4/26/11 - squats

am weight = 285.8lbs

training

oly squats (high bar, narrow stance)- 315x3, 365x3, 405x2, 455x2, 495x2, 405x5
pullups- BWx5 x8sets
lying leg curls x3 sets

macros = 57f / 273c / 301p = 2848

one of those meh squat days.. having issues with my left achilles tendon, a very strong dull pulsating pain, not sure why... I didn't do anything that caused immediate pain, I've been battling it for about a week now though and I'm wondering if it isn't the antibiotics I'm on for my sinus infection. The infection is gone and I've been on for 7 days so I'm just going to end it tonight so hopefully by my next squat session I'll be good.. also going to roll it out, ibuprofin and ice. aside from that, the squats felt good, looking for that 495 for a triple next, then I'll move up a little bit.. knees are responding well to the oly squats so long as I start wrapping them at 400.. diet is back on track after this weekend and weight is about settled back in..

4/25/11 - deads

training

hip snatches- 155x3, 165x3, 175x3
hang snatches - 195x3, 205x2, 215x2
hang cleans- 225x2, 275x2, 295x2, 315x2
24" box jumps- +50x5, +70x5 x3sets
deads - 405x3, 495x2, 545x2, 585x2, 605x2 (rep PR)

+ core work = ab roller & hanging leg raises

macros = 65f / 258c / 284p = 2805 w/~140g carbs pre-WO

hell yes.. I've been wanting that 605 for a double for some time now. doing deads at the very end of the workout makes it hard enough to break through barriers so I was super happy with this.. the lacerated flesh and resulting blood running down my shins are damn worth it at this point.. pre-workout carbs are dialed in (I think) and energy was pretty good the whole session. Looking to be close to 270 by the end of this 4 week cycle then back to maintenance for a couple weeks.

*note, I had forgotten how awesome the ab roller nails the abs, that felt pretty good.. definitely need to add those regularly.. I can definitely feel my core getting stronger.

In light of better throwing sessions, I've decided to change my weight training schedule arond a little. I'm going to be squatting on tuesdays instead of pressing. This may not be most ideal for weight training but I'll still push hard and get good sessions and I'm hoping I'll get more positive results out of my throwing on the weekends. Throwing while uber fatigued from a heavy squat session is teh suck..

4/23/11 - throws

training

• 23.5# braemar- 7-8 @ 34-35'
• 16# open- 4-6 south african @ 35-38'
• 56# WFD- 3-4 standing @ 25-28', 2-3 single spin @ ~31-34', 3 double spin @ 35-37' with best of ~38'
• 16# hammer- ~10 @ 90-115'

trying to get more explosve on braemar, definitely feeling slow from squats the day before. just focused on footwork on the spins. WFD felt great, surprisingly.. fixed the cast so the high point was in front of me rather than off my left shoulder which turned around the whole throw.. put a little juice on it and hit a sweet PR that I didn't measure (eyeballed from a 35' flag marker). hammer felt ok, most of the throws were slow, just hitting positions, put some juice on the last couple..
macros = ?? easter weekend = I don't care

4/22/11 - squats

am weight = 284.4lbs

training

oly squats (high bar, narrow stance)- 225x5, 275x5, 315x5, 365x3, 405x3, 455x3, 495x1
front squats- 225x3, 275x3, 315x3
pullups- BWx5 x8sets
RDL- 225x8, 315x6, 405x4

macros = 70f / 249c / 285p = 2801

eased back into some heavy-ish squats today.. felt really good, especially considering I did them oly style, switching from PL due to the nagging groin injury, oly style doesn't bother it at all.. now I've just got to keep the knees healthy. Took it easy on front squats to see how the spinal erectors felt, which was pretty damn good..

4/21/11 - presses

am weight= 285.8lbs

training

flat bench- 275x5, 315x3, 365x1, 385x1, 315x6
strict OHP- 205x3, 225x3, 245x3, 265x1, 225x5
one arm cable rows- 180x6, 195x6, 210x5

+core work

macros = 72f / 272c / 267p = 2838

meh, wanted 405.. max would probably be 395-400ish but I didn't want to push it 100% considering haven't benched in nearly 4 months... also sprained my wrist on stones in vegas so it's not feeling top notch just yet, had to wrap it for all the sets, but it wasn't too bad.

4/20/11 - deads

am weight = 290lbs

training

deads - 515x3, 565x2, 605x1, 515x5
sledgehammer swings- 3 sets 10 on each side

+ core work

macros = 62f / 273c / 284p = 2823

wanted that 605 for a double but it just wasnt there tonight..

4/17/11 - Vegas Games

2011 Las Vegas Games- 2nd place overall in A group

• 22# braemar - 2nd - 34'6.5" / 36'1.5" PR / 36'1.5"
• 16# open - 3rd - 40'11.5" / 42'3.5" / 41'2"
• HWFD - 6th - F / F / F
• LWFD - 1st - 70'11" / 72'1.5" / 75'8" PR / (extras = 74'10.75" / 70'9")
• HH - 1st - 92'9" / 91'5.75" / 93'5" PR / (extra = 91'8")
• WOB - 1st @ 15'
• Caber - 3rd - 17.5' 100# - 2:30 / 10:45 / drop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMpzZeMP-tU

Very fun games, thanks to Steve Conway for judging and the rest of the crew for making a good time out of a small field despite the last minute issues. Also big thanks to Jon O'Neil's dad for marking for us and thanks to Jon for helping fix my WFD issues I was having for some strange reason.

Here are my thoughts about the events for my own notes and for anyone else that cares:

Braemar - felt good and nailed a PR, however, after watching the video I look slow. I need a faster/stronger pop once I get down into double post, as well as pushing all the way through.

Open - blegh, horrid. I'm done with the glide. I've got a few local people who can help me out with the south african so I'm going to start working this exclusively, I need to get this up to 50'.

HWFD - way off.. stayed up too late and skipped breakfast, two very dumb mistakes. My cast was off, my hips were slow and my pull was late which resulted in 3 ugly fouls.. the crappiest part was that all throws were 37+ ft which would be PRs and would have taken the event. meh,excuses right?

LWFD felt good after fixing my cast issues, still pulling late and slow hips after the 2nd spin. Nailed a PR and I'm very happy with that, I've got my sights sent on 80' now. Need to remember to keep that arm long and drive hard to the trig.

HH was good but not good enough despite a PR and 1st in the event. Only got to practice hammers 4 times in the 6 weeks between Phx and Vegas due to the abdominal injury. For a n00b like me, that's not good as my form had broken down. Will be focusing on staying very long and off to my right during training. Also need to work on pulling my arms in on the release, I know that's costing me.

WOB felt off for some reason. Mainly because I don't have standards to train with so I wasn't pulling all the way through and therefore releasing early. Once I got this figured out I cleared 15' pretty easy. Unfortunately I took so many throws due to misses I was gassed quite a bit. I hit the bar at 16' (standing) twice and then didn't come close the 3rd time. I'm going to be building a standards here pretty soon and just working reps with 15' I want to hit 17' by the end of the season. I just need to get in the reps.

Caber was awesome. I don't care how shitty it looks in the video (from a technical standpoint). I've yet to turn an A caber and I did it, that was the first step. Now I need to get a lot of time in. I need to carry it a bit higher, more upright and run longer/stop trying to chase it and pull all the way through.

On a side note, after the games I went to this place called "Hash House A Go Go". At first I thought it was going to be some raunchy strip club/restaurant but my friend assured me. Boy was I surprised. AWESOME food and ENORMOUS portions. Definiately a must if you're going to be in Vegas (or San Diego) any time...ever.

4/12/11 - throws

lunch training

• 23.5# braemar- 15-20 @ 33-35' with the majority being a couple inches shy of 35'
• 28# WFD- 6-7 standing @ 47-50', 5-6 single spin @ ~58', 5-6 double spin @ 68-73' with 3 over 70'
• 56# WOB- 8-10 standing, 3-4 spinning

evening training

• 16# open, glide- 15-20, unk distance
• 16# hammer- ~15 throws

braemar and WFD feeling very good, looking forward to some good throws in vegas on fresh legs.

focusing on keeping legs stiff on the WOB and getting a good hip pop, a bit akward at first but it's coming along. no standards to train with so it's difficult to tell if it's affected my throw any, I'm really gunning for 16' standing in vegas.

open is my worst enemy: if i get my power leg in position I open early, if I stay closed I don't get my leg in position.. time to do some more drills to get that muscle memory on my leg and torso

hammer felt good, got some good pointers from ryan seckman which helped me out alot considering I didn't throw hammer for nearly 5 weeks after the phx games due to my abdominal injury. considering I'm a n00b, that definitely affects my technique.. i got my high point off behind my left shoulder and started working a more horozontal orbit to get a wider orbit, looking forward to putting some juice on it this weekend.

macros = 79f / 541c / 292p = 4063 cals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32W-v9JFTKg

I'm definitely looking forward to the next few days off whilst getting ready for vegas. Going to do some foam rolling and super hot showers to help loosen up. Shooting for some big numbers this weekend.

4/7/11 - deads/throws

training

hang snatch- 185x3, 195x3, 205x3

hang clean- 225x5, 285x3, 305x1

24" box jump- +90x5 x3sets

deadlifts - worked up to 615x1 (gym PR)

evening throws training

• 15# open stone - 10 standing @ ~38', 10 glide @ ~42'
• 30# WFD - 5 standing, 5 single spin, 5-7 double best 69'
• light hammer - 5-7
• WOB - 5-10 standing

right erector is bugging me now and I'm still sick.. workout was ultra shitty, aside from the gym PR that didn't feel too hard, just wanted to work up to a heavy single so I shut it down at my PR althought I'm sure I still had a good bit left.

stones are feeling better though still need alot of work on the glide

WFD felt smooth, just getting the reps in

again with hammer, just getting reps in, speeding things up and working on balance/leg drive

working on hip drive with the standing WOB, no spins yet as I don't want to piss of my erectors too much

macros = 78f / 486c / 307p = 3930

4/11/11 - squats

training

jump squats (narrow stance ATG)- 225x5, 225x5, 275x5, 275x5, 315x5
squats (narrow stancce ATG)- 365x3, 405x3
GHR- choked red bands x8, x6, x6
pullups- BWx3 x6sets
RDL- 315x6, x3sets 

squats felt good, no issues with the adductor or erectors, stopped at 405, don't want to tax the CNS too hard so lose to comp

macros = 80f / 443c / 332p = 3862

4/10/11 - throws

training

• 16# open stone- 10 standing throws @ 38-39', 10 glide @ 39-42'
• 30# WFD- 5 standing @ 50', 5 single spin @ 60', 6 double spin @ 69'
• light hammer - 6-8 throws @ 115'

still working on opening up later without sacrificing speed to the trig, need lots of work on this

WFD feels smooth, looking for some big #s in vegas

hammer is feeling better, turned on the speed a bit, need to work on utilizing leg drive more and controlling balance since I've been away from the hammer for so long due to the abdominal injury

re-injured the left adductor again, very minor but this is going to affect squats tomorrow, need to get this rehab figured out so I can start squatting normal again

macros = 79f / 398c / 318p = 3552 cals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SNn_hYST08

4/8/11 - presses

am weight= 285.8lbs

training

incline press- 275x5, 275x5, 295x3, 315x1, 335x1, 355x1 (PR)
push press- 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 225x3 (strict)
low cable rows- 300x8, 345x6 x2sets
close grip press- 295x4, 275x5 x2sets
low back extension- BWx20 x2sets

+core work= lying leg raises

macros = 87f / 479c / 326p = 3974

still feeling sick but not a bad workout with all things considered.. close grip presses and push presses felt very difficult but oh well, did some low back extensions to help rehab the erectors

4/5/11 - throws

am weight= 289.4lbs

lunchtime training throws

• 16# open stone, 10 standing throws, 15-20 glide
• WOB - 12-15 standing throws
• light hammer - 5 w/out boots, 6-8 w/boots

widened up the stance on the standing throws and focused on opening up later on the glide, lots of work to be done here

focused on really reaching back with tight hamstrings and getting good hip drive

haven't practiced hammer much lately, need to work on speed and getting down lower to utilize more leg drive


macros = 80f / 473c / 318p = 3895 cals

4/2/11 - throws

training throws

• 23.5# braemar, 5-10 throws, 28-33'
• 16# open - glide, 10-15 throws, 35-38'
• 53# WFD - 5 standing, 5 single spins, 5-7 double @ 30-33'
• WOB - 5-8 standing , 5-8 spins

meh, sick, everything felt horrible, blegh..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PwH1FrMObY

3/31/11 - squats/throws

training (rehab workout)

leg press- 3pps x10, 4pps x10, 5pps x10 ......... worked  up to 10pps x10
24" box jumps- BWx8, +25x8, +50x8, +70x5, +90x5 x3sets
pullups- BWx3, BWx3, +25x3 x6 sets, +25x4 (dropped db on 5th rep so it was just BW)
band assisted GHR- BWx10, BWx8, BWx10
RDL- 315x6 x3sets

left spinal erector is still bugging me so decided to not squat and let it rest up. leg press was meh, ok at best, definitely easy and didn't quite fulfill me like squats do. I was happy with the box jumps, 24" box is the highest they go so I'm going to keep doing them with +90 for a while and work up from there in weight.. the GHR/RDL supersets were insane, my hammies were screaming, felt awesome..

evening throws training

23.5# braemar - 5-10 throws, 80-90% hitting low 30s, best ~35'

16# stone, glide - 15-20 throws, 75-80%, hitting mid 30s, best ~42'

30# WFD - 3 standing, 3 single spin, 5 double @ ~60% hitting mid 50s


focused on getting wound nice and tight on the braemar, then driving forward and getting into that reverse C. again with the glide, focusing on getting that power foot in position and turned to really wind up my core in additionl to slowing down the explosion so that I can get up on both legs. WFD was really slow, just wanted to focus on the release, driving the weight forward as well as upward..

macros = 57f / 522c / 287p = 3739

3/30/11 - throws

lunchtime training throws

• 16# shot, glide - 20-25throws, 65-75% focusing on form, hitting high 30s and a couple in the low 40s
• 28# WFD - 5-6 standing, 4-5 single spin, ~10 double spin, 85-90% hitting mid-high 60s
• WOB - 7-9 standing throws, 3-4 spinning, unk height

shot - went back to the glide, too inconsistent with south african, focusing on getting that power leg turned in while keeping the left shoulder pushed towards the back of the trig as long as possible. also focusing on waiting a split second longer so i can get into double post and get both legs behind the shot

WFD was meh, tried to be too fast with this and I think it screwed up the session.. energy was low and my back is still bothering me from front squats.. at least I got some reps in, going to repeat this with better reps on thursday night

WOB was ok, need to let the implement get behind me more before i start pulling, really allow it to get my chest to my knees... also still figuring out the spinning WOB, definitely harder than it looks


macros = 83f / 476c / 319p = 3957 cals

3/29/11 - presses

am weight= 287.4lbs

training

incline press- 285x3, 305x3, 320x4
push press- 270x3, 285x3, 305x3
db rows- 120x12 x3sets
close grip press- 295x5, 295x6, 295x4

+core work= hanging leg raises

macros = 85f / 447c / 313p = 3854

 

Happy with the weight loss, time to bump the calories up to maintenance.. a little low for the first day but I didn't want to chance too many carbs in the evening.. Workout felt good, damn near had the 4th rep with 305 on push press, just couldn't get the last 3" for lockout.. Close grip presses are finally improving and I'll be up over 300 very soon..