February 2012
63 posts
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Feelin' dat progress!
While this workout hasn’t seen major jumps these last 4 weeks, I’ve still seen steady progress each time. The 165x2 was from dead-stop pins at nose level, but that’s still a PR for me on those, & I could tell my strength & power from the pins has improved quite a bit, so that felt good. All of that extra volume on BB OH press left me a little taxed for the handstand...
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New Lifter Tip #8: Know when to hold 'em & when to...
* For all previous tips, go to my “Beginner’s Guide to Lifting” here.
It’s important to learn what your body is - and is not - capable of. As you gain more and more experience with training, pay close attention to how your body handles and responds to the type and amount of training you are doing. You will have good days in the gym and you will have days where you...
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2 thumbs up for the "bro day"
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good “bro day” (and I actually don’t mean a workout “bro day” for once). I’m just talking about a day to hang out with a buddy and do some good ol’ fashion “guy” things (not that they aren’t “girl” things, too, but just roll with it for the sake of this post). So, yesterday,...
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knifehands replied to your post: A new PR!!!
Huge bench! Nice work
Thanks man! The plan is to finally try to break past 300 for a 1RM next week. This will all depend on if I can secure a spotter or not, so we shall see.
jacob-boly replied to your post: A new PR!!!
Now curl that weight……..pussy. Srs though good job man!
Thanks! Sure, I’ll work towards curling that as part of next...
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A new PR!!!
Really solid Bench & Back day today. I set a new 2RM PR w/the 285x2 set, so that felt good. Also, it was a good thing I didn’t push it any further on DL yesterday, as I could feel tightness & a little bit of soreness still today behind my L knee. That could have turned into a complete pull if I hadn’t backed off. Now to rest up this weekend & get ready for a big push in...
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The College Student's Guide to Grocery Shopping.... →
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moremuscles replied to your post: My body talked…I listened (for once)
Keep me updated on how those recruitment exercises are working for you!
Will do! I really think they’re going to start helping a lot. It’s just up to me to stay consistent with them…Thanks again!
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addictedchicago answered your question: Anyone know of a good place to lift in downtown Chicago?
Quads Gym at 3727 N. Broadway. They have a one day that’s like $11 bucks
Thanks to everyone who sent ideas for a place to workout in downtown Chicago. After checking things out, I’m going to try hitting up Quad’s gym. It has a pretty cool history and looks like my type of place to...
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My body talked...I listened (for once)
I was a little nervous heading into today’s DL session…which is a good thing I suppose, because it had me much more aware and alert of “feeling” things out with my body. It’s been a week since I strained my lower back (very low & deep), and while it was feeling pretty good by today, I wasn’t going to rush into anything or push my luck. One stupid set and I...
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Anyone know of a good place to lift in downtown...
I’ll be in Chicago for a few days in the near future and need to find a good place downtown where I can lift. I’m looking for a place that allows/has the ability to do powerlifting. While I’m there I need to Deadlift, squat, and bench & want to make sure I don’t go to some foo-foo fitness place that doesn’t have racks, barbells & plates, or doesn’t...
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tone-n-tight replied to your post: New Lifter Tip #7: Don’t Lose Your Balance
Love these! Thank you!!
Thank you so much! Hope you - and some others - can at least pick up a few helpful nuggets from these as I post them.
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sfcaveseekers replied to your post: and Today was a good Day…
I think we’re going through the same thing, my friend. My lower back and right glut feel extra tight almost going on a week now, but getting better. STAYING SMART is a big part of this thing. Keep progressing!
Thanks! I’m feeling quite a bit better and think I’ll still be able to pull of a decent deadlift and squat...
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New Lifter Tip #7: Don't Lose Your Balance
*For all previous tips in the series, go here.
No, I don’t mean balance in the “circus act” form of performing strength-based exercises in or on unstable environments. When I refer to balance, I’m referring primarily to movement and muscular balance in programming. As you advance your programming, it’s critical to ensure you are working all areas of your body in...
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This crap is getting ridiculous
Below is an excerpt from an email I got this morning promoting yet another new “Amazing, break-through” nutrition info & diet product. I’ve left out the lead-in copy, but you can get the idea of the approach they’re taking with this part…
In it, Mike shares the shocking truth about the “healthy” foods in your home that are without a doubt KEEPING...
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and Today was a good Day...
I really had a pretty great day today. First, my back was feeling quite a bit better today. Still really tight when I first wake up and when trying to get my socks and shoes on in the morning, but once I get moving, and especially after warming up, it feels pretty good. Still some lingering soreness, there, but I don’t think it will affect my Deadlift day on Thursday too much…as...
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Strength Train to Live Longer - Charles Poliquin →
No real suprise, here…but just speaks to the far-reaching benefits of strength training. People are always looking for the “fountain of youth”…well, it’s really not a complex formula. If you strength train (no matter how you do it) even a little, stay active overall, eat well, sleep enough and manage/avoid unnecessary stressors in your life, you’ll look and...
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Life & what we make of it: Attitude of debate →
dapperhorizons:
Today is Tuesdayrestday and I am taking full advantage of resting my DOMS infected muscles. But, I’m going to exercise my brain for a few minutes (scary, I know) to voice my opinion/rant about something.
When did people in the fitness world become so hateful? Last night I spent some time browsing…
Pretty Much THIS x 100
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New Lifter Tip #6: Get Strong. Then...get...
*For all previous New Lifter Tips, go to my ‘Beginner’s Guide to Lifting’ section, here.
As a beginner, spending the majority of your time and focus on gaining strength (in all forms, on all lifts) will pay huge (pun intended) dividends down the road when it comes to building lean mass or helping you achieve virtually any goal. While it’s true that hypertrophy most...
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Still on the mend a little.
Still feeling some tightness & slight soreness in the lower back today. So, I had to modify a couple of things in today’s workout, but nothing major and I still ended up having a pretty good one. Part of the issue is I didn’t follow through on working in additional recovery methods this weekend. I simply got really busy and prioritized getting work done in other areas. Other...
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melaniecanrun asked: I can't for the life of me figure out what your new profile pic is a photo of... help a girl out? :)
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thespartanwarrior replied to your link: All about Carb Cycling - by Ryan Andrews
I actually don’t believe in carb cycling personally for best results.
You don’t believe? What you talkin’ ‘bout? Haha, fair enough Brofessor X…fair enough.
Carb/Calorie Cycling isn’t necessarily going to be the best approach for everyone. It’s simply one...
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All about Carb Cycling - by Ryan Andrews →
The above link is for one of the better articles I’ve read explaining carb cycling in detail and with practical examples. I’ve used carb cycling several times as a strategy to cut fat while maintaining muscle and it has always worked quite well for me. In fact, it was one of the strategies I used to help shed 5% body-fat while maintaining lean mass and still increasing strength over...
psychoticpsychologist replied to your post: Sometimes tumblr really confuses me…
The texts are read and remembered, the pics are reblogged. Like yours, I am in love with the beginnersguide to lifting. But no one I know is interested in it.. Sadly my friends are interested in other stuff, so I reblog them, and read your posts.
That’s actually a good explanation…and I appreciate...
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gurusports replied to your post: blissmanifesto replied to your post: leannmean…
Most lower back issues seem to be with the multifidus. I should write about a post about this, because there is too much focus on transversus abdominus and not enough on multifidus.
You should definitely do a post about it (at least I know I would enjoy it).
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The back is tight & a little sore, but...
I was able to pull through with a pretty solid workout today. It actually feels much better after warming up and getting the blood moving. It bothers me most when I’m just sitting down (like now), and especially when sitting and leaning forward. Like, when I went to put my socks & shoes on this morning. Yikes…that was a bit painful. Otherwise, basic standing and even bending...
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blissmanifesto replied to your post: leannmean replied to…
If it’s the QL then you need… bellydancing exercises. LOL! But they are the best for QL. Yoga: you want Janu Sirsasana with a slight twist to the exterior. Doesn’t look like it would do anything but in fact goes really deep in there.
Hahaha…nobody needs to see me bellydancing…NO-BODY!!! Trust me on that one! I’m...
leannmean replied to your post: moremuscles replied to…
I am not a PT though I do a lot of rehab exercise work. Bird dogs (quadruped cross-crawls) seem to help a lot with lumbar support endurance. Also some short arc extension on a ball to get the multifidus & erector spinae firing.
I appreciate the thoughts & advice. Yes, the ball extensions are something that’s helped in...
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Sometimes tumblr really confuses me...
I see helpful, high-quality & informative posts crap out at only a couple dozen likes/comments, etc., but then I’ll see a picture of strawberries that’s been re-blogged and liked more than 20,000 times. Really? Seriously? Am I missing something here? Am I the only one completely baffled by this? I mean, WTF!
moremuscles replied to your post: gurusports replied to your post: Bad news/Good…
Do you do any dynamic warm ups and if so, what?
I do, but I usually prioritize mobility work for my hips & shoulders. I do walking knee hugs, forward/backward hurdle walks, ankle mobility, calf stretches, alt foot to hand mountain climbers, lateral leg swings, arm circles, abducted external rotations...
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gurusports replied to your post: Bad news/Good news
My fix: once per day - alternating kneeling supermans x 8reps x 3 sets, followed by standing knee lifts x 8 reps x 3sets, plus planks. Control at the hips and through the core and try and move through these regions as little as possible.
Thanks! All good ones…what I need to start doing in addition to my warmup and mobility on these days...
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Bad news/Good news
Bad News: Unfortunately, I tweaked my lower back again today & I did it during my first warmup set of deadlifts nonetheless. This is like the 3rd time I’ve done this and it’s f’ing ridiculous. I know better & know it’s my weak link, yet I get overly confident and complacent with getting into optimal form & bracing during the initial warmup set and whoops, low...
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jacobwboly replied to your post: Looking for your recommendations…
Can’t go wrong with elitefts belts…so I’ve heard. I use my dads old cow hide one from college :p
Thanks bud, I did look into their belts. Dan (Spartan Warrior) highly recommended the inzer 10mm lever. I’d been leaning that way already, so that was enough to officially convince me. Gonna place my order tonight!...
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New Lifter Tip #5: Patience Pays Dividends
*For New Lifter Tip #4 & links to all previous tips, click here.
Most beginning lifters make the mistake of starting out too fast and furious, jumping into high volume, high intensity programming, only to eventually find themselves injured, burned out, or achieving lackluster results.
As a beginner, it’s important to understand that, while the human body is incredibly adaptable and...
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Looking for your recommendations...
It’s finally time for me to upgrade my lifting belt. I’ve never really needed anything that high quality before, but now that I’m getting more serious about advancing my main lifts, I’m looking for a high quality belt that will last me a long time. I also don’t want to run into any issues with the belt “giving way” during a lift, as I had that happen a...
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Keep on grippin'
Still working on getting through the grip challenge of this workout. Did better today through most of it, but still struggled by the time I hit farmer’s walks. Actually, if anything, I feel like I could’ve worked harder at the end…I kind of faded fast because I was rushed to finish and needed to wrap things up. Decent progress for a week 2 workout, though, as I hit some...
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New Lifter Tip #4: Check Your Ego at the Door
*For New Lifter tips #1, 2 & 3, go here (#1), here (#2) & here (#3).
Avoid the pitfalls of lifting to impress. Unless your currently competing, no other serious lifter really cares how much you’re lifting. What they really care about is their own progress, and that’s how it should be. Learn from the many, many mistakes of all the over-zealous, ego-driven lifters that have...
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Gaining some ground...
Pretty happy with today’s lift. I felt pretty good, even though I had a busy weekend with sub-par sleep. I did take the whole weekend off from training, though, and I do think that helped. I hit a 10 lb increase for my last few sets of shoulder “pin press” and felt pretty strong on it. I couldn’t quite squeeze out rep 3 on the final set, but considering the big...
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Workout was Meh...
Not my best performance today. I rushed into the workout, didn’t warmup well, didn’t ramp well, and pretty much felt blah throughout. It didn’t help that I am crazy sore from the rest of the week, so my body just felt beat up overall. It’s just new program stuff & I’ll adapt and come back better and stronger next week, but this program is definitely no joke....
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Do I even train?!?
I have to admit, the workout today almost buried me…I almost quit halfway into the burpee pushups & farmer’s walks…almost couldn’t finish…almost. Coach L said this program was going to challenge and improve my work capacity (which is always something good for me to improve on). That was an understatement. I was more than challenged…it was a test of...
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Inside the Cult of Crossfit - by Grant Stoddard →
I know Crossfit is a hot-button topic - on both ends of the spectrum - for many people. Whatever your stance, I wanted to share this article as I felt it was interesting, thorough and well-written.
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moremuscles replied to your post: New Lifter Tip #3: Cross the Finish Line
I am sad I haven’t been able to read your newbie tips but will read them this weekend!
Aww, thanks! I know, the first 2 are a little longer, as they set up much of the foundation for everything else. The majority of the rest should be fairly concise, though.
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New Lifter Tip #3: Cross the Finish Line
*For “New Lifter Tip #1, click here. For Tip #2, click here.
When you decide on a lifting/training program to follow, follow it as directed and stick with it to completion. ”Program Hopping” is a common issue with new and inexperienced trainees (and many intermediate trainees as well). People often start on a program, fail to see immediate results, decide it’s the...
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nopityfitness replied to your post: New Day 2, aka Grip Destruction!
Have you ever tried Grip Force or Fat Gripz? I definitely recommend them for any weighted carry, DB handles are too skinny for carries. And if you’re nuts try a whole workout with em. You wont be able to hold your shake afterwords.
Yeah, I’m not sure I could squeeze water out of a soaked sponge right now…but yes, I...
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the-mountain-man replied to your post: New Lifter Tip #2: Educate Yourself
Terrific post!
Thank you very much, I appreciate the comment!
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New Day 2, aka Grip Destruction!
Tired today..can tell my metabolism is revving back up, because I was wired until late last night. Couldn’t fall asleep early enough, so didn’t end up getting much total sleep. But, I pulled through and felt pretty good today…just noticed I was running out of gas a little sooner than normal in the workout and had to slow down between sets.
I knew going into this workout that...