WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Blast Strap Pushups w/Feet Elevated: Failure at 11, 9, 8, 8 reps.

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Out): 85x12x3

Incline DB Laterals: 15x6x5

Barbell Curls: 95x4x7. I didn't even need to rest/pause it.

Smith Machine Overhead Shrug: 150x4x7

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Started my morning with two PB&J sandwhiches, 3 small bottles of milk, a multivitamin, a B-Complex, 3 bottles of water, and a nice cup of coffee. By 11 AM, I felt great.

At lunch , I stopped by the gym, loaded 210 on the bar, and got my close grip bench PR cold that I should have had yesterday. Yeah, it was that important!!!

Took a nap after dinner, got up at 8 PM, then hit the gym. Gym was busy, and the Smith was being used. I was feeling pretty good and thought of doing a little more weight on the squats than planned. But I know here that leads, so I came up with the better idea of doing all the assistance stuff FIRST, then the squats with the planned weight.

Hammer Calf Press: 165x12x3

GHR: Failure at 10, 8, 6, 4, 3 reps. I felt like doing a full GHR (GHR/back extension in the same motion) was cheating my hamstrings, so back to doing them without the back extension part. Harder, without the momentum, but that 's the point.

45 degree Hyperextension: Failure at 13, 11, 9, 7, 8 reps.

Pallof Press Isometric Holds: worked up to 25 lbs for 30 seconds, then worked my way back down when a second attempt at 25 pounds lasted 15 seconds. I like this movement.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 7

Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 165x12x3. Smith was still being used so I did them regular. Even with tired legs, they were solid reps.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body - Pyrrhic Victory?!?

I walked out of the gym this evening at 206 which means after some peeing during the night I may just wake up at the target I set for myself in April: 205. It would come 13 weeks early.

I will start by giving Christian Thibodeau credit. I read that article of his on T-nation and have so far tried two control days of extremely low carbs. So this past Thursday and today, I had a sensible breakfast of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushrooms and a chicken breast. The rest of the meals (4 of them) were protein shakes with a couple of spoons of peanut butter for fat.

That said, no more while on this phase.

Considering 3 days of Abs Class, 4 days of weights, 4 days of intervals, and 2-3 days of easy cardio, I don't have the headroom to diet like this. Maybe one control day, but even that sucked. I woke up in the morning poorly recovered. Makes me think that I blinked and let my much better original goal of getting lean and strong be taken over by the one where I just wanted to hit 198 or less. I can eliminate some carbs from individual meals here and there and go low carbs on some days like I've been doing in the past, but not this.

Today I was cranky, irritable, scatterbrained, and running on sheer will.

Abs Class

Close Grip Bench Press: 70x5, 90x5, 110x5, 130x3, 150x2, 170x1, 190x1, 200x1, 210x0, 205x0. Last week, I hit a kinda hard 205. Today, 190 nearly burried me and 200 was like a static rep it was so slow. Even after 5 minutes rest, I couldn't hit any targets. A lesson learned, a bitter pill to swallow.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Band): Failure at 6, 5, 5, 4 reps

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 75x12x3

Seated Overhead Shrug: 140x6x5

Barbell Curls: 85x6x3, 85x5+1, 85x6.

Skipped the intervals. I just didn't have it. I just want to crawl into bed.

Bastardized, So You Won't Have To;)

A lot of people send questions to forums wondering whether they should try something or not, whether it will be effective or not, yada, yada, yada. Essentially, thinking or Internet-ing it to death. I have no problem with a more empirical approach: I read about it or plan it, tweak it, try it for a 6-12 weeks, assess it at the end, save it to Excel (On Tsampa.org, Kris has a very effective PR Spreadsheet you can download that is very effective for that purpose), put it in my toolbox or toss it out. Looking at my blog, one sees that I have almost 4 years of workouts, numbers, injuries, mistakes, PRs, and failures to sort through. I know what works and when because of it.

After success with EliteFTS Beginners Training Manual, the next logical progression for me was the Westside for Skinny Bastards III program. Both programs are very similar: my interest in the WSFSB III stems from my eagerness to get away from speed work for a while: I couldn't break my PRs in the bench or squat doing so, I only got so far. I figured that unless I had more muscle and basic strength first, more speed work was not the answer. For me, this template was a good jumping off point.

With WSFSB III, I kept the basic setup. I looked back at my past training and wants and used that to craft rep setups that would work for me for all the rep work. I wanted more rep proficiency than just sticking to 8-15 reps only.

To start, my goal is to get down to the low 190s while keeping or gaining as much muscle as possible. I weighed in at 207 this morning, down 31 pounds since April so I'm getting there. My back is bigger and wider, shoulders stronger and more pain free, traps thicker, overall everything is more solid.

My second goal is perfomance based. When I started out, I couldn't do a chinup or pull up. Now I could do 6. By the time I go home, I'm gunning for a 265 bench at 198 BWT (My best in training is 245 at 240) and at least 425 for a deficit deadlift. I'm gunning for a 365 squat: I won't be able to test it until I get home so since I've been using front squats as a max effort movement, my goal is 275-285 there (about 75% of my squat).

So, what are the tweaks:

1.) ME work is now 5RM for week 1, 3RM for week 2, and 1 RM for week 3. Who says you can't have it all.

1.) Chinups, Pullups, and Rows: At the time, when I was getting close to doing one I couldn't get close without a lot of kipping (flailing might be more like it). I thought of Prilepin's table for maxes in the 90% range (1-6) and started out with six singles but needed a higher volume of total work. The Monster Mini Band allowed me to do this without kipping, and the Average band let me do more reps afterward. 4 sets of each was a nice sweet spot. This replaced the back/rear delt superset on ME and RE Upper Body days. One of my better experiments. Next year, I will probably keep this setup but drop the mini bands, use bodyweight chins and light bands for the rep sets. Instead of doing a bench variation for 2-3 sets of a rep-out, I'm doing repetition work with rows to back up my chins/pullups, instead.

2.) Squats: improving my squat was a bigger priority than the deadlift. The first thought was to turn speed day into a rep day with the box squats: I wasn't good at all rep ranges and I wanted to change that. So I looked back at Chad Waterbury's programs and the New Rules of Lifting and gathered all the rep schemes I could find - - - 18 of them. I arranged them so that every 4th week, one of the schemes would be heavy and so that all the other ones would build up to something more: 5x5, 3x15, 4x10, 6x3, 2x25, 3x12, 5x6, 6x4, 4x12, 5x8, 4x15, 10x3, 3x20, 2x30, 12x2, 1x50, 2x25, 15x1. Then I set a planned progression: I knew from past training waves that I could put on 15 pounds on a squat in three weeks, so every 4th week, the max I calculate from moves up 15 pounds. The last three workout will be 15 singles at 90% of 365 lbs. Since I didn't want to have to worry about balance and just wanted to push weight up, it's all done on the Smith. When I test at home, I'll tell you if it was worth it.

This setup also solves a problem I had in 2005. Back then, I had done a cycle of nothing but front squats, reaching a PR of 275 but the first test of my regular squat afterwards only yielded 300 lbs - - - a 15 pound loss. Fast forward to 2008 and the end of almost two months doing nothing but single leg work, I was able to do ATG squats and had more control and stopping power but my box squat was a struggle at 275. With this setup now (Front squats every other wave and single leg work each leg day), the RE Squat day will make sure I don't lose the groove of the lift that really matters.

3.) Deadlifts: while I'm not making it a priority, I'd be a fool to give it up. Especially, when it is always a great aid in leaning out. So I made quality a priority. In the past, my heaviest deadlifts were always a bitch to get off the floor. I can't do snatch grip deadlifts here in Djibouti, because all the bars are bench press bars with no knurling at the ends. So I began doing deadlifts off a two inch block, conventional grip. These are proving to be a godsend for two reasons. In testing, it sped up my regular deadlift off the floor and made it easier. And in combination with the RE Squat work, my sumo deadlift has now become the near equal of my conventional deadlift.

4.) Bench Pressing: the RE work so far has proven to be a great help. I have control of the weight at all points, and more confidence. Taking a cue from having used the close grip benches and incline benches for repetitions work to good effect, I am just using 3 movements for ME Bench (in order): Incline Bench Press, Close Grip Bench Press, and Flat Bench Press. The first 3 waves are 5/3/1RM setup, in preparation for a wave load setup of the same movements in the last 9 weeks. No boards, no chains, no bands, no top end work. The RE work is all Blast Straps. We'll see how well simple works for me. The last 4 waves of deficit deadlifts and front squats will follow a similar setup.

5.) The same rep changes being used for box squats is being used for: leg curls, Hammer Strength ISO High Rows and ISO Rows, Seated Calf Raises, and Hammer Calf Presses. There really ain't much in equipment at this gym, and I just wanted to move as much iron as possible for some of the support movements.

6.) If you see a lot of bicep work, it has always been a weakness for me. I'm catching up, though. Same for shoulder pressing and shrugs.

7.) I've dropped using the body armor for aerobic work. When I lost my first bunch of pounds, it was a great help 2-3 times a week. But back then, only one of those days was really heavy and I was doing less work. On this program now, walking for an hour with the vest now leaves me a little TOO beat, sometimes even beat up.

8.) The same problem with the single leg movements. This wave, I was doing both Bulgarian Split Squats and Reverse Lunges plus the two squat days and it was just too much. So, I will use the assisted pistols on RE Lower Body Day after the box squats. On ME Lower Body days, I will use the Reverse Lunge with Front Squats and the Bulgarian Split Squat when doing Deficit Deadlifts.

9.) Calves. Why not? The benefits outweigh the negatives, and they don't take anything out of me. Simple.

10.) I'm working shrugs twice a week, sort of. If I'm deadlifting, I do behind the back shrugs on RE Upper Body day. If I'm front squatting, I use overhead shrugs for both upper body days for different rep schemes: I was going to use the trap bar shrugs for a movement but I've done those, and want to see how well the overhead shrugs work.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Abs Class

Front Squats: 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 205x3. Was just gonna try 195x3 but, beat as hell as I was, 175 was easier than planned so I went for the 205 triple. I think I will go for 225 next week for a single.

Reverse Lunges w/Front Foot Elevated: 50x15x3

Leg Curls: 60x25x2. Ouch!!!

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets of 10. I'm starting to feel as if these and the situps are pointless. I do ab class three days a week, so this feels like a rehash. And after showing someone how to do those Pallof Press Isometric Holds that Eric Cressey wrote about in T-nation, I'm thinking of taking up his suggestion to do that, and maybe Ab Fallouts with the Blast Straps, on my leg days instead of leg raises and situps.

Seated Calf Raises: 40x25x2. Ouch!!!

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Blast Strap Pushups: Failure at 10, 8, 7, 8 reps. Feet were elevated by an aerobic step.

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 10. I almost forgot to mention. Yesterday, on leg day, I tested out at 6 bodyweight chinups andf came close to a 6th on pullups (all with a little bit of kip), so I knew I was in for a breakthrough.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 65x25x2

Incline DB Laterals: 15x6x5

Barbell Curls: 80x8, 80x6+2, 80x4+4, 80x4+2+1+1

Smith Machine Overhead Shrug: 125x8x4, 105x10x4. Made up a day I should have done.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

Didn't work out yesterday or Tuesday because I was getting over what we call the Djibouti Crud, so I made up for it today. Probably shouldn't have done so on a very low carb day, cause it was a struggle at the finish.

Abs Class

1 Hr of walking with body armor on

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Smith Machine Box Squat: 125x25x2. Who needs aerobics when you got this . . . . after the long walk.

DB Bulgarian Split Squat: 60x10x4

Full GHR: failure at 12, 10, 7, 6 reps

Twisting Decline Situps: failure at 20, 16, 14, 12, 10 reps

Hammer Calf Presses: 125x25x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH. I had visions of going to McDonalds after that, but then remembered where I was:(

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Close Grip Bench Press: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 195x2, 205x1. The original goal was 195x3: I stalled halfway up on the third rep. I tried a single with 205 out of curiosity, to see if I had enough for it. So, now next week's goal will either be 210 or 215 depending on how I feel.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Monster Mini): 4 sets of 4

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Average Band): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO High Row: 55x25x2

Seated Overhead Shrug: 95x12x2

Barbell Curls: 70x10x2, 70x8+2, 70x7+2+1

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Front Squats: worked up to a 175x5, 195x2. Should have tried 185x5 but that's OK. I now have a 3RM target. I did these at lunch, so I could test on Reverse Lunges at night.

Reverse Lunges w/Front Foot Elevated: worked up to a 100 lbs 5 RM and a 110 lbs 1RM

Leg Curls: 135x3x6

Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to Failure

Seated Calf Raises: 90x3x6

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Took two days completely off, slept a lot, ate carefully, and felt great today.

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Blast Strap Pushups: Failure at 10, 8, 6, 4 reps.

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 4

Assisted Wide Grip Pullups (Average Bands): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 140x3x6

Incline DB Laterals: 15x5x5

Barbell Curls: 65x12, 65x10+2, 65x9+3, 65x7+3+2

Smith Machine Overhead Shrug: 80x15x3

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

My fifth day straight, and I got it done. Barely.

Last night, a new person came to our department from Kuwait that no one knew was coming. No one was here to receive him and pick him up with his 4+ bags, or to get him a bite to eat. And who should happen to just be around last night? Me. No problem, I was glad to do it . . . gotta take care of a shipmate. Afterwards, I went to work out. After that and a shower, I was in bed by 3 AM.

So, no surprise I was running on fumes. And after the walk in the vest, I felt like the beginnings of a flu - - - an overtraining symptom. So tomorrow, instead of sprinting, I'm kicking back. And I gutted this workout through.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Smith Machine Box Squat: 270x3x6

DB Bulgarian Split Squat: 50x15x3

Full GHR: 5 sets to failure

Ab Roller: 5 sets to failure. Didn't take much, and to think I used to think those infomercials were funny!!!

Hammer Calf Presses: 270x3x6

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Close Grip Bench Press: 55x5, 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Monster Mini): 4 sets of 4

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Average Band): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO High Row: 120x3x6

Seated Overhead Shrug: 55x5, 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5

Barbell Curls: 60x12+3, 60x9+3+3, 60x6+3+3+3. I have a 105 lbs curl 1RM so 55 percent of that is 60 lbs. After all the back work, this just kicked my ass to do 3 sets of 15 but I was not gonna drop the weight to get the reps. So I went to failure, rested 10 seconds, cranked out more reps, and so on and so on.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Deficit Deadlift off a 2" Block: 135x3, 165x3, 195x3, 225x3, 255x3, 285x3, 315x3. Goal exceeded by 5 lbs, but not easily.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 5.

Leg Curls: 90x10x4

DB Side Bends: 50x10x4

Seated Calf Raises: 60x10x4

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Didn't really want to be in the gym last night. Because of having to make up workouts to stay on track, my next day off from the gym will be on Wednesday after 5 straight days in the gym. And after Ab Class and 1 hour of walking in the body armor, I was kinda pooped. So I changed a few things today, to give me an incentive to go but also to gauge where I was at. Not bad, not bad at all.

DB Shoulder Press: 25x3, 30x3, 35x3, 40x3, 45x3, 50x3, 55x3, 60x3, 65x2. I wanted to really test on this lift and since I have had more than enough rest then this was the time. So instead of the Hammer shoulder press. I went for a 3 RM on this lift. I will probably just stick with this movement for all my delt work until December, and just change the rep schemes.

Flat Bench Press w/Monster Mini Bands: Worked up to a 115 triple and a 135 pound single. More to see what I could do right now, and where I can set it up. I found a rack, ran one end under it, and attached both ends to the bar. A little on the strong side but good.

Hoist Assisted Dips (Weight is bodyweight minus assistance): 145x8x3

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band): 4 sets of 4

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Row (Lats): 90x10x4

Incline DB Curls: 30x5x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 144x10x4

Current Photos

These pictures were taken on 08SEP05 in the evening, just before my leg workout.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

My calf was better and my toe is almost there, so into the gym I went for a late evening workout (12:00 AM). Felt good to be back. I had gone on Tuesday for x-rays and was told that there were no fractures or broken bones, just a lot of bruising. They gave me some Naprosyn for the pain and an antibiotic for the cuts, and I was on my way. Took a few days off not just to let the toe heal up but also the calf on the same leg: altering my walk and having taken a walk in the vest that day with said walk strained my calf.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 175x10x4.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 5.

Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure

Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

Hammer Calf Presses: 175x10x4

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Funny, I was thinking of how to adjust my sprinting workout to be a lot shorter, and fate had an answer (Cue up the theme to "Jaws"). What is everyone's worst fear in the gym?

I was setting up for a 205 attempt on inclines so I went to grab some 35s. Ever thought it was stupid when people fill the pegs on a weight tree to the rim, like coffee? No sooner do I start grabbing a 35, it drops right on my big toe of my right foot. It was one of those pains that took the breath out of me and made me see stars.

I was too spent for that 205, though I could have blamed it on the injury to save face. Anyhow, as soon as the bench presses were done, I took off my sneaker and it was already red and bleeding. I could barely walk on it but I was a little better after 800mg of Motrin, and went to Ab Class at 6:30PM. I was supposed to jog, but walked in the vest instead for an hour. I may have to reconsider that though, my left hip started to get tired so I knew I was already starting to favor my left leg and that ain't a good thing. After I got out of the shower around 9:30PM I looked at my toe and the top half of it is black and blue but the nail was spared.

So, it's either broken or really badly bruised. But since I don't want to be put on light and limited duty (cause then I would have to stay away from the gym) or be possibly sent home, and there ain't much that could be done with it, I'm going to carefully gut this one out. Everything that requires me to push off the toe is out: calf raises, sprints, jogging, maybe even the walks. We'll see how the front squats go, the smith machine squats and deads are fine. I might do the elliptical but may just use the rowing machine for the time being. I'll adjust my diet if I need to.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 75x6, 105x6, 135x6, 165x6, 195x1, 175x6, 205x0, 135x10, 115x15. Tried to do the wave load thing. I think if I had just worked up to a 1 RM, I might have got the 205: I got it down smooth but did not have anything left to launch it with. In the end, the volume was all good.

Assisted Pullups (Monster Mini Band): 4 sets of 4

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO High Rows: 75x10x4

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 90x5x5. These should have been a little easier than they were. Then again, I DID do a lot of incline pressing.

DB Curls: 40x5x5. All done clustered, and it was a struggle. Especially with my right arm, usually the strong arm but today lagging a rep or two behind so I need one more cluster with the right arm each set just to get the five. I want to blame the pullups but I think it has something to do with Friday's deadlift workout. I haven't fully recovered from it (remember, I had done a lot of make-up stuff that week), but I have also switched which hands are staggered. For a long time, I always pondered how my left arm has a slightly peakier bicep but a slightly less meaty upper forearm. I always thought that it was because my left hand is the UNDER hand and my right hand is the OVER hand when I deadlift, as it has been since I've been deadlifting. So I switched hands. Ergo, my troubles today.

Targets

Right now, I'm on the first 3 week wave, which is a 215 lbs Flat Bench Press (The targets are in pink). The numbers I use for the Close Grip Bench on RE day are 60 percent of that target for reps, on the DB Curls I'm ahead of the curve, I'm not doing Preacher Curls this wave but I finished the last wave 5 pounds off. I hit the target for Flat DB Bench Press last wave. For Incline Bench Press, I may end up covered up to the 265 pound mark after next week. The Hammer ISO Rows are just listed, not computed: My goals for the ISO rows are 195 (or target bodyweight for each arm, to help my chinups/pullups), and 175 for the High Rows. The percentages for that spreadsheet were based on the structural balance article by Charles Poliquin, an article by Mike Boyle called So You Think You Know Strong, Jim Wendler's Casual Bench/Max Effort Made Easy articles, and pouring through all my workouts and number crunching and figuring out what my best indicator exercises are. As one looks through my workouts, the bench stuff should now make more sense. That is, why and where the numbers are coming from.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

7:30 PM
1 Hour walking with body armor on.

9:30 PM

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Deficit Deadlift off a 2" Block: 135x5, 170x5, 205x5, 240x5, 275x5, 310x3. Was supposed to work up to a 5RM. On the one hand, I should have used 30 lbs increments and attempted a 5RM with 85% of last weeks total (about 295), which I would have nailed. On the plus side, I have a target for next week, when I go for a 3RM.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 5. A gain in reps is always in season.

Leg Curls: 75x15x3

DB Side Bends: 70x5x5, 45x15x3. Made up for last week with the 5x5.

Seated Calf Raises: 45x15x3

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

3:oo PM:

Close Grip Bench Press: 120x11x3

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band) : 4 sets of 4

Assisted Chinups (Average Band) : 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Row (Lats): 75x15x3

Trap Bar Shrugs: 194x5x5, 114x15x3. Made up for last week with the 5x5 sets.

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 80x8x5. A grind, since my traps were toast.

Incline Curls: 20x10x4

6:30 PM:

Abs Class, and that's it.

Next Stop, 200!!!

This afternoon, before going to lunch (I've been waking up late since I'm on liberty), I went to the gym and checked where my weight was. I finally did it: after being plateaued for two weeks, I hit 209 today. Woo Hoo!!!

The running on the field and the sprint work was just what I needed, it seems. Today, after this workout, I had two rib eye steaks and 2 slices of pizza for dinner and about two hours later my stomach felt empty.

Today was not all perfect though. it was so humid that after some of the sprints I had to walk a lap to catch my breath - - - it was like breathing next to nothing. And I might have pushed too hard: it's 12:26 AM on Thursday morning here in Djibouti and I can't sleep. Was a bit feverish but the Tylenol fixed it. I'll just do my upper body work and Abs Class today, nothing else.

One more pound and I will have dropped 30 pounds since I've been here. If someone had told me this before I left that I would be here, I probably couldn't have imagined it. Now, for your consideration. I was originally gunning for 205 by December. At this rate, I'm looking at the low 190's. If I can hit 190, I will be 48 pounds lighter which would almost be scary because I didn't think I had this much to lose. But we'll see. I'm not trying to pull a Marc Bartley (F'in amazing, I have to say - - - I couldn't believe that was the same guy) and a six pack ain't really that important. I think I could stop at 190.

Walk 2 laps around the field
Jog one lap around the field
Sumo Squat to Stand x 10
Jumping Jacks x 15
Seal Jumping Jacks x 15
Front Skips 40 Yards down and back
Lateral Lunge x 8 per leg
Side Shuffle 20 yards down and back
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)Cariocas: 30 yards down and back
60% Build Up Sprint (arm& posture focus) 30 yards down and back
Combination Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep x 8 down and back
Backpedal 30 yards down and back
Drop Squat and Stabilize x 6
Squat Jump (non-countermovement) x 6
75% Build Up Sprint (Knee Drive) (40 Yards Down and back)
Reverse 90/90 stretch
Scorpions x 6
Iron Cross x 6
Wall Push x6
Full Sprint 100 yards
Calf Stretch x 6
Leg Cradle x 6
Inchworm x 6
Glute Bridge (Marching) x 6
Low Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
Low Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
Full Sprint 100 yards
Quad Stretch
Inverted Hamstring x 6
Wall Slide x 6
Neck Stretch
Shoulder Complex

WSFSB III: Re Lower Body

I went to the gym this morning at 11:30 and finally hit the 210 lbs mark. I think I have broken my plateau. The addition of the sprints may have helped, or maybe it was just that time. Then, I went to lunch and chilled out until 3:30PM, when I went to workout.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 145x15x3.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 4.

Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure

Leg Curls: 120x5x5. Made up for last week;)

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure

Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

Hammer Calf Presses: 140x15x3

Afterwards, I went to the field (about 100 yards wide and long) and alternated 1 lap jogging with 1 lap walking 8 times. It was almost relaxing: the sun was slowly disappearing, it was humid but breezy, and there was a spirited soccer game going on that I would watch as I walked. This was so much more entertaining than a treadmill.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Today begins my 96 hours off, so all my workouts are going to be early for 4 days, and I'm gonna try some new things to try and crack that 210 barrier. I weighed in at 12:30 PM today at 211 lbs.

12:30 PM (All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets)

Incline Bench Press: 180x3x4, 180x2. The original plan was 175 for 5 sets of 3 reps but I felt brave. Could only get that 15th rep halfway up but, overall, it went better than planned.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 65x15x3. All the places I could do the pullups were occupied, so I did these. 15 rep sets left my back toasted, which of course meant the pullups were gonna suck.

Assisted Pullups (Monster Mini Band): 4 sets of 3

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 1 set of 8, 2 sets of 7, 1 set of 6.

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 55x15x3

DB Curls: 25x12+3, 25x9+4+2, 25x6+4+3+2

3PM:
Dynamic Warm-up Phase (@ means reps each side):Walk 2 laps around the field
Jog one lap around the field
Body Squats x 10
Jumping Jacks x 15
Seal Jumping Jacks x 15
Front Skips 20 Yards down and back
Lateral Lunge x 8 per leg
Side Shuffle 20 yards down and back
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)Sideways Running: 20 yards down and back
60% Build Up Sprint (arm& posture focus) 30 yards down and back
Combination Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Lunge Walk 10 steps down and back
Backpedal 20 yards down and back
Drop Squat and Stabilize x 6
Squat Jump (noon-countermovement) x 6
75% Build Up Sprint (Knee Drive)(20 Yards Down and back)

Ground Based Mobility:
Reverse 90/90 stretch
Scorpions x 6
Iron Cross x 6
Wall Push x6
Calf Stretch x 6
Leg Cradle x 6
Inchworm x 6
Glute Bridge (Marching) x 6
Quad Stretch
Inverted Hamstring x 6
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep x 6
Drop Lunge x 6
Sumo Squat to Stand x 6
Wall Slide x 6
Neck Stretch
YTWL
Shoulder Complex

This was as far as I got, the sprints killed me and even some of the movements left me beat. Just when I think I'm in better shape, I find something else.

6:30 PM
Abs Class and 1-hr of walking in body armor.

Past Two Days

This week had been very good but I've pushed stupidly in a few spots and have overtrained myself a bit. Sometimes, it's been walking in the vest for an hour plus on the same day I'm squatting. And up until today, everytime I went to the bathroom, I would go outside afterwards and hit a set of pullups and a set of chinups with no bands. That's a lot of chins and pulls.

So no surprise that yesterday I felt drained and my biceps were sore and my back just had little get up and go.

Close Grip Bench Press: repped out with 135 lbs at 8, 6, and 5 reps. Too much weight, I should have really used 115 llbs but I just had to push it.

Assisted Chinups (Monster Mini Band): 4 sets of 3

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 4 sets of 8

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 120x5x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: Skipped 'em.

Incline DB Curls: 15x15x3. Was gonna do 30x5x5 but as I said before my biceps were throbbing.

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 50x15x3. Was gonna try DB shoulder presses for 65x5x5 but had no shoulder or back left to stabilize it so I did this instead.

Today, to make up for not doing the shrugs and because I was too beat to do a lot and since I haven't deadlifted in the longest time, I made today almost all deadlift. Rather than go 5x5, I just maxed to see where I was.

Leg Curls: tested to a 135 lbs triple.

Deadlift off a 2" Block: Worked up to a 345 single, failed with 375. I surprised myself with this one.

Conventional Deadlift: 375x0. Legs felt strong, back was not. Not after the deficit deads.

Sumo Deadlift: 315x1, 345x1. I have not sumo'd this much in ages, so I think I'm well on my way to that big deadlift I want. With all the deadlifts, my grip felt really strong and I was really holding a tight upper back arch so it looks like all my back and trap work will pay big dividends.

Seated Calf Raises:70x5x5

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

I felt really tired on Tuesday so right after dinner, I went to sleep.

Wednesday, made up for it. Started with 1 hour and 20 minutes of walking in my body armor. Mostly walked the gravel parts, less shock and more work for my calves.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Mobility work and even did some in between squat sets for my legs and hips.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 245x5x5.

Assisted Pistols (Average Band): 5 sets of 4. A one rep improvement per set.

Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure

Decline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure

Hammer Calf Presses: 230x5x5

Didn't have enough in me to run intervals, so I just took the long way home and walked;)

WSFSB III:ME Upper Body

Saturday:
Abs Class and 1-hr of walking in body armor. 5 walks in 6 days.

Sunday: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Monday:
Before I walked in to work in the morning, tested myself on pullups and chinups outside. Hit 3 with minimal kip. Hurrah!

Decided to do same loading I did last wave for DB Benches. Tested incline bench press at lunchtime: 185x3

Abs Class

Incline Bench Press: 165x5x5

Assisted Pullups (Monster Mini Band): 3 sets of 3, 1 set 0f 2

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 4 sets of 7. First 3 of those sets were almost 8 reps but just didn't have enough to go all the way to the top.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 105x5x5

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 65x10x4

DB Curls: 30x10, 30x7+3, 30x5+3+2, 30x4+3+2+1. Didn't know how else to write it, so I'll describe it. Based on what I could lift, I calculated I should have been lifting a 27 lbs DB . . . . not gonna happen. So I rounded up. First set was a clean 10 reps, 10th rep was hard. Second set, I failed at 7 reps, rested 10 seconds, got the other 3. Third set, failed at 5 reps, rested 10 seconds, failed at 3, rested 10 seconds, got the other two. As you can guess, last set was a doozy.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute at 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME, RE, DE Lower Body!!!

Walked for an hour in my body armor to get the blood flowing, then relaxed for an hour;)

My scheduled workout was 250 lbs for 5 sets of 3. But since I missed a squat workout last week that would have made today my singles day (that, and I was once again really frisky), I skipped all the other shit and just squatted.

All Notation: weight x reps x sets

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel)(ME): 135x5, 165x3, 195x2, 225x1, 255x1, 285x1, 295x0

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel)(RE): 250x3x4. Since I had 2 reps above 90% 1RM in the bag, I just did 4 sets of 3.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel)(DE): 140x2x10. After set 6, I started to get slower.

And thus ends my five week load. I hit all the numbers I wanted to hit except for weight: last
Sunday I weighed in a pound heavier (214) than the week before but today I weighed in at 212. It ain't the 210 I wanted but I will take it. Since I've been squatting more often or gaining more reps in some lifts, I have probably put on some muscle. But 4 days of vest walking has done it for me again. Next week, it will be 4 days of running, 3 days of vest walking, and deadlifts. 18 weeks to go!!!

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Abs Class, 1 hour walk with the body armor.

Incline Bench Press: 135x13, 135x10, 135x8

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Monster Mini): 3 sets of 3, 1 set of 2

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Average Band): 2 sets of 7, 2 sets of 6.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): Since I felt really warmed up from the pullups (and kinda frisky) I went for the PR first, then dropped twenty pounds each successive set and repped those out: 145x2, 125x4, 105x6, 85x11, 65x9.

Preacher Curls: 35x25x2

Behind The Back Shrugs: Worked up to a 190 lbs single

Rear Delt Machine: 65x10x4

10 minute cooldown on the Elliptical.

WSFSB III: RE (?) Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Took a walk in the weighted vest for an hour. Would learn in the end: until I'm used to it again, or maybe never, don't do this before a heavy leg workout.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 235x5x5. At the end of it, I just felt bushwhacked. But this could be my victory for the night

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: Skipped it.

Giant Set:
Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure
Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure
Incline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure
Hammer Calf Press: worked up to a 270 lbs triple.

15 minute cooldown on the elliptical. Barely made it through that!!!

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Yesterday, I did jack shit but tested throughout the day on 3 lifts. Got 2 reps on the chinup with no kipping, a one rep improvement. Got 60x7 on the reverse curl: calculated to a 72 lbs max, good up to 265 lbs bench structural balance-wise. Then tested after dinner at 145 lbs in the behind the neck shoulder press, so I'm covered there up close to a 245 lbs bench. My shoulders felt kind of banged up today, so either I need to build this up slowly and stretch my shoulders better or this lift is best used only as a diagnostic tool only.

Today:
Abs Class. Headed to the gym afterward, and there were a shitload of people and not an open bench in sight. So I walked for an hour in my body armor.

Flat DB Bench Press: Worked up to an 85 lbs single per arm. Structural balance-wise, on target for a 215 bench. Met my goal there.

Hammer ISO High Rows: Worked up to a 125 lbs single per movement arm.

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 2 sets of 3, 2 sets of 2. Better than last week.

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (AverageBands): 4 sets of 7. Ditto.

Barbell Preacher Curls: 75x3x4, 85x0 immediately followed by a 75 lbs single, 85x1 immediately followed by a 75 lbs single. Was going to do 75x3x5, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be so I went for my goal. Only got it up half way the first time. Figuring that I may have wimped out too soon on that first 85, I made up my mind to get it the second. Oh, I got it but if it were any slower it would have been a static rep!!!

Barbell Shrugs: Worked up to a 200 lbs single.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets

Abs Class

Incline Bench Press: 135x11, 8, and 7 reps.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 120x3x5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Monster Mini): 4 sets of 2

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Average Band): 2 sets of 7, 7 sets of 6. More reps is always good.

Preacher Curls: 70x5x5.

Behind The Back Shrug: 175x3x5

Incline Lateral Raises: 15x5x5

15 minute cooldown on the Elliptical.

WSFSB III: RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Warmup: 15 minutes on the Elliptical. Mobility work and even did some in between squat sets for my legs and hips.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 205x8x5.

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: 50x6, BWTx10x5. The goal was 50x10x5. The reality was that the squats took it all out of me. On the first set, lactic acid buildup was kicking in on the second rep and I just couldn't go past it for much. So I dropped the weights, and even 10 reps was work.

Giant Set:
Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure
Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets to failure
Incline Twisting Situps: 5 sets to failure
Seated Calf Raises: 70x5x5

15 minute cooldown on the elliptical. I was starting to fall asleep. This low carb thing is so not easy, especially on this workout. This Sunday will be a reprieve. Next Saturday its back to smart eating WITH carbs.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Abs Class

Flat DB Bench Press: 75x3x5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 105x3x5

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 2

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (AverageBands): 4 sets of 6

Barbell Shrugs: 165x3x5

Barbell Preacher Curls: 65x8x5

Not a cardio killer like the sets of 10 or 8. But I almost felt sleepy walking out of the gym,so I was spent in a whole different way.

213/211

Woke up at 2PM, and went to the gym at 3PM. Weighed in at 213 lbs. When the workout was over, I left at 211 lbs. F'in A!!!

To make up for eating like crap while I was sick (and a bit before that) I dropped the sodas, hot cocoa, candy bars, Gatorade, fruit, toast, rice, potatoes, corn. Drank water by the ton. Started Ab Class again. But I think that the muscle I'm gaining under this program has started to push me past that plateau I had at 216. I'll start adding light aerobics on off days and once I buy my new sneakers (my current ones are being held together with duct tape and Crazy Glue), I'll be running intervals again.

My 5 week wave ends next week, and my mini challenge is to get to 210 at the end. At this rate, the 190s are in sight by December 20 target date. Last time I was 190-anything was January 1999. At a pound a week goal, I might just hit 192, and would never have to rope&choke (Navy BMR measurement) again.

Since I will have been working out for 5 days straight on Tuesday and hammered my legs Friday, I only did box squats. I decided to drop speed squats for the next two weeks and will just be doing the same rep scheme I am doing with the preacher curls (5x10, 5x8, 5x5, 5x3, 5x1). I began using the Smith machine because I want to just worry about pushing the weight, not my balance while tired. The 5 sets of 10 took a lot out of me, because I'm not used to repping out this high (Hmmmm, maybe this should be my new speed work). I'm thinking this might help me knock off some pounds, too.

Smith Machine Box Squats (Slightly Below Parallel): 165x10x5

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: Repped out at 15, 13, 10 reps with 115 lbs. Maybe, I'll keep the weight the same and gun for 20 reps. Maybe not.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats): 115x5x5

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Monster Mini): 4 sets of 2

Assisted Wide Grip Pullup (Average Band): 3 sets of 6, 1 set of 5

Preacher Curls: 50x10x5. I'm trying to bring up my structural balance on this lift to 86 lbs (It's an 80 lbs 2RM now), what it should be for a 205 bench. Since my reverse curls is already where I need it to be, I'm just doing preacher curls for the next 5 sessions like so (did session 1 today):
Session 1: 5 sets of 10 reps at 60% 1RM (2500 total tonnage)(Intensity/Number of Lifts of 1.25)
Session 2: 5 sets of 8 reps at 75% 1RM (2400 total tonnage)(Intensity/Number of Lifts of 1.6)Session 3: 5 sets of 5 reps at 85% 1RM (1750 total tonnage)(Intensity/Number of Lifts of 1.6)Session 4: 5 sets of 3 reps at 89% 1RM (1125 total tonnage)(Intensity/Number of Lifts of 1.36)Session 5: 5 sets of 1 rep at 94% 1 RM (480 total tonnage)(Intensity/Number of Lifts of 0.833)

Behind The Back Shrug: 155x5x5

Incline Lateral Raises: 12x8x5

WSFSB III: DE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Box Squat (Average Band): 140x2x8.

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: 60x8x5

Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets of 8

Incline Situps: 5 sets of 14

Seated Calf Raises: 50x8x5

Felt better today, but skipped the intervals.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Took some Zyrtec in the morning with a cup of coffee and some Tylenol, still feeling a bit sick with a runny nose. As sometimes happens, I ended up with edginess bordering on anxiety, and an even bigger fever (not good in Djibouti). It being the day I also took my malaria medication couldn't be good either. Haven't slept much in two days. Tried to take a nap today for an hour and was delirious. I think after today's session I'll take a few days off.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat DB Bench Press: 70x5x5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 100x5x5

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 2

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (AverageBands): 4 sets of 6

Barbell Shrugs: 155x5x5

Barbell Preacher Curls: 60x8x5

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Box Squat (Slightly Below Parallel): 205x8x5

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Foot Elevated: tested to a 70 lbs 5Rm and an 80 Lbs 3RM.

Full Range GHR: 5 sets to failure: essentially, a back extension to upright position

Hanging Leg Raises: 5 sets of 8

Incline Situps: 5 sets of 14

Seated Calf Raises: 50x8x5

Was feeling sick before I got to the gym and not much better afterwards so I skipped the intervals, took a shower, and went to bed.

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Notation: Weight x reps x sets.

Incline Bench Press: 115x13, 11, 10 reps. Increased my reps by one each set. Once my first set hits 15 reps, I'll up the weight by 10 pounds.

Hammer Iso Rows (Lats): 100x8x5

Assisted Wide Pullups (Average Band): 6 sets of 5.

Incline DB Laterals: 12x8x5

Behind The Back Shrugs (Smith Machine): 135x8x5

Reverse Curls: 50x8x5

WSFSB III: DE Lower Body

I did not want to work out yesterday. Not enough sleep, hips were beat from walking in the vest (since I'm lifting heavy and doing bands, I might have to do something else.). I took a nap and watched movies until 10:30 PM, then forced myself to go to the gym.

Did 10 minutes on the elliptical, plus 10 minutes of mobility work for my legs and back. In between sets of squats, I stretched and did leg swings and shoulder mobility stuff to stay loose. So I didn't pull anything and woke up pain free.

Hoist Leg Abductor: Worked up to a 100 lbs 5 RM.

Hoist Leg Adductor: Worked up to a 100 lbs 5 RM. They were mopping the gym floor, so I did these while the floor dried. Considering I pulled muscles along my inner thigh last week, this was as much a preventative exercise as it was an accessory movement:

Box Squat w/Average Bands: 140x2x8

Assisted Pistols: 5 sets of 3

GHR Back Extensions: 5 sets of 8.

Seated Calf Raises: Worked up to a 60 lbs 4RM. Lame, but I'll work on it.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

WSFSB III: ME Upper Body

Yesterday, I started Ab Class and walking with the vest again. I had taken a week off from weightlifting, diet, and aerobics, then started weights but had to deal with the first week's soreness. Even though the walk sucked due to time away and high humidity (the air smelled of ocean), it was good to be back.

Today's workout (All Notation: weight x reps x sets)

Flat DB Bench Press: 60x8x5

Hammer ISO High Rows: Worked up to a 115 lbs single per arm, then did 5 sets of 8 reps at 80 lbs. This was not the plan originally but the only places I could chin were taken at that time, and I didn't want to wait.

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (Green Bands): 6 sets of 6

Barbell Shrugs: 135x8x5

Barbell Preacher Curls: 60x8x5. The first two sets were doable, the third was a struggle for the last two reps, the last wo sets were rest paused.

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Yeah, these sucked today, too.

These are my goals by the time December 22 rolls around: 200 lbs bodyweight, 375 lbs squat, 455 deadlift, 255 Bench Press.

WSFSB III: DE Lower Body

Box Squat w/Average Bands: 135x2x8. Didn't warmup with stretches, just warmed up starting with an empty bar. Pulled my inner thigh muscle on the first rep of the warmup. Nothing but stretches and leg swings for rest periods. Sucks. Speed was as good as could be expected.

Assisted Pistols (Green Band): 5 sets of 3 per leg. Can't break the 3 rep barrier.

Hoist Adductor/Abductor Machine: Worked up to 90x9 (both adduction and abduction). After having pulled my inner thigh doing sumos then today on box squats, decided to add these to my arsenal. Actually felt better when I was done.

45 Degree Hyper: 4 sets of 15.

GHR: 22 reps (2 sets of 11)

Seated Calf Raises: 40x15x3

WSFSB III: RE Upper Body

Incline Bench Press: 115x12, 10, 9 reps

Hammer Iso High Rows: 65x12, 10, 8 reps

Wide Pullups: 6 singles with 2-min rest in between reps. Needed a little bit of kipping on most of the reps, but tried to make up for that with a slower negative.

Assisted Wide Pullups (Averge Band): 3 sets of 6, 5, and 5 reps

Incline DB Laterals: 15x5x5

Behind The Back Shrugs (Smith Machine): 135x5x5

Reverse Curls: 20x15. 25x15, 30x15.

WSFSB III: ME Lower Body

It should have been DE Lower Body, but today I learned of the stupid limits of the gym here at Camp Le Monier, Djibouti.

I did Ab Class first, which covered me for abs. So at 7 PM I enter the gym, and I have an open squat rack that I could use for the bands but no bars to use. One would think that whoever maintains the gym would know that for each rack/bench press station, there should be a bar. Plus extras for deadlifting and squatting, and they should suit those purposes. As it is, this isn't the case: there ain't enough bars to go around, and they're all for bench pressing. And there was none available. So I went back to the office for a couple of hours to futz around, drank some coffee to keep me from wanting to go to my CLU and go to sleep, then went back to the gym around 9:30 PM.

One squat rack available, but I couldn't use the bands with it. It was flat to the ground with no space to put the bands underneath it. And I had to grab a bar from one of the benches. So, while waiting for the other rack to open up, I figured I'd do sumo deadlifts just to see where I was at. I worked up to a 275 lbs 5 RM from 135 lbs in increments of 30 lbs. I then tried 305 but just didn't have enough left to pull it.

Whoever was using the rack still was not done. Fuck!!!

So I decided on box squats, slightly below parallel. The safeties had missing pins so I couldn't move them up - - - they were a few inches above my ankles. I managed to get to a controlled but grinding 275 single. I then tried 305 and had complete control of it going down but had nothing left to lift it with. And since the pins were too low, I need two people to get the bar off of me.

After all that, I skipped the single leg work, and did everything else. Kinda bummed, but I'll take it.

GHR: 21 reps in two sets.

Hammer Calf Press: 290x5x5.

WSFSB III Begins

DB Flat Bench Press: Worked up to a 70 lbs 3RM, then 75x0.

Incline Bench Press: 95x11, 95x10

Neutral Grip Chinups: 6 singles

Assisted Neutral Grip Chinups (Green Band): failure at 6, 6, 5 reps

Barbell Shrugs: worked up to a 155 lbs 5RM. Sad, really.

Barbell Preacher Curls: 70x4x3, 70x2x2. The original plan was 70 for 5 sets of 5, but I had no biceps left, probably from the chins.

Weight today was 216, even after a week of doing nothing and being relaxed with my diet.

216

Today, on the 4th of July, a complete day off, all I did was sleep. Not like I could pop off fireworks here at Camp Lemonier, our base here in Djibouti. And yesterday's workout drained me. So except to go pee, I didn't get up until 2PM and even then after a shower, shave and toothbrushing, I went back to sleep until 4:30 PM.

Before I went to dinner, I went to the gym to check my weight because I felt really empty. Weighed in at 216 lbs. I may just hit my mini-goal of 210 before this cycle is over which, after a week off, will give me 18 weeks to see how far I could drop while on a powerlifting program.

TBT Week 3 Workout 3

Yesterday: 1.5 hour walk in the body armor.

Today:
Ab Class

Reverse Band Pistols (Cluster): BWTx6x4. I decided to try these instead of just doing the descent. Much like the reverse band squat in priciple: I just hang the bands over a couple of the pull up handles, put my arms through them as if I was gonna swing, then do a pistol. It gives me just enough lauch to get me out of the bottom but not much else. So three reps was all I could get on one leg, then I did three on the other, and repeated the process.

Hammer ISO High Row: 70x15x4

45 Degree Hyper: BWTx15x4

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 55x15x4

DB Preacher Curls: 20x15x4

DB Extensions (Tates): 20x15x4

Hammer Calf Press: 200x15x4

DB External Rotations: 10x15x4


Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Week 3 Workout 2

Yesterday: 1.25 hours walking in body armor

Today:
Reverse 90/90 Stretch@4
Inverted Hamstring Stretch@4
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep@4
Inchworm@4
Shoulder Complex
Wall Slide
Leg Cradle
Glute Bridge (Marching)(Knee Extension)@6
Drop Lunge (6@)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
YTWL@10
Drop Squat and Stabilize@3
Squat Jump – Non Countermovement@3
Scorpions (8@)
Iron Cross (8@)


Reverse Deficit DB Lunge: 80x8x4

Hammer ISO Row (Lats): 110x8x4

DB Romanian Deadlift: 160x8x4

DB Incline Raises (Cluster): 15x8x4

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x4

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x4

Hammer Calf Press: 255x8x4

DB External Rotations: 15x8x4

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Week 3 Workout 1

I will begin just by saying that I had a huge dinner last night, a couple of big beers, and after I left the Cantina I had the jones for a hamburger, some fries, and a coke. And when I woke up at 2PM and arrived at the gym at 3PM, I still weighed 217. Just had to say that;)

No, I don't do this regularly;)

Bulgarian Split Squat: 80x5x4. Had no easy time of it, considering that I only had a day's rest between this workout and the last one. Thought of Joe DeFranco's description of this exercise as "the one that will crush your hip flexors, glutes, and VMO" as pretty fucking accurate.

Assisted Wide Grip Chinup (Green Band): BWTx5x6. The groove of this one was better than doing the wide pulldowns: my back gave out before my arms and shoulders did.

DB Deadlift (Total Weight): 200x5x4

DB Shoulder Press: 55x5x4

DB Preacher Curls: 30x5x4

DB Extensions (Tates): 30x5x4

Hammer Calf Press: 290x5x4

DB External Rotations: 20x5x4

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 4 intervals of 1 minute at 8.8 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH

217

Took my weight this morning, and weighed in at 217 for a nice one pound drop. So the diet adjustment is working. And I'm sure the squat sessions probably gave my metabolism a boost. I have 25 weeks left in my plan and am actually doing better than expected. 205 was my goal weight but I might end up in the 190s. Maybe, since my heavy cycle begins in 7 weeks.

All I have today is Abs Class. Since I've worked out for three days straight, I'm gonna have some beer and relax.

TBT Week 2 Workout 3

1.25 hours of walking with the body armor on

Pistols (Descent Only): BWTx15x3

Hammer ISO Row (Mid): 70x15x3

45 Degree Hyper: BWTx15x3

DB Incline Raises: 8x15x3

DB Preacher Curls: 20x15x3

DB Extensions (Tates): 20x15x3

Hammer Calf Press: 200x15x3

DB External Rotations: 10x15x3

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 8.4, 8.6, and 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

I'm glad that I got this week done, 6 more to go. Motivation-wise, it was my toughest week, maybe because I'm bored and want to really start hitting the heavy stuff but after the last two squat days, I'm gonna milk the benefits of single leg work that much more. While my week didn't exactly go as I planned it, that's also the good news;)

Paid!!!

Tuesday:
Took my usual long walk in my body armor. God, I feel so lazy and unmotivated!!!

Wednesday:
I was gonna do absolutely nothing until I got a care package from my wife that contained sour candy, a Father's Day card, pictures, my Blast Straps, Sting Ray, Manta Ray, wrist wraps, and a pair of average (green) bands. Noiw, all of the sudden, I kinda had the motivation to train.

Then I got to my room after work and dozed off!!!

I got up, grabbed my bands, and though I still did not want to work out I wanted to see what my squat was like. I worked up to a slow but steady 205 single in the box squat with the green bands hooked up. My squat has never been this stable or strong before. I'm stoked. I even experimented with setups for chinups, pullups, and assisted pistols (no more descent only, even if it was only enough assist for 2 reps each leg).

Thursday:

After Ab Class, I went in to do the workout that I should have done yesterday. But first, I had an even bigger squat jones to entertain. I wanted to test my squat, ass to grass. I got up to 215 for 5 reps with a full 1 Mississippi pause at the bottom and smooth ascent each time and just left the rest in the tank. Eric Cressey's article that inspired all this single leg work should have come sooner than it did - - - could this be what I was missing all this time?

Then came the regularly scheduled workout:

Reverse Deficit DB Lunge (weight is total): 80x8x3.

V-Handle Pulldown: 105x8x3.

DB Deadlift (weight is total): 190x8x3.

DB Incline Raises: 15x8x3 (Cluster).

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x3

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x3

Hammer Calf Press: 250x8x3

DB External Rotations: 15x8x3

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Week 2 Workout 1

Friday: Walked in my body armor for 1.5 hours. Played 4 games of really good volleyball. We played a department that we beat the week before and they came out swinging. We still beat them 3 games to 1, but we had to work for it. Then I ran to the CLU and showered and ran to the Cantina to catch Hinder ("Lips of An Angel"), who were kind enough to do a free concert for the troops. They kicked ass.

Saturday: Same thing. Right after Ab Class.

Sunday: Should have worked out. Slept until 2PM, went to check my weight (now I'm 218), got a haircut, futzed around on the computer at work, ate a really good dinner (Been eating lower carbohydrate diet to stimulate some fat loss, but today was not the day.), took a two hour nap, talked to a friend of mine I've been playing phone tag with for weeks and finally reached her. There went the day.

Today: Made up for not working out Sunday by doing Week 3's workout.

5:15PM:
Reverse 90/90 Stretch@4
Inverted Hamstring Stretch@4
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep@4
Quad Stretch
Combination Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Inchworm@4
Shoulder Complex
Leg Cradle
Glute Bridge (Marching)(Knee Extension)@6
Knee Hug
Drop Lunge (6@)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
YTWL@10
Drop Squat and Stabilize@3
Squat Jump – Non Countermovement@3
Scorpions (8@)
Iron Cross (8@)
Fire Hydrant Circles (10@, forward and backward)
Low Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
High Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds

6:30PM: Ab Class


7:00PM:
DB Bulgarian Split Squats (weight is total): 40x5x4

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 105x5x4

DB Romanian Deadlift (weight is total): 180x5x4

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: 85x5x4

DB Preacher Curls: 30x5x4

DB Extensions (Tates): 30x5x4

Hammer Calf Press: Worked up to 290x5x4

DB External Rotations: 20x5x4

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 8.4 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Week 1 Workout 3

Yesterday, I walked for 1.5 hours in my body armor. Weather is now blowing in from the desert so I wasn't dripping wet at the end. Just wet. The nights are starting not to be as cool anymore.

Today, I decided to test my 15RM on some movements rather than bet on the 50-55% of my 1RM last cycle. I ended up surprising myself and having a great workout.

6:30PM-7:00PM: Abs Class for 30 minutes

8:00PM - On

Pistols (Descent Only): BWTx15x3

Hammer ISO Row (Mid): 60x15, 65x15, 75x13

45 Degree Hyper: BWTx15x3

DB Shoulder Press: 30x15, 35x11, 30x15

DB Preacher Curls: 15x15, 20x15x2

DB Extensions (Tates): 15x15, 20x15x2

Hammer Calf Press: 200x15x3

DB External Rotations: 10x15x3


Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 8.4, 8.6, and 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Week 1 Workout 2

Mobility/Warmup:
Reverse 90/90 Stretch
Inverted Hamstring Stretch
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep
Inchworm
Shoulder Complex
Leg Cradle
Glute Bridge (Marching)(Knee Extension)
Knee Hug
Drop Lunge
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
YTWL
Drop Squat and Stabilize
Squat Jump – Non Countermovement
Scorpions
Iron Cross
Fire Hydrant Circles
Low Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
High Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds

The Workout:
Reverse Deficit DB Lunge (weight is total): 80x8x3. The deficit is now a step higher than the last time.

V-Handle Pulldown: 105x8x3. Used a handle with a wider V with a fatter handle.

DB Deadlift (weight is total): 190x8x3. I didn't have legs for this today. Legs still beat from Sunday, warmup took a bit out of me, the lunges REALLY took it out of my legs to the point where I had no launch. I pretty much muscled it up, saw stars after each set.

DB Incline Raises: 15x8x3 (Cluster). Did not have 12 lbs DBs but this was much better. I could do 4 reps with this weight. So I did 4 reps with one arm, then the other, then back again.

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x3

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x3

Hammer Calf Press: 250x8x3

DB External Rotations: 15x8x3


Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 8.4 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

TBT Cycle 2 Begins

Last week,I completed week 8 of TBT: Day one (3 sets of 18),day 2 (3 sets of 8), day 3 (3 sets of 12). Then took off a week from weights and relaxed my diet. So yesterday, I began anew at 220 lbs.

I'm hoping that this will be the workout that gets me to 210. To that end, I made minor adjustments to the cycle and my training week. In weeks 1 thru 4, day 3 had one less set than all the other days; in weeks 5 thru 6, its two sets for each day, and in weeks 7 thru 8, it's 3 sets of everything. I upped the volume for this cycle, and now it looks like this:

Weeks 1&2: Day One (3 sets of 5), Day Two (3 sets of 8), Day Three (3 sets of 15)
Weeks 2&4: Day One (4 sets of 5), Day Two (4 sets of 8), Day Three (4 sets of 15)
Weeks 5&6: Day One (3 sets of 18), Day Two (3 sets of 8), Day Three (3 sets of 12)
Weeks 7&8: Day One (4 sets of 18), Day Two (4 sets of 8), Day Three (4 sets of 12)

In my last week or two of my last cycle, I started using 8 movements vice 6, 4 big and 4 small. Same here. The 4 small ones will be the same all the time: DB Preacher Curls, DB Extensions, Hammer Calf Press, And DB External Rotations. All for structural balance for the bench except the calf stuff. My goal is 40bs in the curls and extensions, and 8 reps of 20 lbs since we don't have 18 lbs dumbbells. There will be no benching or pushups here, just shoulder work: 2 days of presses (one with dumbbells and one on the Hammer ISO Shoulder Press) and one with side laterals to get my shoulders where I want them: 60 lbs DB Presses for 8 reps (I'm 4 reps short). After this, I will take another week off from the weights, then go on my 18-week powerlifting cycle.

My training week now no longer has a built in day off. Used to be that on Sundays, I did jack shit. Now, Sunday kicks off my workout week and Saturday is just for Abs Class and volleyball and a night at the Cantina. That's day off enough for me.

6:00-7:30PM: Walked in my body armor

9:30 PM:
DB Bulgarian Split Squats (weight is total): Worked up to 80x5,90x2

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: Worked up to 105x5, 120x3

DB Romanian Deadlift (weight is total): Worked up to 180x5, 200x2

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: Worked up to 90x4 each arm

DB Preacher Curls: Worked up to 30x5, 35x1

DB Extensions (Tates): Worked up to 30x5, 35x1

Hammer Calf Press: Worked up to 340x1

DB External Rotations: Worked up to 20x4

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 3 intervals of 1 minute at 8.2 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

A Short Summary of TBT Week 7

Wednesday, pulled a mid/upper back muscle doing lat pulldowns and DB Reverse Lunges . . . WTF!!! Managed to get through almost everything but ditched the DB RDLs and sprint intervals as a precaution. Then I took two days off.

Saturday, did the Abs Class and vest walking. Took Sunday off.

Monday, I more than made up for not doing the RDLs on Wednesday, and completed the third workout of week 7. Pulled 260 (130 lbs DBs) in the dumbbell deadlift, so I'm 20 lbs away from my goal of pulling the 150s. Did my two intervals at the end. But my biggest highlight happened out of the gym. While leaving the office at night after blogging this, I got on the chinup bar outside of the building and finally got one (just a tad bit of kipping). The last time I did a chinup was at around 178, around 1994. I'm around 218-219 now.

Week 8 begins today.

TBT Week 7 Workout 1

Memorial Day, as was this whole weekend, was spent being lazy and easy. Woke up at 2PM feeling super refreshed, went to hit the weights, ate probably more BBQ than I should have, then kicked back for 45 minutes before going to Ab Class and running intervals.

Bench Step Ups: BWTx18x3

Hammer ISO Row (Lat emphasis): 60x18x3 each arm

Inverted Hamstring Stretch: BWTx18x3 per leg.

Close Grip Pushups: Set of 17, 13, and 11 reps

DB Preacher Curls: 15x18x3

Hammer Calf Press: 200x18x3

DB External Rotations: 8x18x3

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 2 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1 minute at 3.0 MPH. I did it, and this time it was only the last 20 seconds that sucked. I was afraid of the second interval but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, so my recovery was quick.

Oh, and my weight today was 219. Ka'chow!!!

Last Two Days

Thusrday:
Ab class, 75 minute walk with body armor on.

Friday:

This is how I made up for not doing the intervals on Wednesday, plus a bonus for mobility's sake:

Walked 2 laps around the field
Reverse 90/90 Stretch@4
Inverted Hamstring Stretch@4
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep@4
Inchworm@4
Jogged one lap around the field
Shoulder Complex
Leg Cradle@4
Glute Bridge (Marching)(Knee Extension)@6
Knee Hug@4
Drop Lunge (6@)
Side Shuffle for 30 Yards and back
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
YTWL@10
60 percent sprint 40 yards, backpedal back
Drop Squat and Stabilize@3
Squat Jump – Non Countermovement@3
Scorpions (8@)
Iron Cross (8@)
85% Sprint for 40 yards, backpedal back
Low Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
High Pogo Jumps: 3 sets of 20 seconds
Full Sprint, 100 yards

Pistols: Managed to do a complete one in each set, then BWTx11x2 (descent only)

V-handle Pulldowns: 90x12x2

DB Deadlifts: 140x12x2.

Incline Bar Pushups: BWTx12x2

DB Preacher Curls: 20x12x2

Hammer Calf Press: 200x12x2

DB External Rotations: 10x12x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Week 6 of TBT down, 10 more to go.

TBT Week 6 Workout 2

Yesterday, I got back to my room at 5:30 PM and took a nap (skipped dinner, I was so sleepy). For 4 hours!?! As you could imagine, I couldn't go to sleep anymore after that. So after getting up, I got dressed in my PT gear (not really wanting to work out), went to the gym, took off my shoes, jumped on the scale, and headed to the office to talk to my wife for a bit.

220 lbs. If I could have taken off my clothes just to see 219, I would have. OK, maybe not!

After talking on the phone, I went to the gym at 11:30. I felt tired so I saved the intervals for today. But to make up for it, I did next week's workout: 3 sets vice 2 of everything (Notation: weight x reps x sets).

Reverse Deficit DB Lunges (Total Weight Shown): 90x8x3. I set the deficit a little higher, and got more of a workout. The weight felt heavier this way, too, so I might lighten it a tad next time for better form on all reps, not just the first 4 or 5.

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats, Elbows In, Weight per movement arm): 92.5x8x3

DB RDL (Total Weight): 160x8x3

DB Incline Laterals: 10x8x3

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x3

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x3

DB External Rotations: 15x8x3

Now, I can sleep.

It Ain't Always The Heat

I thought that, maybe, it was because I hadn't walked in the body armor in about 4 days. Or, maybe, it was the increasing heat. Whatever it was, today's walk was kicking my ass. I could barely take in a full breath. Halfway through, I realized that it was neither of these things exactly. I had adjusted my vest before the walk and made it too tight, and the chest plate wouldn't let my chest expand. So I took off the IBA, layed it out, loosened the straps, and it was better than ever. Now I could breathe again. That, and it was cooler.

TBT Week 6 Workout 1

Ab Class - 30 Minutes

Bench Step Up: BWTx18x2

45 Degree Hyper: BWTx10x4

Inverted Hamstring Stretch: BWTx18x2

One Armed Neutral DB Press: 25x18x2

DB Preacher Curls: 15x18x2

Hammer Calf Press: 175x18x2

DB External Rotations: 8x18x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Actually, the first interval was 1 minute and 45 seconds. This was the week I was gonna try 2 minutes fast and one minute slow, but the first interval put the kibosh on those plans. It was too difficult. Maybe next week, or I'll try to hit the mark on at least one of the intervals.

I weighed in at a hair under 224 on Sunday. The waist is getting smaller, the legs are getting leaner but harder, and I'm getting stronger in all my lifts, so about the only fine tuning besides keeping an eye on my diet is maybe making sure I'm not doing too much. After all, I won't be in Africa forever, so what I do here I must be able to do at home.

The Past 3 Days

Thursday:
1 hour of walking in my body armor and Ab Class.

Friday:
Day off. Just felt like taking one. . . . usually, it's Sunday.

Today, I made up for Friday but cut out walking in my body armor.
30-minutes on the elliptical trainer at level 10.

Ab Class.

Pistols: Managed to do a complete one in each set, then BWTx11x2 (descent only)

V-handle Pulldowns: 90x12x2

Split Good Mornings: 115x12x2. One set for each leg.

Incline Bar Pushups: BWTx12x2

DB Preacher Curls: 20x12x2

Hammer Calf Press: 200x12x2

DB External Rotations: 10x12x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

Week 5 done, 11 more to go.

TBT Week 5 Workout 2

Straight after dinner:

Dynamic Warm-up Phase (@ means reps each side):
Walked 3 laps around the field
Reverse 90/90 Stretch
Quad Stretch
Combination Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep
Leg Cradle
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jumping Jacks
Jog One Lap Around the Field
Shoulder Complex
Inchworm
Glute Bridge (Marching)
Front Skips 100 yards
Backpedal to starting position
Drop Lunge (6@)
Sideways Running: 20 yards down and back
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
60% Sprint (arm& posture focus)(20 yards down and back)
Squat Jumps (10)
75% Build Up Sprint (Knee Drive)(20 Yards Down and back)

Ground Based Mobility:
Scorpions (8@)
Iron Cross (8@)
Inverted Hamstring (8@)
Rollovers into V-Sits (10)
Birddogs (10@)
Fire Hydrant Circles (10@, forward and backward)
Mountain Climbers (10@)

Showed up at the gym, sweaty and pumped. Took off my shoes, jumped on the scale and weighed in at 225 lbs. I think my dietary changes plus the addition of the intervals have pushed me past my plateau. Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Reverse Deficit DB Lunges (Total Weight Shown): 90x8x2

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats, Elbows In, Weight per movement arm): Worked up to 115x3, then did 90x8x2

DB RDL (Total Weight): 150x8x2

DB Incline Laterals: 10x8x2

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x2

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x2

DB External Rotations: 15x8x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Yes, I still had enough left for those - - - that's why I cut one or two sprints from the warmup. Weight upon leaving the gym was 223 lbs. Yes, I drank a few bottles of water to put it back - - - but it was nice to see.

Why Sandstorms Can Be A Great Thing

I was at a meeting while this thing was brewing in Djibouti. When I came out at about 5:15 PM it looked strangely foggy, then I figured it had been a sandstorm - - - my roommate later confirmed this. So my 80 minute walk with the body armor on found me looking like a bandit with my mouth and nose covered but with the sun blocked, the temperature was a lot cooler.

TBT: Week 5

Started dropping the 1-2 Gatorades a day thing. My weight is plateaued at 226 and this I'm sure is not helping. I drink more than enough water and I'm pretty sure I get enough salt from the food. Don't need more carbohydrates.

Did Ab Class for 30 minutes. Considering it's a lot of repetitions/static/twisting work, my abs are still adjusting to the workload. But I'm not sore in the hip flexors, so the adjusting plus after-workout stretching and mobility work is helping too.

Step Ups: 2x18@BWT

45-degree Hyper: 4x10@BWT. 10 is about the most reps I could do with this.

One Leg RDL: 2x18@BWT. In actuality, it's an inverse hamstring stretch as seen in the Core Performance book.

One Arm Neutral DB Press: 2x18@25 lbs

DB Preacher Curls: 2x18@15

Hammer Calf Press: 2x18@165 lbs

DB External Rotations: 2x18@8 lbs

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. To gradually improve my endurance as well as to push the fat loss along, I am cutting 30 seconds a week from the walking and adding it to my running. Hard but doable, and at only 2 intervals it doesn't leave me for dead. After the 4th week, I'll add an interval and start anew at 1 minute running.

Mobility work and static stretching finished me up.

Last 2 Days

Thursday, I did the Ab Class here on base. So for 30 minutes, I let someone torture me into turning my abs to mush - - - it was like boot camp all over again! Didn't get to do the vest walking because I had last minute stuff at work I had to do and didn't leave at 5PM like I normally do.

Friday:

Woke up at 9:30, slathered on the sunscreen, put on my boonie hat and walked on mostly gravel for 75 minutes with my vest on. With nothing in my gut, this walk was taking it out of me. On the way down, I checked the thermometer and the temperature (humidity and all accounted for) read 121.8 degrees. I'm sure that was taking it out of me, too. You know how they tell people to have at least 8 glasses of water a day? That's just about how much water I drink when I walk.

In the evening, I joined one of my co-workers for a step aerobics class. Yeah, yeah - - - laugh all you want!!! Only 4 people showed up, including the instructor. No, I don't have video!!!! But I'll admit, as uncoordinated as I was in the beginning, it was 30+ minutes well spent. I got my heart rate up and broke a solid sweat. A perfect warmup for my light weight day. So, week 4 is done and there's 12 more to go.

Step Ups (Bench): 3x15@BWT

Hammert ISO Rows (Lats): 3x15@65 lbs each arm

DB RDL: 3x15@100 (50 in each hand)

Pushups: 3x15@BWT (done at a gradual cadence)

DB Preacher Curls: 3x15@15

Hammer Calf Press: 3x15@165

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.2 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

Ende Neu

BTW, I'm the guy on the left. This was taken at U.S. Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training (NIACT) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in February.

I got the blog title from an album from one of my favorite bands, Einsturzende Neubauten. It means "ending new."

I'm currently on a trial separation from my wife, and I'm thousands of miles away from just about everything and everyone I know. It doesn't matter if we told each other that the playing field is even until I get back and we decide where to go from there. My life is pretty much a mess. Except for work, because in the military, in this place, I had better have my head together. And in the gym, where I always focus my energies on the task ahead: a number, a weight, a sign that the last rep is at least one last push away.

I think on Monday's workout, I pushed too hard. Then I walked in the vest for about an hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday in blistering heat. Then add the other stresses. I felt really edgy and drained. I kept trying to find excuses to just not work out.

I have a mission in all of this. I may just give the December 9th Virtual Meet a shot and get my thousand pound total. The other goal is to do so at 206 lbs: I'm about twenty pounds away from that.

So I dragged myself into the gym, because I don't need more delays. And for me, it's also the one place where I can focus on just one thing. Everything else stays at the door.

My legs and glutes were sore all over (the lunge max and heavy DB deads on Monday saw to that), so I was trying to dodge doing the Pistols (Descent only). So I did the Hammer ISO High Rows for 4 sets of 85 first, instead of that. The 4 sets of 8 of pistols were a grind but once it was over, the rest was Ok. I was almost too leasurely about the workout, but that was fine because I was really relaxed and content. After that:

DB Shoulder Presses (Weights is per dumbbell): 4x8@45 lbs

GHR: 30 reps (sets of 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps)

DB Preacher Curls: 4x8@25 lbs

DB Extensions (Tates): 4x8@25 lbs

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.2 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

I'm not gonna turn this into a personal blog but I just had to put it out there. Because while I'm not always gung ho going into a gym, it's always important for reasons that go beyond pure numbers or strength. And that keeps my head screwed on straight!

It Has Arrived!!!

The heat I have been getting told about has finally arrived. Holy shit, it's like taking a deep breath of nothing. Right now (11:28PM, 08MAY05) it is about 81 degrees, with a heat factor that makes it fell like 95.

Weight yesterday morning, shorts and shirt with no shoes: 226. A day off and some more food always does the trick.

Early yesterday afternoon, I did the dynamic warmup and mobility and change of direction drills. I did about 2/3 of it and had to stop, because I felt the lactic acid burn in my chest, I couldn't catch my breath no matter how long I waited. It was so sticky! So I got into the shade, drank 4 bottles of water, and hit the showers. Probably didn't help that I was doing this on the Astroturf on the soccer field, which radiates about 20 more degrees than the surrounding temperature.

Today, since it was even worse, I took the dynamic warmup indoors and shortened it, no sprints. Better idea. Since I hadn't done weights in a week, I was gonna make my last heavy day of this eight week cycle special. Then, afterwards, I started to do the interval stuff on the treadmill a la Afterburn.

DB Deficit Reverse Lunges (weight is each dumbbell): 25x5, 35x5, 45x5, 55x5, 60x1

V-Handle Pulldowns: 75x5, 90x5, 105x5, 120x5, 135x2

DB Deadlifts (weight is each dumbbell): 60x5, 70x5, 80x5, 95x5, 100x3

Incline DB Bench (weight is each dumbbell): 35x5, 45x5, 55x5, 65x5, 75x0

DB Preacher Curls: 15x5, 20x5, 25x5, 30x5, 35x1

Hammer Calf Presses: 200x5, 220x5, 240x5, 260x5, 290x5

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH. I'm doing 4 weeks of this just to get prepped. No rush.

230 No More

This week, I haven't lifted much. Maybe the stress from personal issues zapped my motivation a bit. But since I didn't want to catch up by lifting 4 days in a row, I at least walked with my body armor for an hour plus everyday since Wednesday. Today, I went to the gym in the morning and with just the tee-shirt and uniform pants on, I finally dipped below 230 lbs.

Mind you, I've done this before. This is the first time doing so without resorting to a sauna, or not eating the day before or over-aerobicizing. For me, it's a great sign. Between the weighted vest walking and the weightlifting, I still seem to be maintaining muscle but my waist is starting to get smaller. Now, I just need to schedule out everything. The long energy systems work at the beginning of the weight lifting workouts didn't kill my workouts, but it didn't leave much for recovery.

The only thing I lifted after Monday was a cold 1RM pull of 220 total pounds in the dumbbell deadlift (2 DBs of 110 lbs each) . That's 80 total lbs more than I did on April 13th. Part of that increase was learning the skill, the other was adaptation, the other was the one leg work. I have 13 weeks before this phase is over and I can begin WSFSB III. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out what my goal at the end will be. One is 220 lbs bodyweight. The other? The biggest dumbbells in the gym are 140 lbs, and I'll wear the body armor to get the rest;)

Last 2 Days

Sunday, I did what I usually do for a warmup with some shoulder work, extra mobility stuff, suicides, and a jog around the field thrown into the mix. My flexibility is getting better and my knee pain is gone. My shoulders are really feeling good, too. And a good side benefit is that my weight has begun to drop even steadier. I'm now weighing in at 232 lbs in the evening even after dinner, so 220s should come in about another week. All without tricks. After that, I played my Sunday volleyball games.

Today, was the end of TBT week 3, 13 weeks to go.
Bench Step Ups: 3x15@BWT
Hammer ISO Row (Elbows in Close)(each arm): 3x15@60 lbs
DB RDL (Total Weight): 3x15@90 lbs
Pushups: 3x18@BWT
DB Preacher Curls: 3x15@15 lbs
Hammer Calf Press: 3x15@160 lbs

TBT Week 3, Session two

I didn't work out at all Wednesday or Thursday, and my diet could have been better (far from a bender but definitely not too sensible.). Today, my reward for that was showing up two pounds lighter in the afternoon than last week. Maybe aside from the new warmup or this routine, this was what I needed.

Warmup

One Leg Sit to bench: 4 sets of 8 (both legs) with bodyweight

Hammer ISO High Rows: 4x8@80 lbs each arm

GHR: 28 reps (sets of 8, 6, 6, 4, 4 reps)

DB Shoulder Presses: 4x8@45 lbs each DB

DB Preacher Curls: 4x8@20 pounds

DB Extensions (Tates): 4x8@20 pounds

Volleyball games for a cool down

TBT Week 3 Day 1

Warmup was different today. Got my care package from home with my copy of Core Performance Endurance, so I tried out some new things when I warmed up. Made the warmup longer but it left me feeling really loose and raring to go.

DB Reverse Lunges (weight is each dumbbell): 35x5, 40x5, 45x5, 50x4

V-Handle Pulldowns: worked up to a 135 lbs single

DB Deadlifts (weight is each dumbbell): 4x5@90 lbs. I'm improving really well with this lift. Maybe because of the single leg work, too: I don't have to rock a little to start the first rep anymore and I'm lifting more weight.

Incline DB Bench: worked up to 4 reps with 75 pounders.

DB Preacher Curls: worked up to a 30 lbs triple.

Single Calf Raises: 6 sets of 5

Because of the warmup, didn't have much left to do the elliptical at the end. So I walked around for twenty minutes.

Walking and Volleyball

Walked with the body armor on for 75 minutes this morning, and was reminded by the sunburn on my shoulders why I need sunscreen here in Africa. Ouch!!!

Then I played volleyball in the evening.

Making Up is Not Always The Best Part

Should have done the weighted vest walking yesterday. But I felt like doing nothing. Ok, I drank some beer and played Nintendo Wii Sports with the office. No guilt here.

So, to make up for it, here was todays workout:

Warmup
Walked with the body armor for an hour
Played some volleyball for another hour
Step Ups (armor on): 2x15@BWT+32 lbs
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 70x15x2
Single Leg RDL: 2x15@BWT
Pushups: 2x15@BWT
Calf Raises: 2x15@BWT
DB Extensions (Tate's): 2x15@15
Walked back to the CLU (Container Living Unit)

TBT Modified: Week 2

The Warmup (Until I write otherwise):
Body squats x 10
Jumping jacks x 15
Seal jumping jacks x 15
Front skips — 20 yards down & back
Stationary side lunge x 8 each leg
Side shuffle, 20 yds. down & back
Stationary leg swings (front & back) x 10 each leg
Stationary leg swings (side to side) x 10 ea. leg
60% Build-up sprint (arm & posture focus) — 30 yds. down and back
Lunge walk x 10 steps down and back
Backpedal x 20 yds. down and back
Squat jumps x 5
75% Build-up sprint — (knee drive focus) — 40 yds. down and back. I did all of this at the soccer field before walking to the gym for the workout. A lot harder than doing 15 minutes on the elliptical for a warmup but more effective. While I'm not trying to do anything intense for aerobics right now, this may help.

The Workout:
One Leg Sit to Bench (Pistols): 3x8@BWT
Incline Laterals: 6x8@10
DB RDL: 3x8@140 (70 pounds in each arm)
Incline Pause Pushups w/Pushup Bars: 3x8@BWT
DB Curls: 3x8@25
Assisted Dips: 3x8@117 (120 lbs of assist)

15 minutes cooldown (Elliptical) and mobility work

The Last Couple-A Days

Yesterday:
15Minutes on the elliptical plus the Parisi Warmup.
Reverse DB Deficit Lunges: worked up to 70 (35x2) for 5 reps, then 2 more sets
Hammer ISO High Rows: 90x5x3
DB Deadlifts: Worked up to 170x5 (85 in each arm).
DB Push Press: 55x5x3
DB Hammer Curls: 35x5x3
Hammer Calf Press:290x5x3
20 minutes on the elliptical to finish


Today:
1 hour walk with the body armor on.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Just about everyone today had the day off. Not sure why, I don't read as much official e-mail as I should, I guess.

So, I woke up at 2:30PM (12+ hours of sleep), got my PT gear on, then my body armor, then my sunglasses. Then I stepped outside. It was nice and quiet, with a good sea breeze. I walked for an hour at a good pace, on sidewalk, gravel, and 3 laps around the soccer field (artificial turf). After that I took a shower and shaved and brushed my teeth and when I got back to the room, I felt so blissfully tired and relaxed that I almost took a nap. Then on to dinner. That was my PT for the Day.

BTW, here's my weight workouts from last week. Since I don't like backblogging, I'll keep it simple:

Monday:
Reverse DB Deficit Lunges (Basically, front foot is elevated): worked up to 50 (25x2) for 5 reps.
Hammer ISO High Rows: Worked up to 100x1 per movement arm, then 90x5 back off.
DB Deadlifts: Worked up to 140x5 (70 in each arm).
DB Push Press: 50x5x3
DB Hammer Curls: 35x5x3
Hammer Calf Press:290x5x3

Wednesday:
One Leg Sit to Bench (Pistols): 3 sets of 8 with bodyweight
DB Upright Rows: 20x8x3
DB RDL: 120x8x3 (60 pounds in each arm)
Incline Pause Pushups w/Pushup Bars: BWTx8x3
DB Curls: 25x8x3
Assisted Dips: 3 sets of 8 with 120 lbs of assist

Friday:
Step Ups: BWTx15x2
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 60x15x2
Single Leg RDL: BWTx15x2
Pushups: BWTx15x2 (gradual cadence, medium grip)
Calf Raises: BWTx15x2
DB Extensions (Tate's): 15x15x2

Each session begins with 15 minutes of elliptical, then the Parisi Warmup, then 20 minutes on the elliptical to finish. Except Friday: warmup was 4 games of volleyball. So week one is done, 15 more to go.

Back in The Habit

It's been a bit hard to get in a habit of working out here in Djibouti. Not because of the heat. Mostly, it's a lack of motivation (I'm even getting emotionally adjusted now being away from my wife and child). Last week, it was injuries. The day after walking around for an hour with my body armor on, I was doing jump training and a jump that I had made the week before, I missed and skinned my left shin. After that, I just decided to squat and since I hadn't done so in a long time, I pulled muscles on the inside of both thighs. Day after that, I was playing basketball when I tried to stop on a dime at full speed and I pulled both calves, then a glute later on. Some would say that I'm getting old. But after much thought, I thought that I've never been a big stretching person. And I've never put in the amount or regularity of mobility work that I should.

Three articles really got me thinking. One was Eric Cressey suggesting 3 days of single leg work a week for 2 months. Another was Cardiovascular System Training Principles, Part 2 by Joel Jamieson on the Elite FTS site. Another was an article on Sports Illustrated about how the Phoenix Suns are fixing up Shaquille O'Neill (I think the Suns have the most injury free team in the NBA).

Then this week, I started Chad Waterbury's Total Body Training but substituted the single leg work for the squats, dumbbell work for barbell work. I'm doing the body armor walking sometimes but have found myself playing a lot of volleyball at night and some basketball. Aerobically, I've been keeping it low intensity. And I've started to do the Parisi Warmups every time I go to the gym. Probably after 2-4 months of this, aside from being in pretty good shape, I'll start to slowly ramp things up. The single leg work is humbling, especially the pistols - - - I can't squat up, and going down is hard. The DB Deadlifts were a real eye opener: 70 lbs dumbbells for 5 reps, and my core was tiring out right when my glutes and low back were. Give me a few weeks and I'll say if this workout is effective. But so far, I don't feel really beat up and I'm having fun with the volleyball habit. Don't know how this will affect my lifts but right now, that's not on my mind.

Stay Tuned.