The test consists of 6 reps of Ext /Contraction.

A Peak of 140 n-m of Extension force going into surgery in my right knee. /Contraction peaked at 130 but quickly dropped off to 100 N-M of force over the 6 reps.

189 n-m of Extension force as of today in my right knee /With a contraction of 150. Things stayed solid throughout with only a slight variance. I actually get strong(er) from start to end. Most people get weaker from rep 1 to 6.

In Comparison with the healthy leg my Left Knee Peaked at 190 n-m last year. Today i hit 249 n-m. Slightly disappointed that i did not get 250.

It was also cool to learn that anomalies on the graph with my right knee will always be there. To a trained eye they speak of the ACL repair.

So as Buddy "Coach X" Morris said to me last May. "They have permanently altered your knee. It may work like it originally did but it will never be the same as it was originally". I now have quantitative proof that there is a difference. That doesn't mean i am going to slow down at all.

The Pressing
1200 hrs to 1225 hrs

OH Press
2 x 10 x bar
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 80
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 5 x 100
1 x 9 x 110
3 x 9 x 85
2 x 7 x 85
Banded Push Ups 3 x 13 x Black Mini Band
Side Laterals 4 x 11 x 20 lbs
Mtn Dawg Rows 3 x 11 x 45 lbs

A very fast session. Everything felt solid and strong. Got a great shoulder pump. Just what i needed out of a lunch time session. As much as I can while I am at school i will be training at lunch as well as first thing in the morning. The increase in being sedentary all day is wearing on me. I sucked back a Protein shake and half a pound of Bacon back in class.

The Shaman

So going to see my RMT is always fun. This dude is constantly learning. So from the last time i saw him 3 weeks ago until now he went to another training seminar. The last one was Myofascial Capsule Release treatment that he did on my hip and worked extremely well. This time he had a few new tricks he had just learned. This set of techniques work the joint through an active ROM so what you gain you keep to a certain extent.
It worked Extremely well. I gained 15-20% of movement in my hip. I was able to Externally and Internally rotate my hip natural through it's full range of motion. The best part is that I can do this every day at home. It is not a treatment that he will do and will last for a few days and then i have to go back and eventually things reset.
Instead i can do this daily, things will maintain and improve. As things get back to their full range all the time he has further techniques /exercises to show me to push things a little further.
To be able to walk in and be out of discomfort and have a better RM in 10 min is awesome. I am expecting a very solid Squat session this Sunday.

Tomorrow is the Day of the Silverback.

Keep moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

05 Dec Still working the Deadlift

0545hrs
up good and early this morning. Used today as a conditioning /Volume day for my Deadlift because of my impending test tomorrow for the Knee Study.

Deadlift
2 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 165
1 x 5 x 195
1 x 5 x 215
1 x 5 x 245
1 x 11 x 280

First /Last
5 x 5 x 205

Deadlift technique (Mjolnir Tech) felt a lot better by the last few sets. The 11 reps with 280 was fairly easy but i would be wanting to do several high rep sets with that quite yet. I can tell my left glute is not firing quite hard enough as my lock out is slow. But it will come along.

Head Harness 
1 x 15 x 25 lbs
1 x 17 x 35
1 x 17 x 40
1 x 17 x 45
1 x 17 x 40
1 x 17 x 35
GHR 3 x 7 reps
Wipers 3 x 11
Roll Overs 1 x 13

So this was the planned work. Due to other circumstances i had to kill time in the gym. Which is never a bad thing so i did some extra accessory work that was not overly taxing but severed a purpose.
45 Deg Side Bends 
1 x 9 x 10lbs
1 x 9 x 15 lbs
1 x 9 x 20 lbs
Adduction 
1 x 21 x 90 lbs
1 x 21 x 100 lbs
Abduction
2 x 21 x 205
Horizontal Shrug
3 x 13 x 70 lbs

So that is it. That is all. So Knee testing tomorrow. OH Press at Lunch. Then an appointment with the Shaman RMT.
Notes and Randomness:
I thought i was going to have to fight for plates when i first started lifting. A morning PT group came in and started grabbing plates because they were pushing the Prowlers. Well the Prowlers sorted that problem out. The over estimated their ability to fight the Prowler.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting strong(er)